North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

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

Gordon,  I figure that anyone who is growing their own food is probably doing less damage to the environment than commercial producers who use sprays on a schedule and then ship the fruit long distances.  You may feel that the organic people despise you, but I know someone who dropped out of Nafex because he felt that the chemical people despised him.  So it works both ways.  Snarling induces more snarls from those who are inclined that way, but it causes other people to quietly drop out.  We have no idea how many people we lose that way. 

    I have found at Nafex meetings that the first things you want to know about a person you are talking with is where they live and whether they spray or not.  If they live too far away or if one of you sprays but the other does not, what they know may be of no use to you.  It's obvious why someone who doesn't spray doesn't trust what the sprayer has to say (yeah, sure you can grow wonderful fruit but will it produce for me?).  Likewise, the guy who collects chemical dependent varieties doesn't want to stand around talking with someone who's limited to what's tough and resistant.  However, I did find when I wanted disease resistant roses that I could talk to hybrid rose fanatics and ask them which varieties showed the symptoms between sprays, and they were understanding and helpful.  Likewise it is possible to glean useful information from people that are on the other side of the chemical fence.  Let's face it, anyone in Nafex is going to have a lot more in common with another Nafex member than with the average American.  I think sometimes we lose sight of that fact.    Donna

 

P.S.  Philosophy aside, I don't spray partly because I can't.  I have very unpleasant reactions to pesticides, even from the drift from a distance.  I do not dare handle a dangerous chemical that makes it impossible for me to think clearly.