UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



J\H&'^&u 



1 BULLETIN No. 998 f 



jnj5f^Vi» 



Washington, D. C. 



PROFESSIONAL PAPER 



July 3, 1922 



EFFECT OF BORAX IN FERTILIZER ON THE 

 GROWTH AND YIELD OF POTATOES. 



By B. E. Brown, Biochemist, Office of Soil-Fertility Investigations, Bureau of 

 Plant Industry, V. S. Department of Agriculture, in cooperation with the 

 Maine Agricultural Experiment Station. 1 



CONTENTS. 



Page. 



Purpose of the investigations 1 



Plan of the experiments 2 



Results of the experiments 3 



Paga 



Rainfall record 6 



Summary 7 



Literature cited 8 



PURPOSE OF THE INVESTIGATIONS. 



Injury to field crops through the use of fertilizers containing borax 

 was first observed in Indiana in 1917, and a report by Conner (I) 2 

 appeared in 1918. 



So far as is known no reported authentic case of borax injury again 

 occurred until 1919, when ample proof of the poisonous action of this 

 compound was afforded. During the growing season of 1919 injury 

 to a number of important crops by borax, notably potatoes, cotton, 

 and tobacco, was observed, and a number of publications (£,^,^, 5 5, 6) 

 on this subject were subsequently issued. 



The Bureau of Plant Industry, as a result of reports from various 

 sections, conducted an investigational survey in the field in 1919 to 

 determine the severity and extent of the injury, with special refer- 

 ence to potatoes and cotton. The survey was based in part on ex- 

 perimental plat work with fertilizers containing borax and in part on 

 actual observation in affected fields. As a result of these investiga- 

 tions, as well as those by others, it was found that borax caused the 

 trouble. It was deemed essential, however, to conduct well-controlled 

 field tests during the season of 1920 for the purpose of studying 



1 Experiments conducted during the season of 1920 on the Aroostook farm of the Maine 

 Agricultural Experiment Station, at Presque Isle, Me. 



2 Serial numbers (italic) in parentheses refer to " Literature cited " at the end of this 

 bulletin. 



105933—22 



