May 27, 1918 



Boron 



455 



More total boron was present in the control sample than was found in 

 one of the two treated samples. The control showed four times as much 

 boric acid as the control from the peach orchard at Acampo, Cal. 



WHEAT EXPERIMENTS 



Similar experiments were tried testing the effect of borax and cole- 

 manite on the growth of wheat (Triticum spp.) at Benton Harbor, Mich., 

 during the season of 1 914-15. The same amounts of borax and coleman- 

 ite were added as in the two previous tests. Mr. F. L. Simanton, of the 

 Bureau of Entomology, directed these experiments. No effect of the 

 boron was evident during the growth of the crop; nor were the yields 

 influenced by the added boron. Samples of grain and straw were taken 

 from all three plots in June, 191 5, and analyzed for solids, nitrogen, and 

 boric acid. Samples of wheat stubble were also analyzed. The results 

 are given in Table IV. 



Table IV. 



-Percentage of solids, nitrogen, and boron in wheat grain and straw, dry 

 basis, Benton Harbor, Mick., iQlj 



Boric acid added to upper 6 

 inches of soil. 



Material. 



Solids. 



Nitrogen. 



Total 

 boron as 

 boric acid 



found. 



Per cent. 

 0.00176 as borax .... 



0.00232 as colemanite 



Control 



0.00176 as borax 



0.00232 as colemanite 

 Control 



fStraw 



\Grain 



|Straw 



\Grain 



fStraw 



\Grain 



I Stubble, second growth. . 

 Roots of stubble, second 

 growth. 

 I Stubble , second growth . . 

 Roots of stubble, second 

 growth. 

 I Stubble, second growth. . 

 Roots of stubble, second 

 growth. 



Per cent. 



Per cent. 



0. 42 

 1.97 



•52 

 2-15 



•35 



1. 69 



Per cent. 



o. 00267 



. 0008 

 . 00016 

 . 00016 

 . 00040 

 . 00012 

 . 0020 

 • 00036 



. 0040 

 . 0000 1 



. 0000 1 

 . 0000 1 



There was less nitrogen in the grain and straw from the control plot 

 than from the boron-treated plots. The grain contained less boric acid 

 than the straw. It is apparent that the wheat, both grain and straw, 

 took up more boron from the borax-treated than from the colemanite- 

 treated plot. The roots of the stubble contained much less boric acid 

 than the tops. The amount of boric acid in the stubble from the control 

 plot was much less than in the control straw of the first growth of wheat 

 on the same plot. 



At the time the wheat samples were taken soil samples were also 

 obtained. Analyses of these samples are reported in Table V. 



