The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1920-01-15
BEWARE OF BORAX

Borax has many valuable uses but fertilization of the soil, apparently, is not one. of them. The injurious effects of borax in fertilizers came strongly to the attention of the gov ernment and state auth critics the past summer when certain potato far rners in Maine suffered a serious set back to their crops that seemed trace able to the fertilizers used.
 Investigation, revealed that injury was due to an excess of borax in com mercial fertilizers. Scarcity of pot ash during the war led to the devel- opment of American sources to re- place the German potash formerly imported in great quantities. Two of these American sources have been found to carry borax in sufficient ann ount to endanger plant life.
 Little, if any, of this difficulty was reported from Connecticut during the past year but Maine, especially, and some other states, suffered consider ably. The United States Department of Agriculture is now out with a warning to farmers against this dan ger. The Extension Service of Con necticut Agricultural College is talk ing steps to acquaint= the farmers of the state of the potash situation.
 
 ture makes the following statement of interest to all farmers who use com mercial fertilizers carrying a consid- erable quantity of potash:
 In order to protect the people of the United States and to conserve the food supply, the departfent, on Oct |, ober 24, 1919, addressed a letter to all brokers, fertilizer manufacturers, and dry mixers, who are under license un- der the Control Act of August 10, 1917, stating that the department would not permit more than two pounds per ton of anhydrous borax in mixed fertilizers, unless the pres ence of an excess of this amount is plainly indicated on the container. It was further stated that the purpose of this regulation was to insure that no fertilizer application which would add more. than two pounds of borax to the acre would be hlade by far mers' without their knowledge.
 Tse Secretary of Agriculture, on December s. 1919, issued a formal order. prohibiting the sale of mixed fertilizer containing borax in excess Of one-tenth of one per cent, unless thS Nontainers are labeled as to show the percentage Of borax present.
 This action was designed to protect the farmer in the use of as much as ton of fertilizer per acre, applied in the drill, or to give him notice that the material contained borax If the fertilizer contains more than two pounds of borax per ton, it is thought that it may safely be used, provided proper attention is given to the meth cd Of application and the amount ap- piled per acre. If it contains 0.2 per cent of borax, 1000 pounds per acre may be used iii the drill without exceeding the pounds per acre, the indicated limit of tolerance If it con- tains GA per cent, 800 pounds in the drill would not exceed the apparent limit of safety.
 If on the other hand, the fertilizer is broadcasted and contains 05 per cent borax, then a. ton may be applied without exceeding the limit of 10 lbs. , per acre of anhydrous borax, the in- dtcated limit of safety for this mode Of apptica ton. If it contains 1. Q per cent of borax, then an application of 1000 lbs. per acre broadcast could be made without exceeding the indi- cated safety limit for this method.
 
 Tor subletting to rooms in a house which he rented, a resident of RaIf- fax was fined one cent by the courts