﻿26 BULLETIN 1126, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



was very little mixing of the soil. The only plants which were 

 damaged were those in the seed drill row immediately over the old 

 fertilizer-borax drill row. 



An interesting case was encountered where cotton in a commer- 

 cial field was damaged by Searles Lake potash in 1919. This field 

 was again planted to cotton in 1921. The growing crops for both 

 seasons on the same field are shown in Plate XI. In Figure 1 of 

 Plate XI (photographed August 27) is shown the cotton in 1919 

 which had been fertilized with a mixture analyzing 3 per cent NH 3 , 

 8 per cent P,0 5 , and 3 per cent K,0 at the rate of 800 pounds per 

 acre and in addition had received 100 pounds of Searles Lake potash 

 containing 12 per cent of borax. This is a 12-acre field, and yielded 

 that year between 3 and 4 bales of cotton. The soil is the Norfolk 

 sand)' loam and is well suited for cotton production. In Figure 2 of 

 Plate XI (photographed August 22) the field of cotton is shown 

 as it appeared in 1921 after being fertilized with a similar mixture 

 containing no borax, and it was estimated that the 12 acres would 

 yield about 12 bales of cotton. From this it is apparent that all 

 effects of the borax applied in 1919 had disappeared. 



SYMPTOMS OF BORAX-AFFECTED PLANTS. 



The descriptions of borax-affected plants as observed by the 

 various investigators are here given in order that the reader may 

 recognize the abnormal characteristics produced by this chemical, 

 especially if compared with the photographs shown in this and the 

 other papers cited. These characteristics are as follows: 



Potatoes. — Potato plants affected by borax present rather striking characteristics, 

 as noted in the field experiments reported. The seed piece often fails entirely to 

 germinate, or it may be delayed in germination. When germination has failed, 

 there was an abundance of decay in the seed piece even after the lapse of considerable 

 time. In cases where germination is not seriously affected, the young sprouts are 

 often killed. There is an absence of roots at the seed piece, but root development 

 often occurs above the seed piece in the upper layers of soil. The small plants always 

 have a poor root development. The stalks of affected plants are not as thick as those 

 of normal plants and are very spindling, the leaves are small and narrowed, light in 

 color, and bleached, or at least there is a marginal yellowing of the leaflet. This is 

 prominent on the more severely injured and dwarfed plants. The yellowing is of a 

 bright golden color and not the pale yellowing usually present in plants that are 

 normally or prematurely ripening. In milder cases the abnormal color is restricted 

 to the extreme edges of the leaves, particularly the lower ones. While the lower leaf 

 was badly affected, young shoots formed on its axis would appear entirely healthy 

 only to suffer the same difficulty in their later development. The dead tissues suggest 

 more of an olive color than a green and resemble most closely a potato leaf which had 

 been rapidly killed and quickly dried with little yellowing. The marginal injury 

 appeared to be caused by an accumulation of borax. In severe cases the leaves at 

 the top of the plant are noted as folded upward on the midrib. Commercial fields 

 where borax caused injury presented a broken appearance in stand, with plants of 

 irregular size, often very weak and spindling. 



Corn,. — The toxic action of borax on corn may result in the prevention or delay 

 of germination and in distorted and bleached plants. In severe cases following 

 germination the seedling has not sufficient vitality to push through the soil, and in 

 such cases it withers and dies. The stalk frequently fails to develop its leaves after 

 having pushed through the soil. With as small a quantity as 5 pounds per acre, 

 borax was observed to produce a slight bleaching when the plant was 2 to 3 weeks old. 

 Badly bleached and distorted plants resulted where larger quantities were present. 

 The injury by borax is always at germination and during early growth, for if the 

 stalk." were not killed they finally produced good ears of corn. Young plants injured 

 by borax tend to be lighter in color and in some cases are bleached entirely white. 

 This prevention of chlorophyll formation may be due to an interference with the 



