North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Don Yellman <dyellman@earthlink.net>]

1.  There is a reason why the ingredients in Spray N' Grow are secret. 
It is because they consist mainly of water and a color change agent. 
When more water is added to the original water, it makes the solution 
change from a sickly clear to a sickly yellow color.  This is an 
impressive scientific phenomenon.

2.  Many years ago, a fellow down in Houston was fiddling around in his 
garage when he discovered a magic solution.  But the solution he found 
was not liquid.  It was marketing.  Direct mail marketing, to be exact, 
with a heavy component of testimonials from happy consumers.  If you 
mail out enough brochures, somebody will buy your stuff, and if you 
price it high, many of them are going to appreciate it because, well, if 
it's expensive it must be good.  This fellow from Houston was no fool. 
He had figured out a basic characteristic of human nature.

3.  Most of the people who buy this stuff are experienced and capable 
gardeners.  They grow beautiful vegetables and fruits.  When they apply 
Spray N' Grow they still grow beautiful vegetables and fruits.  But now 
that they have spent 20 bucks for a small bottle of water, they want to 
credit the product for their success.  And they are happy to offer their 
cards, letters and photographs.  Most of them never wonder why a fellow 
from Houston with no scientific credentials was able to discover an 
agricultural miracle that had eluded researchers the world over.  Not 
that there is anything wrong with being from Houston.  Far from it.

4.  In fact, the invention of Spray N' Grow in Houston is an anomaly. 
Most of the real action takes place around San Francisco.  That lovely 
city is the epicenter of "bio-dynamics", wherein, as Jim Erdman has 
observed, burying substances in a cow's skull for later use is a 
principal element of the system.  Concentrating "life forces" with 
crystals, chants, and seances is a growth industry in San Francisco, 
where there always seems to be a shortage of life forces.

5.  The world is full of hokum, and I would be the last to call anyone 
foolish for buying Spray N' Grown.  The reason?  Because I bought some 
myself, tried it for two years, and discovered that using it or not 
using it produced exactly the same results.  So, like Bernie, I learned 
something, and it only cost me a little over 20 bucks.  With the costs 
of education so high, that's very reasonable.

Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA