47.
The Importance Of Farmyard Dung
In The Beginning Days, Even Fertilizer Companies Admitted It
Donald P. Hopkins (Chemicals Humus, And The Soil)
It is often said that those who have chemicals to sell have harnessed science to their own interests rather than to the interests of the soil.
That is to say, they have paid chemists to concentrate upon the kinds of research that deal with the effects of chemicals whilst nobody else has been very ready or able to foot the bill for scientific inquiries in other directions. It is also often said that the advertising pressure of large chemical firms over-accentuates the favourable claims of chemicals, and this has in a long period led to an unbalanced fashion for chemicals even among scientists themselves.
A kind of fixed-idea-mentality has been built up. From my own contacts with people who directly live by the soil and its produce, I very much doubt whether there could be any kind of humanity less susceptible either to subtle or crude advertising.
Suspicion and scepticism go hand in hand with the plough and the harvester.
Here are extracts from pre-war literature issued for sales-purposes by one of the largest chemical companies and fertilizer manufacturers in Britain.
When writing the original edition of this book, I made a survey of the sales-literature this company had issued, though it was admittedly limited to the amount that still remained intact and could be gathered together during the war period. I was anxious to check whether charges of chemical bias, and in particular the advocating of using fertilizers to the exclusion of manures, could be substantiated. I found that on the contrary the complementary use of manure and fertilizers had often been strongly advised.
'The most successful potato growers manure their crops with dung and complete fertilizers.'
'Fertilizers will help to restore exhausted grasses to vigour, but cannot give their full effect unless the pasture is rested at the right time and is therefore in a fit condition to respond.'
'In every country where sugar beet is cultivated, it has been found both essential and profitable to manure the land well with dung and a complete fertilizer.'
'The best rule for the amateur to follow is to apply as much dung as he can get in order to improve the physical condition of his soil, and to make up for any lack of plant-food by the use of other organic and artificial fertilizers.'
'It is not possible to grow well-developed healthy plants with the aid of nitrogen exclusively, whether it be applied in the form of sulphate of ammonia or any other purely nitrogenous fertilizer . . . sulphate of ammonia should be used in conjunction with fertilizers supplying phosphates and potash. . . . Supplement your work of cultivation by conserving all the trimmings from your garden, all lawn mowings, hedge clippings, dead plants, and the like, in a compost heap.'
That is to say, they have paid chemists to concentrate upon the kinds of research that deal with the effects of chemicals whilst nobody else has been very ready or able to foot the bill for scientific inquiries in other directions. It is also often said that the advertising pressure of large chemical firms over-accentuates the favourable claims of chemicals, and this has in a long period led to an unbalanced fashion for chemicals even among scientists themselves.
A kind of fixed-idea-mentality has been built up. From my own contacts with people who directly live by the soil and its produce, I very much doubt whether there could be any kind of humanity less susceptible either to subtle or crude advertising.
Suspicion and scepticism go hand in hand with the plough and the harvester.
Here are extracts from pre-war literature issued for sales-purposes by one of the largest chemical companies and fertilizer manufacturers in Britain.
When writing the original edition of this book, I made a survey of the sales-literature this company had issued, though it was admittedly limited to the amount that still remained intact and could be gathered together during the war period. I was anxious to check whether charges of chemical bias, and in particular the advocating of using fertilizers to the exclusion of manures, could be substantiated. I found that on the contrary the complementary use of manure and fertilizers had often been strongly advised.
'The most successful potato growers manure their crops with dung and complete fertilizers.'
'Fertilizers will help to restore exhausted grasses to vigour, but cannot give their full effect unless the pasture is rested at the right time and is therefore in a fit condition to respond.'
'In every country where sugar beet is cultivated, it has been found both essential and profitable to manure the land well with dung and a complete fertilizer.'
'The best rule for the amateur to follow is to apply as much dung as he can get in order to improve the physical condition of his soil, and to make up for any lack of plant-food by the use of other organic and artificial fertilizers.'
'It is not possible to grow well-developed healthy plants with the aid of nitrogen exclusively, whether it be applied in the form of sulphate of ammonia or any other purely nitrogenous fertilizer . . . sulphate of ammonia should be used in conjunction with fertilizers supplying phosphates and potash. . . . Supplement your work of cultivation by conserving all the trimmings from your garden, all lawn mowings, hedge clippings, dead plants, and the like, in a compost heap.'
The prosecution states that plants raised with chemicals are less robust, less able to withstand the attacks of fungi, pests, and viruses; so that epidemic ill health results. This being so, extra yields are short-term and illusory benefits, quantity and not quality, and quantity in any case that must be frequently discounted by severe loss.
The humus school have suggested why this happens, and we have already analysed some of their evidence for specific charges against chemicals in chapter eleven. But details hardly matter—a fact is still a fact whether it can be explained or not. And we should be able to decide whether the use of fertilizers has increased diseases and attacks by pests—it is the kind of thing that can be assessed reasonably well by observation and measurement; in the widest sense, indeed, by mass observation and statistics.
~ Donald P. Hopkins
'Fertility depends on light and air; on methods of cultivation; on the presence in the soil of water; organic matter (humus); of bacteria; of nitrogen, phosphates, potash, calcium; and of small quantities of what are known as the minor elements. All these factors are interrelated so that all must be maintained at the right level if fertility is not to suffer.'
None of these quotations was printed in any lesser type than the type in the rest of the general statement. By way of history, here are extracts from a very old-established fertilizer manufacturers' guide for farmers issued as long ago as 1857.
'Judiciously applied, in agriculture, artificial manures meet the natural deficiency of valuable fertilizing constituents in farmyard manures, and when both kinds are used conjointly (which we always recommend when practicable) the value of dung is greatly enhanced.'
'And it should always be borne in mind that these (artificial) manures are intended to supply any deficiency in quantity or quality of farmyard dung, and not to supersede its use.'
None of these quotations was printed in any lesser type than the type in the rest of the general statement. By way of history, here are extracts from a very old-established fertilizer manufacturers' guide for farmers issued as long ago as 1857.
'Judiciously applied, in agriculture, artificial manures meet the natural deficiency of valuable fertilizing constituents in farmyard manures, and when both kinds are used conjointly (which we always recommend when practicable) the value of dung is greatly enhanced.'
'And it should always be borne in mind that these (artificial) manures are intended to supply any deficiency in quantity or quality of farmyard dung, and not to supersede its use.'
A good deal of compost has been made on tea-estates in North India, where the necessary vegetable matter is easily collected from the uncultivated land near the estates. The collection of this material has, however, in places led to bad soil erosion.
'It is stated that the results are best when sufficient quantities of cattle or other animal manure are available; they are said to be less satisfactory where the animal manure has been deficient. Attempts to run tea estates on compost alone, however, proved unsatisfactory; it was necessary to provide the proper artificials where ever sufficient cattle manure was lacking.
~ Sir Albert Howard
