﻿EFFECT OF BORAX ON GROWTH AND YIELD OF CROPS. 



25 



borax in small amounts is harmful to cotton and that its effect is 

 influenced to a certain degree by weather conditions. Wherever 

 light rains occurred soon after planting, followed by a dry spell, the 

 effect was severest. If heavy rains followed periodically after plant- 

 ing the effect was less severe. 



THE RESIDUAL EFFECT OF BORAX. 



In order to determine whether there was any residual effect of 

 borax on the succeeding crop, the field which was used for beans, 

 potatoes, and corn in the experiments at Arlington, Va., was planted to 

 wheat in October, 1920, following the harvesting of summer crops. 

 The soil was disked and harrowed and the seed drilled over the entire 

 field. 



As the wheat pushed through the soil, the plants in the drill rows 

 immediately over the area where the borax fertilizer had been applied 

 in quantities of 50, 100, 200, and 400 pounds per acre showed a 

 bleached appearance, and the stand on the 200 and 400 pound plats 

 was poor. Plants taken from the fertilizer drill rows are shown in 

 Plate X. These plants weakened as the winter came on, and by early 

 spring the stand was not more than 25 per cent on the plats with 

 the 200 and 400 pound applications. At harvest time in June, 1921, 

 the single drill rows immediately over the original fertilizer-borax 

 drill row were cut separately and the weight of straw and grain is 

 given in Table 17. 



Table 17. — Effect of borax on ivheat planted after potatoes and corn which had received 

 fertilizer containing borax in various quantities, at Arlington, Va., in 1920. 





Yield of wheat per plat (pounds). 



Borax per acre. 



Yield of wheat per plat (pounds) . 



Borax per acre. 



Potato section. 



Corn section. 



Potato section. 



Corn section. 





Straw. 



Grain. 



Straw. 



Grain . 



Straw. 



Grain. 



Straw. 



Grain. 





21.0 



14.5 

 12.0 

 21.0 

 16.5 

 14.5 

 17.0 

 26.0 



1.75 



2.0 



1.5 



1.75 



1.5 



1.2 



1.2 



2.0 



21 

 21 

 19 

 20 

 19 

 18 

 17 

 18 



3.0 



2.25 



3.2 



2.5 



2.7 



2.6 



2.75 



2.25 



50 pounds 



21.0 

 20.0 

 18.0 

 23.0 

 10.0 

 8.0 

 4.0 

 19.0 



1.5 



1.5 



1.0 



2.25 



1.0 



.75 



.6 

 1.6 



18 

 19 

 17 

 21 

 19 

 12 



1.75 





2.0 





1.6 





3.0 





100 pounds 



400 pounds 



1.25 





1.0 



10" pounds 



None 



6 j .75 

 18 2.0 











The yield of straw and grain from each drill row in the potato 

 section varies considerably anions the checks. While the growth 

 was less in the rows where the smaller quantities of borax were used, 

 it was as great as in the rows which had received 20 and 30 pound 

 applications, so it would be presumed that these decreases may be 

 due to causes other than borax. The yield from the 50-pound plat 

 is slightly under the no-borax plat, and where larger quantities of 

 borax were used the yield is cut more than 50 per cent. A somewhat 

 similar effect is noted in the corn section. It is apparent that the 

 borax, when used in the higher quantities, still remained of sufficient 

 concentration in the soil to exert a harmful residual effect on the 

 succeeding crop. It should be remembered, however, that the soil 

 was disked and not plowed in the preparation for the wheat, so there 



