Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1920-11-23
FURTHER FIELD
| TRIALS WITH BORAx

The Limit of Safety for the
Potato Crop, as Shown by
the Experiments Made by the
Maine Agricultural Expert
mept Station Experts.
Orono. Me-, Nov. 22-The following
was issued this afternoon from the
Office of Charles D. Woods. director
of the Maine agricultural experiment
station at the University Of Maine:
AS is pretty generally known several
divisions of the Federal Department
of Agricultural are carrying ION COOP
erative work with the Maine Agricul-
tural Experiment Station. at its
Aroostook Farm in Pressure Isle. The
Soil Fertility Investigations Division
of the Bureau of Plant Industry of
the Department had in its potash
studies in 1919 certain borax con-
tanning potash salts. These were not
intended as experiments to throw
any light on borax, for when the crop
was planted in the spring of 1919
borax had not come to light as of
practical agricultural importance.
The results in 1919 We're not at all
conclusive. AS a supplement to the
greenhouse studies made by the
Maine Station in the fall Of 1919 and
70 he 70
studies made in the winter and early
spring of 1920 as a cooperative pro-
ject by the Experiment Stations of
the Northeastern States, the Soil
Fertility Division made at Aroostook
Farm in 1920 a carefully planned ex-
pertinent to see what the tolerance
of potatoes to borax might be under
field conditions with fertilizer con-
tanning borax applied in the three
different ways that are practicable in
field management.
The land selected on the Aroos-
took Farm had been in potatoes in
1917, seeded to clover with oats in
1913 and had given a good crop of
clover in 1919. The field was plowed
late enough in 1919 so that a good
second crop of clover was plowed
under. This stubble and roots fur
nished supply of organic matter to
be converted into humus. The po-
tato seed selected was from vigorous
stock as free from disease as could
be had. The fertilizer used was free
from borax, was alike for the whole
piece and carried per cent of ammo
mia, per cent of available phos-
phoric acid and per cent water SOL
uble potash and was applied at the
rate -~of 1000 pounds per acre.
Borax was applied at the rate of 1
pound, 2 pounds, 3 pounds, pounds.
10 pounds, 20 pounds. 80 pounds, SO
pounds. 100 pounds, 200 pounds and
400 pounds per acre. 1t was thor
oughly mixed with the fertilizer be-
fore it was applied to the land. In
one series the fertilizer was applied
in the furrow a week before the time
of planting. In another series the
fertilizer was applied in the furrow
at time of planting. And in third
series the fertilizer was applied
broadcast at time of planting. Every
AiAeh PAOt was a NhCSh put hat 10,
1t had the $3.50 fertilizer but was
without boraX. The yields were
good and as uniform as one can ex-
pect in field work where unevenness
of stand, slight soil differences and
other conditions beyond the control
OF the experimenter are likely to
arise. The check plots averaged
about 325 bushels per acre.
The differences in yield between
of boraX per acre and the check
plots were slight and within expert
mental error in all 3 ways of apply
ing the fertilizer. When applied in
the furrow pounds per acre of
borax apparently reduced the yield to
a. slight extent. When applied broad
cast the yield was as large as on the
check plots and the plots with the
smaller amounts of borax. Ten
application apparently reduced the
yield about % bushels per acre With
20 pounds of borax per acre where
the borax was applied in the furrow
a week before planting and where it
was broadcast at time of planting the
yield was about 200 bushels per acre.
And where 20 pounds of borax was
applied in the drill at planting the
yield was about $50 bushels per acre.
With 30 pounds of borax per acre
there was yield of about so bushels
per acre where the fertilizer was ap-
piled in the furrow a week before
planting and less than so bushels per
acre when the borax was applied in
the furrow at time of planting. The
yield with 80 pounds of borax per acre
broadcast at time of planting was
practically the same as where it was
applied in furrow week, before
planting. The yield with 100 pounds,
200 and 400 pounds, no matter how
the fertilizer was applied, were SO
small as to be practically negligible.
In general, borax, mixed with but
not included in the crystals of the
salts. had little effect no matter how
applied up to 4 pounds per acre. As
applied in the furrow a week before
planting and broadcast at planting 5
pounds apparently had little or no eff
feet in crop reduction. Ten pounds
per acre was decidedly toxic even ap-
Piled week before planting or
broadcast. But was still more toxic
as shown by color of foliage and by
the resulting crop when applied in
the furrow at time of planting.
In the studies made by the Maine