North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Melissa Kacalanos <mijwiz@yahoo.com>]

I'd like to thank Richard for illustrating my point so well:

From: Richard Harrison <rharrison922@yahoo.com
>some folks believe in science and chemicals and grow vegetables and some folks >believe in organics and little science and grow vegetables.

Note the way he identifies "science" with "chemicals." Yes, to a lot of people, if something involves chemicals, machines, and/or people in white lab coats using big words, then it must be "science." If it involves manure or people in overalls then it's not "science."

Science can test anything, like a chemical fertilizer or composted manure, and see how well it works. It might report that one works faster, while the other provides more long-term benefits. Neither fertilizer is any more "scientific" than the other, unless you're using the word "science" in the superstitious sense of having the magical blessing of the priests in the ceremonial white lab coats.

Melissa