<> I shall be referring later to research work carried out during the last yearand not yet published in detail that may provide at least a partial explanation forthis and my next example. So do such symbiotic mechanisms as mycorrhizal association, whereby the plant may well derive some nutrient equivalent to vitamins in animal nutrition. This is the wholeness approach and it is my hope and belief that this is what we, as a federation, stand for. 68 0 obj By using LibraryThing you acknowledge that you have read and understand our. An organic classic. For example nature's diversity of species he adapts through rotations, under-sowing, and avoiding monoculture of crops or animals. When the inevitable change in life-style takes place I predict that we shall find it easier to feed the world population than we think, perhaps easier than now because Western nations will presumably have become less gluttonous. Many apparent mineral or trace mineral deficiencies in the soil turn out to be oxygen deficiencies. endstream /Type /Page /Contents 13 0 R I could give you several examples, but one must suffice. Series: Soil Association Organic Classics. This could well lead to luxury uptakes of N and P linked to inadequate uptake of other nutrients. A possible additional factor for which, I readily admit, thereis at present no scientific proof but which seems to me to provide an interpretationconsistent with many observations, is that, in nature's food-chains, a plant's normalmethod of mineral intake is not direct, but second-hand, the mineral plant-foodsbeing, as it were, by-products of the activity of the soil micro-flora and othermembers of the soil population. Nature's habit of filtering sunlight and rain throughsome form of protective soil cover, he adapts by such practices as cover-croppingand mulching. In spite of the mixed section receiving no less organic returnthan its organic counterpart it could be clearly demonstrated that its fields hadbecome dependent on their fertilizer supplements in a manner suggestive of drug addiction.By contrast the organic fields developed an increasing biological vigour which enabledthem to be self-supporting. 8 0 obj The predatory insects and the insectivorousbirds are obvious examples. Healthy soils store and regulate water flow and mitigate climate change. A food-chain is not only a material circuit, but also an energy circuit. Such by-products have a far more complex and comprehensive formulathan N, P and K and moreover are living substances. Leopold, Aldo, A Sand County Almanac. This is the wholenessapproach and it is my hope and belief that this is what we, as a federation, standfor. endobj /Type /Page Original publication date: 1948 Original publisher: London: Faber and Faber Ltd Publication status: Out of print An organic classic. 1943) OUP & Rodale Press U.S.A. -- The Soil & Health. His aim is to feed and to assist proliferation of the soil population and to leave it to feed the crop. ISBN: 190466508X. 4 0 obj 64 0 obj If root activity is a factor in the development and maintenance of soilstructure, there are also implications in this for the overall pattern of soil development. <> Contrary to the views held by some, I am sure that the techniquesof organic farming cannot be imprisoned in a rigid set of rules. endobj /MediaBox [0 0 595 842]