EFFECT OF BORAX ON GROWTH AND YIELD OF CROPS. a7 
whether they were planted after the intervening of a light rain. 
The use of 10 pounds per acre decidedly checked growth when applied 
in the drill, but was only slightly harmful when sown broadcast. 
FIELD EXPERIMENTS USING FERTILIZERS WITH AND WITHOUT BORAX. 
A COMPARISON OF TWO GRADES OF SEARLES LAKE POTASH IN THE FIELD. 
In connection with certain studies in commercial fields to deter- 
mine the comparative effectiveness of different potash carriers on 
the potato, a test of two grades of muriate of potash from Searles 
Lake was included. The two grades differed in that one, the so-called 
1919 grade, contained 6.25 per cent of borax, while the other grade, 
designated 1920, contained practically none. 
The tests were conducted cooperatively in Virginia, New Jersey, 
and Maine, as follows: : 
At Cape Charles, Va., in cooperation with the Virginia Truck Experiment Station; 
on Sassafras sandy loam; fertilizer application, 1,800 pounds per acre; average con- 
trol, 7-8-0; variety grown, Irish Cobbler; yield, 161.7 bushels per acre. 
At Norfolk, Va., in cooperation with the Virginia Truck Experiment Station; on 
Norfolk sandy loam; fertilizer application, 1,800 pounds per acre; average control, 
7-7-0; variety grown, Irish Cobbler; yield, 221.3 bushels per acre. 
At Holmdel, N. J., in cooperation with the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment 
Station; on Sassafras loam; fertilizer application, 1,500 pounds per acre; average 
control, 4-10-0; variety grown, American Giant; yield, 246 bushels per acre. 
At Presque Isle, Me., in cooperation with the Maine Agricultural Experiment Sta- 
tion; on Caribou loam; fertilizer application, 1,800 pounds per acre; average control, 
5-10-0; variety grown, Irish Cobbler; yield, 243.7 bushels per acre. 
The detailed results are shown in Table 8. 
The data in Table 8 disclose the fact that in most of the tests, 
especially as the quantity of borax was increased, the yields were 
reduced. At two of the stations the fertilizer mixtures containing 
the 1919 potash salt (6.25 per cent borax) were applied in two ways: (1) 
by means of the planter which applies the fertilizer in a furrow 
made by the planter plow and (2) by means of a fertilizer distributer 
which gives a somewhat greater spread to the application. It will 
be noted that the former method, which presumably afforded a 
greater concentration of the fertilizer-borax mixtures near the potato 
seed pieces, gave the poorer results. The fertilizer mixtures con- 
taining the so-called 1920 grade of potash salt (practically free from 
borax) gave excellent returns, comparing very Favorable with other 
potash carriers.‘ In the experiment at Holmdel, N. J., it will be 
observed that the fertilizer-borax mixtures gave better results than 
the no-borax mixtures when applied with the distributer. The chief 
explanation for this lies perhaps in the heavy rainfall following plant- 
ing which undoubtedly was sufficient to reduce the concentration of 
the borax to a point whereby stimulation, rather than injury, may 
have resulted to the extent of increasing the yields. When applied 
with the planter in the drill row, as is ordinarily done by the potato 
rower, the degree of injury was considerable, as is shown in the first 
gure column of Table 8. It is well to state in this connection that 
the results obtained during the same season at New Brunswick, 
N.J. (2), tend to support the foregoing explanation. At New Bruns- 
4 A report on the effect of various potash salts upon crop yields on prominent soil types is in course of 
preparation. 
