﻿EFFECT OF BOEAX ON GEOWTH AND YIELD OF CROPS. 6 



harmful results. The plantings in these experiments were made late 

 in the summer, and the crops did not mature. 



A general survey of the injury to the 1919 potato crop in Maine by 

 borax in fertilizers is given by Morse (9) , together with a report on pot 

 experiments with borax fertilizer on potatoes, beans, oats, wheat, and 

 buckwheat. Fertilizers applied to soil in pots so as to add 17.6 

 pounds of anhydrous borax per acre produced severe leaf injury 

 when the fertilizer was mixed in the upper 6 inches of the pot or when 

 placed in the 3 inches of soil below the seed piece. The larger appli- 

 cation of borax caused greater root injury and more stunting of the 

 plants, but less tip and marginal injury to the leaves. An application 

 by means of the drill of fertilizer containing anhydrous borax equiv- 

 alent to 4.4 pounds per acre caused severe injury to beans, while the 

 same fertilizers sown broadcast in quantity equivalent to 8.8 pounds 

 of borax per acre caused no apparent injury to oats, wheat, and 

 buckwheat. 



The work of Neller and Morse (10) is also very conclusive in showing 

 that borax is extremely poisonous to plants. A number of pot experi- 

 ments are reported which were conducted under the joint auspices of 

 eight different institutions, namely, the experiment stations of the 

 States of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode 

 Island, Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey. The work was 

 planned in order to determine whether injury previously observed 

 both in the field and in the greenhouse was clue alone to the borax 

 present in the fertilizer applied and to determine the maximum 

 quantity per acre that can be safely applied to land on which impor- 

 tant food crops are to be grown. Potatoes, corn, and beans were 

 grown, and borax was applied with fertilizers in quantities varying 

 from 1 to 20 pounds per acre. While these experiments were made in 

 pots and a direct comparison with field conditions can not be made, 

 the results obtained are very valuable and show conclusively that 

 very small quantities of borax can be injurious to plant life. Corn and 

 beans proved to be more susceptible than potatoes to the injurious 

 effects of borax. Three pounds of borax per acre was the largest 

 quantity that could be applied in drills with safety to beans; the 

 limit for corn was under 5 pounds and for potatoes slightly above 5 

 pounds per acre. Mixing the fertilizer with the soil decreased the 

 injury and slightly raised the quantity of borax that could be applied 

 per acre with safety. These results were obtained with a typical 

 greenhouse potting soil which had a water-holding capacity of 37.5 

 per cent and was kept at an optimum water content of 19.2 per cent. 

 Subsequent experiments with beans showed that greater injury 

 occurred where the soil moisture was kept at 15.2 per cent than where 

 it was kept at 30.4 per cent. 



The damage to crops in North Carolina, principally cotton, tobacco, 

 corn, and peaches, by borax in fertilizers, observed in 1919, is given 

 in a report by Plummer and Wolf (11) in which they also include the 

 results of their experimental work. Their experiments, using pots 

 containing a sandy soil to which 5 pounds of borax per acre were 

 applied, showed considerable injury to corn, and when 10 pounds 

 of borax were applied the plants were entirely lacking in green color 

 and soon died. Cotton did not grow where 5 pounds per acre were 

 used. In clay soil both cotton and corn showed marked injury when 

 the quantity of borax exceeded 7 pounds per acre, although in sandy 



