North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Donna &/or Kieran" <holycow@cookeville.com>]

Stephen,
   Don't forget that toxic levels of certain minerals can also make soil 
lifeless.  Jim Fruth reminded me of this when I mentioned boron deficiency 
once.  He said that someone couldn't believe the very small amount of boron 
recommended for his farm, so he doubled the amount.  That wiped out it's 
cropping ability, I guess till enough washes away.
   For toxic metals, say arsenic where a pile of treated lumber was burned, 
digging up and hauling away the soil is the only safe option.  But for lots 
of problems, really high levels of organic matter will buffer whatever is 
out of balance.   Donna