886 
Journal of Agricultural Research 
Vol. V, No. 19 
lime to the borax also showed no definite action in preventing the ab¬ 
sorption of boron, although with beets (Table I) and with one series of 
tomatoes (Table II) such a reduction is indicated where the largest appli¬ 
cation of lime was made. Most of the plants analyzed took up boron 
in proportion to the amounts present in soluble form in the soil. 
The leguminous plants, which were most easily injured by boron, ab¬ 
sorbed larger amounts than the other plants tested, while wheat and 
oats absorbed but little boron. It is particularly noteworthy that the 
wheat grown at Arlington Farm, Va., on soil fertilized with manure 
heavily treated with boron showed only traces of boron in the grain and 
straw. Haselhoff (7) found boron in the stalk of maize, but not in the 
grain. 
The most striking differences in the absorption and distribution of 
boron are shown by the leguminous plants, where a more even distribu¬ 
tion between roots, tops, and fruit is found. Potatoes also showed rather 
a large quantity of boron in the roots and tubers, but only a small amount 
in the tops. Succulent plants like beets also absorbed boron. On the 
other hand, tomatoes and wheat showed only traces of boron in the 
fruit and but little in the roots. Agulhon (1) has investigated the action 
of boric acid on wheat, using synthetic sterile liquid media, including 
both soil and water cultures. He recommends 0.0012 per cent of boron 
to obtain the best growth. In these tests, when borax was added at 
the rate of 0.62 pound to each 8 bushels of manure and this manure 
applied to the soil at the rate of 15 tons per acre, 0.0015 P er cent of 
boron was added to the soil. 
The fact that all control plants contained a little boron shows the wide 
distribution of boron in the soil. From the large amounts taken up by 
the control plants grown at Orlando, Fla., it appears that the soil there 
contains more than the soil at Dallas, Tex., New Orleans, La., or Arling¬ 
ton Farm, Va. 
The ash results of the various portions of the plants analyzed vary 
considerably, and the variations are not in a definite direction. 
A spotting or yellowing of the leaves of plants, which was first noted 
by Hotter (9) and later reported by several investigators, was observed 
in these experiments when boron was present in the soil to any extent. 
In the case of the tomato plants, Table II, a yellowing of the leaves was 
noted when borax was used at the 0.75-pound rate, but the yield was 
unaffected. In some of the legumes—namely, string beans, soybeans, 
and peas—a noticeable yellowing of the leaves was observed when borax 
was added at the rate of 0.75 pound, and in these cases a reduction in 
stand took place. The wheat plants grown at Arlington Farm on the 
plot fertilized with manure treated with from 2 to 3 pounds of borax to 
each 8 bushels, as noted on page 883, were yellow during the first 3 or 4 
months of growth. When the growth started in the spring, however, 
the plants became green, and the yield of the grain was 90 per cent of the 
