GROWTH BOOST

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22620, 24 April 1948, Page 8

GROWTH BOOST

FLUORESCENT LIGHT ARTIFICIAL SUNSHINE v- Bigger, better and tastier fruit literally grown by electricity is what Mr G. X. Edwick hopes to introduce it' Australia. Mr. Edwick, who is famous in England for his experiments with artificial sunshine, has gone to Australia for six months to settle his two sons, Peter, 2-1, and Denis, 22. on the land. 'in 1940. Mr. Edwick built three larccclasshouses in Met Hot dshire. England, and fitted them with a fluorescent lighting system The object was to grow tomatoes without the aid of sunshine and to forget about difficult climatic conditions. The lights threw various rays—yellow, red, white and warm white By deleting the injurious rays from the spectrum scientists on the job found they could promote and improve the growth of fruit and vegetables. They were also able to put their products on the market completely out o! season. In 1946 they used 40 lights in each glasshouse giving 12 candle power per foot, but they found that to do the job properly 200 eandlepower per foot was necessary. Before Mr. Edwick could complete his experiments the fuel shortage came and he was unable to get 'he necessary power for the joo. He will try again when he returns.