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  • From: Clansgian AT wmconnect.com
  • To: homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Homestead] The Wok - was The specuator factor ..
  • Date: Sun, 15 May 2005 12:02:33 EDT

Gene writes:


> I strongly suspect that even on this homestead list, a very low percentage
> of gardeners use humanure as fertilizer.
>
>

Only because we don't have to. But things will change. There are some
dozen or so large horse stables here about and all of them have these huge
mountains of manure and barn litter they can't get rid of. One is eight
miles from
here and last year I hauled 15 tons of seven or eight year old manure to the
gardens half a ton at a time. This year I've done five tons and continuing
unabated. The stuff is a clay farmer's dream - very high carbon content from
the
wood shavings used as bedding and since this horse operation has a large show
arena, much the manure is mixed with fine silica sand. And the place is
delighted to be getting rid of it.

As long as gas prices allow me to continue hauling it, I plan to accomodate
them. It is vastly improving the condition of my garden soils.

But it's only available to me because no one else wants it. If only a score
of other small scale farmers wanted as much manure as I'm using, it would be
beyond my reach. I'm not concerned, just a few more years of soil
improvement
and my own supply of manures from horse, donkey, cow, goats, chickens,
rabbits
and such along with compost and mulch available at hand will easily maintian
the fertility. But it does point out that natural gas derived nitrogen
fertilizer aside, our supply of fertilizers is very - very limited weighed
against
all the food that needs growing. At some point humanure will be a fact for
all
of us as well.

James




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