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Show mmn firrvrrinnrii wir JrfjjfjfjrfrrruSijjr'irjjrr' imi, , ASMS7 CROP YIELD -" Sir Oliver Lodge's Plan of Utilizing Utiliz-ing Electricity. Says 8mall Dynamo Attached to Farm Will Work Wonders In Increasing Increas-ing Output Practical Auxiliary Auxil-iary of Husbandry. London. In Bplto of tho obstlnato convcraatlam or tho avorago rarmor, much has boon dono to carry out Sir Oliver Lodge's plan or utilizing olec-trlolty olec-trlolty tor relnrorclng tho rertlllty or plnnts. Weighed ns a business proposition, Sir Oliver Lodgo's system has Justified Itself, nnd what was tentative and experimental ex-perimental Is now bolng tnkon up on commorclnl linos as a practical auxiliary auxil-iary or husbandry. Lionel Lodge, who tins control ot this dopnrtmont or Sir Ollvor's work, lias explained tho developments or tho last yenr or two and tho hopo thoy ar-rord ar-rord or further progress. "Hovo you ovor notlcod what a re- mnrknblo Impulso Is given to tho growth of crops by a thunderstorm?" naked Mr, Lodgo. "That Is tho oftect of tho atrongly charged ntmosphcrc, nnd our object Is to supply a similar stimulus syntcmntlcnlly. "Tho growth nnd development or plants In thu arctlo regions compares favorably with that In southern countries, coun-tries, nnd yot their summer Is vory short, nnd tho sun's rnyB hnvo to trnvol In audi an oblique direction thnt much of their heating power la lost. Why in it, thoroforo, that tho plants flourish? flour-ish? Tho explanation Ilea In tho atrong electrical currents which nro passing from tho nlr to the onrth, tho effect of which can bo seen In tho Aurora Horcf-alls. Horcf-alls. "The electric current enn bo goner-ntoil goner-ntoil either by a smnll dynamo or from tho nearest supply company's mnlna, nnd by means or a trnnarormer It Is raised to tho high pressure required (nbout 100,000 voltB). Tho current from tho trnnsrormer Is more or less alternating; that Is, It la not n steady current In ono direction, but oscillating oscilla-ting first In one direction nnd tlion In tho opposite. For convenlcnco wo call tho current In ono direction positive nnd In tho other negative It Is the pCBltlvo current thnt wo dtschnrgo from tho network of wires nbovo tho plnnts. Under special conditions as whoro thoro In an excess of natural eloctrlclty It might bo ndvlsablo to ubo tho ncgativo, but alternating current cur-rent would bo of no uso. "To sort out tho positlvo and ncgativo ncga-tivo curronts from tho transformer valves specially Invented for tho pur-poso pur-poso by Sir Oliver nro used. Working Work-ing exactly llko tho valves in an ordinary ordi-nary pump, they allow tho current to flow In ono direction only, nnd pro-vont pro-vont Its gottlng back; thoy thus otoro the electricity In thp Hold notwork from which It 'fizzes' off to tho plants below. "This field notwork consls'tB of flno Iron wire, tho wlreB bolng spread about ten yards npnrt nnd eighteen feet or so nbovo tho ground. Tho wires aro bo flno that It Is dllllcult to boo them oven when standing Immediately Immedi-ately below thorn. "Tho action that tho electrical discharge dis-charge has on tho plants, Sir Oliver suggests, mny bo considered as artificial arti-ficial sunshine, and as in no way taking ta-king tho place or fertilizer. Tho richer tho soil tho larger tho Increase that may bo expected. With moro plants, on averngo soil, tho olectrlflod area mny bo expected to yield 30 per cent moro than tho non-olectrifled. If a higher Increnso than this Is obtained wo consldor tho results good and If lower poor. On rich soil vory much larger percentages hnvo boon obtained. Tho power required Is quite . small, and many ot tho Installations at present pres-ent working aro in unskilled hands." |