106 



HOBTICTTLTUEE 



July 25, 1914 



BORAX AS A LARVACIDE 



As a result of experiments, the spe- 

 cialists of the Department of Agricul- 

 ture have discovered that a small 

 amount of ordinary borax sprinkled 

 daily on manure will effectively pre- 

 vent the breeding of the typhoid or 

 house fly. Similarly, the same sub- 

 stance applied to garbage, refuse, open 

 toilets, damp floors and crevices in 

 stables, cellars or markets, will pre- 

 vent fly eggs from hatching. Borax 

 will not kill the adult fly nor prevent 

 it from laying eggs, but its thorough 

 use will prevent any further breeding. 



The investigation, which included 

 experiments with many substances, 

 was undertaken to discover some 

 means of preventing the breeding of 

 flies in horse manure without lessen- 

 ing the value of this manure as a 

 fertilizer for use by the farmer. While 

 the "Swat the fly campaign," traps and 

 other devices for reducing the number 

 of typhoid-carrying flies are of value, 

 they are of less importance than the 

 prevention of the breeding. It was 

 realized, however, that no measure for 

 preventing the breeding of flies would 

 «ome into common use unless it was 

 such that the farmer could use it on 

 his manure pile without destroying its 

 usefulness for growing plants, and 

 without introducing into the soil any 

 substance that would interfere with 

 hla crops. 



As a result of experiments carried 

 on at the Arlington Farm, in Virginia 

 and New Orleans, La., the investiga- 

 tors found that 0.62 of a pound of bo- 

 rax, or 0.75 of a pound of calcined cole- 

 manite (crude calcium borate) would 

 kill the maggots and prevent practi- 

 cally all of the flies ordinarily breed- 

 ing in 8 bushels of horse manure from 

 developing. In the case of garbage 

 cans or refuse piles, 2 ounces of borax 

 or calcined colemanite, costing from 

 5 cents a pound upward according to 

 the quantity which is purchased, will 

 effectually prevent flies from breeding. 



While it can be safely stated that no 

 injurious action has followed the ap- 

 plication of manure treated with borax 

 at the rate of .62 pounds for 8 bushels 

 or even larger amounts in the case of 

 •some plants, nevertheless borax-treated 

 manure has not been studied in con- 

 nection with the growth of all crops, 

 nor has its cumulative effect been de- 



HOUSE OF NEW CARNATION ALICE. 



Pliotograpbed .Tul.v -t. 1914. 



termined. It is therefore recommend- 

 ed that not more than 15 tons of the 

 borax-treated manure should be ap- 

 plied per acre to the field. As truck 

 growers use considerably more than 

 this amount, it is suggested that all 

 cars containing borax-treated manure 

 be so marked, and that public health 

 officials stipulate in their directions 

 for this treatment that not over .62 

 (62/100) of a pound for 8 bushels of 

 manure be used, as it has been shown 

 that larger amounts of borax will in- 

 jure most plants. 



In view of this discovery, there now 

 seems little excuse for any horse owner 

 or resident of a city allowing typhoid 

 flies to breed in his stable or garbage 

 can and it is believed that this in- 

 formation will greatly help the health 

 authorities in their campaign against 

 the typhoid fly. The details of the ex- 

 periments with borax and other larva- 

 cides will be found in U. S. Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture Bulletin. No. 118. 



AGRICULTURAL DEPARTMENT 

 WORK. 



While the office of Foreign Seed and 

 Plant Introduction concerns itself with 

 plants introduced from abroad, the 

 office of Horticultural and Pomological 



FIELD OF 40.0(X) CARNATION ALICE. 



rix.toiiraplied July 4. 1914 



Investigations is mainly interested in 

 the fruits, vegetables and flowers now 

 grown on a commercial scale in this 

 country. The office maintains a volu- 

 minous correspondence with growers, 

 shippers, and individuals throughout 

 the country who desire information on 

 any of the following topics: 



Adaptability of fruit varieties to en- 

 vironment. 



Methods of fruit culture. 



Problems of orchard management. 



Harvesting, handling, packing, ship- 

 ping and storage of fruit. 



Preeooling of fruit and vegetables, 

 and shipment under refrigeration or 

 ventilation. 



Chemical i>hases of fruit-ripening 

 and the manufacture of concentrated 

 fruit juices and by-products. 



Identification and description of 

 fruit varieties. 



Nut culture (pecans, walnuts, chest- 

 nuts, almonds, hickories). 



Improvement of citrus and deciduous 

 fruits through bud selection, by cross- 

 ing and by hybridizing. 



Methods of growing, harvesting, 

 handling, shipping, storing and market- 

 ing of vegetable and truck crops or 

 crops grown under glass. 



Commercial potato culture and the 

 improvement of seed potatoes by 

 breeding and selection. 



Growing, harvesting, curing, thresh- 

 ing, and by-products of peanuts and 

 the improvement of commercial varie- 

 ties. 



Commercial production of flower and 

 garden seed. 



School garden work. 



Landscape gardening and the use of 

 trees, shrubs, and flowers on streets 

 ?nd lawns and in parks. 



Improvement of flower varieties. 



This oflftce is working to determine 

 (lie exact behavior of fruit varieties 

 under different environments and the 

 .geographical range of successful cul- 

 ture of different kinds and varieties 

 of fruit; it also furnishes information 

 a.s to the cultural conditions and meth- 

 ods best suited to the growing of differ- 

 ent fruits. 



The improvement of handling and 

 m.irketing conditions and the practi- 

 cal solution of the problems of trans- 

 portation and storage with which 

 (^rowers and dealers are concerned 

 lomprise a large portion of the work 

 of the office. 



