Norwich bulletin., 1920-01-14
BEWARE OF soRAx.

Berax has many valuable uses but fertilfzation 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 authorities the past summer when certain potato farmers in Maine suffered a serious setback to their crops that seemed traceahle to the fertilizers used.
 Investigation revealed that injury was due to an excess of borax in com mecial fertilizers. Scarcity Of pot ash during the war led to the develop ment of American sources to re- place the German potash formerly inn ported in great quantities. Two of these American sources have been found to carry borax in sufficient amount 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 dang CT. The Extension Service of Can netcicut Agricultural college is talk ing steps to acquaint the farmers of the state of the potash situation.
 The .. S. Department of Agricui- ture makes the following statement, of interest to all farmers who use com mercial fertilizers carrying a conSid- erabie quantity of potash:
 In order to protect the people or the United States and to conserve the food supply. the department, on Oct tober 24, 1919. addressed a letter to all brokers, fertilizer manufacturers, and dry mixers, who are under license un-
 ] ka[ ,P [ 1917. stating that the department would not permit more than two pounds per ton of anhydrous borax in mixed fertilizers, unless the presence of an excess Of this amount is plainly indicated on the container. It was further stated that tte 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 made by farmers without their knowledge.
 The secretary of agriculture. on December $. 1913. issued 2 formal or tier prohibiting the sale of mixed fer tilizer containing borax in excess of one tenth of one per cent, unless the containers ate so labeled as to show the percentage of borax present.
 This action was designed to protect the farmer in the use Of as much as q ton of fertilizer per ere. applied in the drill. or to give him notice that the material contained borax. If the fer tilizer contains more than two pounds of borax per ton. 1t Is thought that it nay be safely used. provided proper attention is given to the method of application and the amount applied per acre. If 1t contains o.2 per cent Of borax. 1900 pounds per acre may ae used in inc drill without exceeding the 2 pounds per acre. the indicated limit of tolerance. If it contains GA per cent. 800 pounds in the drill would not exceed the appsren limit of safety
 If c7 the other hand. the fertilizer Is b-os dcast"d and contains 0.5 De- eent. horax. tI.6a i'm ~7av he applied without ex~cnd'1~ the li-rit of 10 Ths. per acre of arhyd-ous rorav. the in- 5i~a+Ad iir-'t of eafaty. fo- this mode of application. If it conta!7s 6 per rent. of bnrsz. then an ano'ication of ! .o0n pounds per acre h-9adcast oorid he rrade without exceedire the indi- cated limit Of safety for this method.