Happy Spring (Tomorrow) !! fWd from Troy Bogdan
Happy Spring from Troy . . . Earth Day 2002 Spring / Vernal Equinox Nature's Day all over the world. Wednesday, March 20, 2002 14:16 Eastern Standard Time (New York) 19:16 Universal Greenwich Mean Time Check your local time. One global common moment celebrating life with dedication of heart and mind to think and act as responsible Earth Trustees. We are one human family and have only one Earth. The Peace Bell at the United Nations in New York will ring at 2:16 p.m. EST - the beginning of Spring. At the same moment (8:16 p.m., March 20, in Austria) the Peace Bell at the United Nations in Vienna will ring. Peace and the care of Earth begins in the mind. On Earth Day we can think, pray and plan what we will do to restore and renew the wonder of life on our planet. A New Day when differences are forgotten as we share the wonder of nature's new life and new beginning. Radio and TV are requested to provide live coverage of the United Nations ceremonies so we can all participate. March Equinox - Nature's moment of global equipoise Observed as the beginning of a new year in ancient China, England, Persia, Egypt, North and South America. At the moment of Equinox the Sun is setting at the South Pole and rising at the North Pole. On the equator at noon you will cast no shadow. Nowrouz (New Day) continues to be the first day of calendar year in Iran (Persia). New Year Celebrations begin at the exact moment of vernal equinox and last for 13 days, culminating with Seezdehbedar (Nature Day) on the 13th day of the year. The New Year starting March 20, 2002 at 22:46:00 in Iran will be year 1381. Troy Bogdan - Organic Farmer, Organic Farm Processing Inspector 825 Bank Street - Bridgeville, PA 15017 (412) 257-4982mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED][EMAIL PROTECTED] My Farm: http://users.stargate.net/~troybogdan/public_html/http://users.stargate.net/~troybogdan/public_html/ Organic Inspections: http://users.stargate.net/~troybogdan/inspector/http://users.stargate.net/~troybogdan/inspector/
Re: Gardening Shed Advice (?)
I guess it's too late to sell you on a strawbale shed. They really minimize temp fluctuations. I think its one of the best, cheapest routes to go with many applications. Not too late. How would you 'finish' the straw? I've heard that there are some good commercial 'stuccos' out there now, but what would you suggest and how economical would that be? Thanks -Allan
Re: Gardening Shed Advice (?)
Allan -- my 2 cents.. Build any type construction shed that you wish -- floor can be built / constructed in many ways. 1) If the shed will house the tractor -- no need for wood there -- obviously, the wood would be demolished in short order. Best to have concrete or gravel if there is an issue with storing the tractor on a dry surface... 2) Could have tractor stored in part of structure as above -- with a second bay for other hand tools and perishables. 3) Perishable floor could be done temporarily with 57 stone gravel over black tarp plastic (6 mil.) which will keep that area relative dry if drainage is sufficient around sides of structure to allow for water to flow away from the structure. That will keep a relatively dry space for tools. Could also throw down some plywood on top of the gravel for a comprehensive cover over the gravel. The plywood may warp in time with this concept which may not be appealing 4) The perishable floor area could also be constructed with the above gravel concept with 2x4 pressure treated material laid on side 16 inches on center and 5/8 to 3/4 plywood laid on top and screwed to the 2x4's. Note that the 2x4's would need to be laid on a flat graded gravel base. Note: this floor too could warp. 5) If you want a real floor (outside of concrete), do the above gravel thing and use 2x6 pressure treated material constructed with a continuous outer band and joists attached to run like a standard floor system 16 inches on center -- and screw the plywood to the joists. This is a floating floor independent of the structure. 6) Note that any of the floor options will support critterisms... 7) And, definitely consider the following :-) Gil Robertson wrote: Hi! Allan, One of the advantages of an earth floor is, should one doze off in one's contemplative chair and drop one's single malt, you may loose the contents but not break the glass. *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Sharon and Wayne McEachern http://www.LightExpression.com [EMAIL PROTECTED] A Divine Program for Healing and Transformation and Expressing the Light A Ministry Dedicated to the Divine Process *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Re: Gardening Shed Advice (?)
Wayne - Thanks for taking the time to write the good note. We never use pressure treated wood in any fashion near food that humans will eat or, in fact, anywhere on this conservation property. Were you, perhaps, talking about the 'new, improved' pressure treated wood? If so, I'd like to hear more about it. We use locust posts/ logs/ timbers in most situtions where pressure treated wood w.b. called for in conventional construct. Yes, using logs can be very tedious! -Allan PS Just an 'update' for everyone: this is not a tractor shed, this is a shed for storing hand tools (spades/forks), amendments (rock dust) and field seed (rye/buckwheat/etc) I am hoping to also be able to have a 'desk' at the entrance way.
Re: Gardening Shed Advice (?)
Dears - You know, this list is quite the community. Reading the postings re your shed, Allan, made me on the one hand wish that we all were in fact a physical community - what a grand event your shed would be! And then I realized that we are in fact a community - of energy and support and inspiration. Each of us, in our own way, is out there trying to bring light into darkness, life into lifelessness. Our presence for each other provides an oasis of confirmation that what we are doing is in fact what urgently needs to be done. Blessings on us all. Best, Essie At 08:22 AM 3/19/02 -0500, you wrote: Wayne - Thanks for taking the time to write the good note. We never use pressure treated wood in any fashion near food that humans will eat or, in fact, anywhere on this conservation property. Were you, perhaps, talking about the 'new, improved' pressure treated wood? If so, I'd like to hear more about it. We use locust posts/ logs/ timbers in most situtions where pressure treated wood w.b. called for in conventional construct. Yes, using logs can be very tedious! -Allan PS Just an 'update' for everyone: this is not a tractor shed, this is a shed for storing hand tools (spades/forks), amendments (rock dust) and field seed (rye/buckwheat/etc) I am hoping to also be able to have a 'desk' at the entrance way.
Testing preps?
If there are some here who would be interested in seeing tests on the microbial and fungal counts as discussed last week I am willing to coordinate that effort. Contribute what you can. $5 or 10, or $2 it doesn't matter. I will collect the funds, get them to the lab, and arrange for the testing. I will make an occasional report to the group on the progress of the project as we go along. I just need to be sure I'm clear on what preps we are testing and which tests we are having done. It will also depend on how much money is collected; what we can afford. You can send checks or money order to Bonnie York 10407 NE 269th St Battle Ground, Wa. USA98604 It would be good if I can get the funds collected and into one check for SFI in the next two weeks. I would like to have this project underway and not hanging around for too long. Thanks, Bonnie York
Re: Gardening Shed Advice (?)
If you're pouring a concrete floor, simple advice is to make sure which way the gradient runs. It seems obvious, but whoever laid the floor of my garage/workshop helpfully had it sloping to the back and sides so that, when I garage my car on rainy days, all the runoff drains into the area where I could best stack timber... Tony N-S.
Re: Happy Spring (Tomorrow) !! fWd from Troy Bogdan
Troy (via Allen?) - thanks for your inspiring note about Earth Day but, just to nitpick, not 'England' please but Britain ! We in Wales, together with our compatriots in Scotland and Ireland, share (indeed, were the originators of) the culture of the largely newcomer invaders who inhabit England. In my stroppier moments, I imagine referring to the whole of the USA as Texas, just to annoy those who post me mail addressed to '...Wales, England'! However, in peace, Tony N-S.
Fwd: Off Topic; A Scary Story
From: Joe McBride [EMAIL PROTECTED] Organization: Organic Acres To: Friends Date: Mon, 18 Mar 2002 21:48:47 -0500 Subject: (Fwd) (Fwd) Fw: Fw: A Scary Story Reply-to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Priority: normal The following story probably has been circulated before and probably is a true story but reminders are always beneficial. Please be careful and pass this on to others. --- Forwarded message follows --- USE CAUTION WHEN YOU'RE OUT ALONE About a month ago there was a woman standing by the mall entrance passing out flyers to all the women going in. The woman had written the flyer herself to tell about an experience she, had so that she might warn other women. The previous day, this woman had finished shopping, went out to her car and discovered that she had a flat. She got the jack out of the trunk and began to change the flat. A nice man dressed in a business suit and carrying a brief case walked up to her and said, I noticed you're changing a flat tire. Would you like me to take care of it for you? The woman was grateful for his offer and accepted his help. They chatted amiably while he changed the flat, and then put the flat tire and jack in the trunk, shut it and dusted his hands off. The woman thanked him profusely, and as she was about to get in her car, the man told herthat he left his car around on the other side. He explained that he had seen an old friend in the mall that he hadn't seen for some time and they had a bite to eat and visited for a while; he got turned around in the mall and left through the wrong exit, and now he was running late and his car was clear around on the other side of the mall. The woman hated to tell him no because he had just rescued her from having to change her flat tire by herself, but she felt uneasy. Then she remembered seeing the man put his briefcase in her trunk before shutting it, before he asked her for a ride to his car. She told him that she'd be happy to drive him around to his car, but she just remembered one last thing she needed to buy. She said she would only be a few minutes; he could sit down in her car and wait for her; she would be as quick as she could be. She hurried into the mall, and told a security guard what had happened; the guard came out to her car with her, but the man had left. They opened the trunk, took out his locked briefcase and took it down to the police station. The police opened (ostensibly to look for ID so they could return it to the man). What they found was rope, duct tape, and knives. When the police checked her flat tire. there was nothing wrong with it; the air had simply been let out. It was obvious what the man's intention was, and obvious that he had carefully thought it out in advance. The woman was blessed to have escaped harm. How much worse it would have been if she had children with her and had them wait in the car while the man fixed the tire, or if she had a baby strapped into a car seat. Or if she'd gone against her judgment and given him a lift. I'd like you to forward this to all the women you know. It may save a life. A candle is not dimmed by lighting another candle. I was going to send this to ladies only; but guys, if you love your mothers, wives, sisters, daughters, friends, etc., you may want to pass it on to them, as well. Send this to any woman you know that may need to be reminded that the world we live in has a lot of crazies in it.better safe than sorry. PLEASE BE SAFE AND NOT SORRY! JUST A WARNING TO ALWAYS BE ALERT AND USE YOUR HEAD. Pass this along to every woman you have access to. Never let your guard down.. SOMETIMES, THAT FEELING IN YOUR GUT IS THE VOICE OF GOD. TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS. --- End of forwarded message --- --- End of forwarded message ---
RE: Books
Hi I am interested in the books could you send me more information. Paul. -- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED][SMTP:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Monday, March 18, 2002 8:51 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject:Re: Books I just wanted you all to know that I have brought out two books, extensions of LILIPOH. One is called Practical Home Care Medicine and will help with many of the simple childhood ailments, including instructions on compresses etc. It was compiled from all the best hints and advice of 18 or more anthroposophical physicians, including Dr. Incao, nurses and parents. The second book is on Cancer and Iscador, but a third book will be out shortly and that is on vaccinations from the anthroposophical approach. I am hoping that this may help some of you. If you are interested call the publisher, Booklight, Inc. for a brochure. 1-800 758 3756. Sophia Christine application/ms-tnef
Re: Books
Dear Gil, I guess you already got the 'LILIPOH' mystery cleared up...Pursuit of Happiness being the most important in anthro circles, wouldn't you say? Here are some websites and email addresses for looking up the publisher and distributors of Practical Home Care Medicine and Iscador, Mistletoe and Cancer Therapy: US: www.lanternbooks.com England, Airlift Book Company, www.airlift.co.uk Australia Gemcraft Books email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] NZ Ceres Books www.ceresbooks.co.nz Canada: Hushion House www.cortexx.com/hushion Ciao, Sophia
Fwd: Re:How to Grow Corn as a Soil Improvement Crop--
Date: Tue, 19 Mar 2002 08:31:29 -0800 (PST) From: Michael Smith [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re:How to Grow Corn as a Soil Improvement Crop-- To: Allan [EMAIL PROTECTED] Dear Allan, Please fwd; Dear Hugh, First of all, nice web site guy. I have a question. I'll try to phrase it correctly. Have you noticed any relationship between the actinomycetes and the corn plant? If so, which part of the plant and/or seed development do they play a role in? ... and which prep may be intrumental in the actinomycete encouragement? Thanks, Michael. How to Grow Corn as a Soil Improvement Crop Corn makes a lot of organic matter. It sucks in a lot of carbon dioxide and turns it into sugars, starches, cellulose, etc. Ideally corn feeds the soil microbes profusely from the breakdown of its cotyledon even before its leaf sworl breaks the surface. It seems to do this better when the soil is dryer at planting than if it is wet. Ideally one should plant several days after a rain rather than before a rain. Ever see where three, four or more corn seeds sprout close together? Usually the middle one or ones will be the most robust, even though it might seem they ought to be competing for nutrients and the middle one(s) should be short changed. But check it out. This is not the case because the soil food web is what really feeds the corn best and it will be cooking best in the middle of the cluster where the concentration of root exudates is highest. Which suggests it is a good idea to plant corn at a density of three to four seeds per foot rather than further apart if you want the corn to really get off to a killer start. Corn is set for how much it will make by about the time the sixth leaf node develops. That's still pretty small, probably under a foot high for almost all corns. So corn really has to get off to a good start if it is to make well. For sure it doesn't need any weed competition when it is just emerging, so again it does better in dryer plantings than where the moisture gets the weeds really going. But what can happen, and has happened frequently (not always) for me is the corn starts feeding the azotobacters (Pfeiffer isolated 54 strains in a sample he studied of horn manure) before it ever breaks the surface. The key is all those root exudates. If you sprout corn you have to rinse it about 5 times a day to keep it from souring. But in good soil the root exudates feed the soil food web, and right away nitrogen gets fixed and feeds amino acids to all the other microorganisms in the soil. This actually works best when soluble nitrogen levels are low in the soil, so if you expect this to work you sure don't want raw manure or tankage and you don't even want much if any compost. Azotobacters depend on adequate calcium levels, to say nothing of molybdenum and some of the other trace metals. And the soil should have good structure so it gets air but also has enough cation exchange capacity (mainly provided by clay and humus) to supply the necessary minerals for nitrogen fixation to occur robustly. If your soil isn't there yet you may have to grow a legume like soybeans first. In fact, I normally plant soybeans in the offsets between corn rows as insurance for poorer areas. As long as the corn plant keeps making sugars and translocating them to the soil (the role of boron and aluminum in clay) and shedding these carbonaceous root exudates into the soil food web feasting at its roots it will get a large proportion of its nitrogen requirement as amino acids excreted by the protozoans feasting on the nitrogen fixers and their kin. Because these excreta are right there along the roots and easily absorbed the plant has a strong tendency to take them up before they can oxidize to nitrates. Then the corn's protoplasm is rich and turgid instead of salty and watery, and the corn plant grows more robustly than it would be able to if was fed nitrogen fertilizers. And the corn quality is superb. The corn plant assembles this rich diet of amino acids directly into protein in its growing parts and builds its peptides, duplicates its DNA, grows like gangbusters and makes the soil rich without the application of fertilizers. I've estimated a robust, high population, open- pollenated corn/soybean planting of 12 feet height can add as much as half a percent organic matter to the soil in a single season. Of course, you want to have rich organizational patterns of energy in both the soil and atmosphere if you want this to work like gangbusters. (See my website, www.unionag.org for pictures.) In particular using the horn clay patterns in my broadcasters seems to have been the missing ingredient for this situation to occur. Since I started using horn clay the soil patterns of horn manure and the atmosphere patterns of horn silica have joined together to really turn corn into a high octane grower like a dragster running on aviation fuel. Great stuff. I'd sure like to see others duplicate my success with this. Horn clay seems to
Re:Testing preps?
My understanding is both Bonnie and Allan have volunteered to spearhead this. But who is? IMO the logical first candidate is Barrel Compound from JPI. This could be followed by BD 500 if the BC tests prove interesting. Don't think that most of other preps merit testing since they aren't organism rich. To save some money only tolal fungi and total bacteria could be measured. If enough funds then the active component could also be included. SFI offers a 5 10% discount for all and off the net per their recent flyer. Dan
How to spray compost tea?
I know there was some discussion of size of spray nozzle and pressure when we had Elaine Ingham on here. Will the regular spray nozzle that came with my 2 gallon garden sprayer be okay for getting the little critters out without hurting them? I mean, I know they're microscopic, but I'd like to hear from folks who have experience. Bonnie
NZ dissimination research report oganic soil management
Dear Organic Friends, The Research and Development Group of the Bio Dynamic Farming and Gardening Assn. has just finished a research report. The report reviews the research and research methodologies on organic soil management, particularly relating to pasture management and orcharding. Further more it provides references and contact addresses for persons interested in organic research and development. Attached is the summary of the report. The report can be obtained as a hard copy( contact) or you can visit the Biodynamic Farming and Gardening website at www.biodynamic.org.nz. We would like to present and discuss the report with all interested groups. For this matter we are organising various meetings throughout the country through our local branches. Since we are aware of other potentially interested groups we would like to find out if you and your members are interested in organising an event around the report. The Research and Development Group is more then willing to discuss the findings with all interested stakeholders. So please do not hesitate to contact us. With kind regards, Frank van Steensel (M.Ag.Sc., B.Ag/Hort) Research Manager of the Research and Development Group of the Biodynamic Farming and Gardening ass. Name: Research Report Summary (1).doc Part 1.2 Type: application/msword Encoding: base64
Re:Testing preps?
The CSA season has started for me. Bonnie has volunteered to collect funds and do the 'leg work' to get the JPI BC to the Ingham people. BD500 is sacramental to me, so I have no motivation for analyzing it. Considering how effective BD501 is, I hardly have to think 'foodweb' to have an explanation of how and why 500 works. Neither BC nor Pfeiffer Field Spray are true preps, I'm very happy to take a look at them. For this reason, I'd vote for Pfeiffer Field Spray as item number two to test. -Allan My understanding is both Bonnie and Allan have volunteered to spearhead this. But who is? IMO the logical first candidate is Barrel Compound from JPI. This could be followed by BD 500 if the BC tests prove interesting. Don't think that most of other preps merit testing since they aren't organism rich. To save some money only tolal fungi and total bacteria could be measured. If enough funds then the active component could also be included. SFI offers a 5 10% discount for all and off the net per their recent flyer. Dan
Re: Books
Hi I am interested in the books could you send me more information. Paul. From the back covers: Practical Home Care Medicine The remedies in this book are mainly ones Christine Murphy grew up with, and which have a large following both here and abroad. Some are traditional herb teas, some homeopathic remedies. Some come from the body of knowledge called the anthroposophical approach to health...These practical medicines provide a wonderful assortment of useful methods of dealing with common ailments. Compiled from the combined experience of parents, nurses and physicans, PHCM is an easy-to-follow guide that is sure to become a trusted companion inthe home. Iscador, Mistletoe and Cancer Therapy Iscador has been known for its therapeutic benefits for over eighty years. As early as 1917 Rudolf Steiner suggested using injections of mistletoe extract for the treatment of cancer...(this book) gathers together some of the work of doctors and clinicians using Iscador today. Dr. R.Wagner anwers questions asked by his patients during his many years of practice as an oncologist, treating patients with both conventional and alternative medicines. Dr. Schuerholz, a medical doctor specializing in cancer, offers an overview of the terms, procedures an different approaches to treating cancerthe role of art therapy, dietary options, full list of resources... I hope this is what you were asking for. Sophia (Christine)
Re: Testing preps?
My understanding is both Bonnie and Allan have volunteered to spearhead this. But who is? I had made an offer to Allan to lend a hand here and there with list business, as my abilities warrantG> He asked me if I would coordinate this project leading to the email I sent earlier. IMO the logical first candidate is Barrel Compound from JPI. This could be followed by BD 500 if the BC tests prove interesting. Don't think that most of other preps merit testing since they aren't organism rich. To save some money only tolal fungi and total bacteria could be measured. If enough funds then the active component could also be included. SFI offers a 5 10% discount for all and off the net per their recent Thanks for your input on this Dan. This sounds good and I would like to hear from all those who are contributing to give their voice to this. Anyone else want to sound off on this? Measuring BC and BD 500 from JPI for total bacterial biomass and total fungal biomass would cost $104. I will contact SFI and find out about any discounts available. If we have enough we can get the tests done for the active cultures too. I'll put up $10. Allan has said he will too. That's $20 so far and Allan said that there are a few others who have pledged support of this project. Again, here are the costs for the tests: Active bacterial biomass 22.00 Total bacterial biomass 27.00 Active fungal biomass 22.00 Total fungal biomass 25.00
Re: Testing preps?
Bonnie, did you see Allan's email. He wants to test Pfeiffer Field Spray as #2, rather than BD 500. We need to agree. Merla Bonnie York wrote: My understanding is both Bonnie and Allan have volunteered to spearhead this. But who is? I had made an offer to Allan to lend a hand here and there with list business, as my abilities warrantG He asked me if I would coordinate this project leading to the email I sent earlier. IMO the logical first candidate is Barrel Compound from JPI. This could be followed by BD 500 if the BC tests prove interesting. Don't think that most of other preps merit testing since they aren't organism rich. To save some money only tolal fungi and total bacteria could be measured. If enough funds then the active component could also be included. SFI offers a 5 10% discount for all and off the net per their recent Thanks for your input on this Dan. This sounds good and I would like to hear from all those who are contributing to give their voice to this. Anyone else want to sound off on this? Measuring BC and BD 500 from JPI for total bacterial biomass and total fungal biomass would cost $104. I will contact SFI and find out about any discounts available. If we have enough we can get the tests done for the active cultures too. I'll put up $10. Allan has said he will too. That's $20 so far and Allan said that there are a few others who have pledged support of this project. Again, here are the costs for the tests: Active bacterial biomass 22.00 Total bacterial biomass 27.00 Active fungal biomass 22.00 Total fungal biomass 25.00
Re: Testing preps?
On Tuesday, March 19, 2002, at 01:53 PM, Merla wrote: Bonnie, did you see Allan's email. He wants to test Pfeiffer Field Spray as #2, rather than BD 500. We need to agree. That's fine. I sent mine before his got to me. I have no knowledge of Pfeiffer sprays and such. That's why I asked for other input on this. I'm just doing what ya'll want me to. Not making the decisions and we're not sending it out today anyway. The final analysis will be made on what we all agree on. Bonnie
Re: Testing preps?
On Tuesday, March 19, 2002, at 03:06 PM, Allan Balliett wrote: We can set up a PayPal account I've known folks who've done Paypal but have never set one up . Is there a cost to set it up? Bonnie
Re: Gauss readings of soil
Dear Hugh and fellow list members, I agree wholeheartedly with your sentimentsthat there must be something else than the csg strength of the soil.I dont know what it isbut there are some patches of our high gauss reading soils that are the most incredibly difficult to grow crops on. I have put out some Lakhovsky coils at strategic places around the blockand within a couple of weeks all of a sudden there is new growth on everything,even in the middle of a prolonged dry spell. A Lakhovsky coil is pretty much the same as a Moody coil except that the coil is created in the shape of the old Egyptian ankh. First you would dowse which end of the wirre is negative. You then dowse the neutral point and the tear drop shape coil starts at that point, with a 5mm gap where the wire returns. Dowse up for the length above the coil, attach to a stake with about 6" above the top of the stake as an aerial. It is put into the ground with the negative end of the wire as the aerial. Frank Moody's coil is I believe a variation of this design. Frank Moody once used his coils in a worn out potato patch of 100 acresin Aberdeen [Scotland]. Within a couple of weeks there was a marked difference and the crop turned out to be the best in living memory. Really quite amazing considering that there were no reagents, just lengths of wire. I will keep you informed as to the long term results. In the meantime I am desperately trying to put some sort of handle as to why this works. Sincere greetings to all from the land of the Wizards of Oz. James. - Original Message - From: Hugh Lovel To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Sunday, March 17, 2002 4:13 PM Subject: Re: Gauss readings of soil Dear Jose,What I'm having trouble with Dr. Callahan is my soil, according to his meter, tests around 140 cgs. Yet it is so fertile it grows corn as a soil improvement crop without fertilizer. So I think something else is going on here besides paramagnetism and cgs readings. I respect AND like Phil Callahan very much, but I do wish I could come to an understanding with him on this. I feel sure all is not paramagnetism, though I also feel sure he has tapped into some of the puzzle. 15 years ago he saw my slides of applying granite quarry dust to my fields and commented "Good old paramagnetic rock dust." Well, according to his meter this rock dust only tested about 200+ cgs. Yet it gave a great response on my soils. I wish I could get more of it, though it took a few years to integrate itself into the land here. (The local quarry doesn't sell it any more. I might add it had a 0.721 percent phosphorus analysis and according to Reams theory that would be pretty desirable) Surely it was very beneficial. But interestingly it was not really a high cgs rock dust. You figure? I don't know and I question Phil's idea that high cgs rock dusts are all that desirable. Maybe they are. But I found low cgs rock dust was very desirable also. Huh? What's really going on?Best,Hugh Dear List members, If any soil would have a Gauss reading like the ones I haveseen posted lately ( like 2,000 ; 3,500, etc...) we could sellthose soils as magnets and probably make a fortune out of them.Unfortunately that is not possible.Soil Paramagnetism is measured in micro CGS and not Gauss.CGS stands for Centimeter, Gram and Second. In other words isthe amount of material in Grams, that will move a certain distancein Centimeters over a period of time measured in Seconds when placednear a say 2,000 Gauss magnet. That is indeed a very weak (subtle)form of magnetism that cannot be permanently transmitted to the matter.Magnetism is measured in Gauss.Paramagnetism is measured in CGS. Since Soil Paramagnetism is solow we use micro CGS or CGS x 10(-6) to express its paramagnetism.According to Dr Callahan readings from 0 to 300 micro CGS would meana poor soil and soils with readings above say 1,200 uCGS would mean fertile soils.This whole story works perfectly as long as your soil doesn´t have a fairamount of Iron (Fe) . The theory holds true but Iron can mask the resultsbecause then we would be measuring "Ferromagnetism" and not "Paramagnetism".I have found that out when I purchased a PSCM Meter and started to measure soils herein Brazil like crazzy about two yeras ago..I have asked Dr Callahan himself how to separate the Ferromagnetism effect fromParamagnetism and he was not able to give me a better idea than the one I already hadwhich is to attract the iron particles with a strong magnet from a distance that will be impossibleto be overcomed by the real Paramagnetic material and then re evaluate the iron-free sample.So, my advise would be : don´t take those numbers as a real measurement of yoursoil fertility because this isn´t necessarily true once you have a
Re: Corn == Soil Improvement Crop
Another repeat Dear Hugh, You wrote: I think the secret is getting the moisture to tie up inside the cell membranes of living organisms in the soil. Then it doesn't evaporate or sink, just is there. A fascinating concept which I've never heard of before. Is this your (valid) theory Hugh, or have you done trials etc to quantify this? It obviously ties in with increased soil moisture through increased soil organic matter Thanks Stephen Barrow Dear Stephen, We'll see how this idea proves out. Though the fact that moisture loss is slowed considerably at the cell wall barriers of living organisms certainly is true, it could be insignificant in the face of other factors. Let's see how it proves itself? The 21st century fronteirs of science are the vastest we have seen so far. We are finally beginning to scratch the surface of the universal mysteries. Best, Hugh Lovel
Re:Testing preps?
Does anyone have time, energy and expertise to write a SARE producer grant ( due March 29th )? (http://www.sare.org/ncrsare/02producercfp.PDF) Steve Diver may be able to give advice... I'd think Elaine would help too... Sure sounds like there is a lot of producer interest in this research. SARE is divided up into regions, so that will be an issue to think about. There is also OFRF in California (http://www.ofrf.org/research/application.html)... July 15 is this deadline if a week is too short of a notice. This would be for next year. I would able to help with this one. Perry - Original Message - From: Hugh Lovel [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Tuesday, March 19, 2002 8:03 PM Subject: Re:Testing preps? Dears, I think you'll find the BC, 500 and Pfeiffer sprays have quite different properties. I think if we test these every way we can think of we will know a lot more about the whole picture. We should also test prepotentized 500 and Courtney's version of Podolinsky's prepared 500 and so forth. I'll be meeting in early May with Elaine Ingham, Scott Crandall, Paul Feiber, etc. out in Oregon on a vineyard research project. It might help this project if we have one of Elaine's biological assay of each of the BD remedies from the horn manure all the way up to fresh brewed and also fermented horsetail decoction. I haven't sent in samples as I don't knopw what Elaine might think of analysing so many samples without some money up front. If we can get the funding for this I can come up with the samples. Heck I make these things.
Re:Testing preps?
I'll be meeting in early May with Elaine Ingham, Scott Crandall, Paul Feiber, etc. out in Oregon on a vineyard research project. It might help this project if we have one of Elaine's biological assay of each of the BD remedies from the horn manure all the way up to fresh brewed and also fermented horsetail decoction. I haven't sent in samples as I don't knopw what Elaine might think of analysing so many samples without some money up front. If we can get the funding for this I can come up with the samples. Heck I make these things. Hugh - Elaine has been very clear that she'd like us to pay for testing the preps. I don't recall her offering any time payments, etc. I realize that it sounds funny when she says she wishes someone would pay for testing the preps so that she can find out what's in them, but she's always been very clear how expensive it is to do her research and how she doesn't have enough funds, etc. BD is not her area of research, but for a popular person outside of biodynamics, she certainly is open to biodynamics. Anyway, it costs her money to run tests because it takes lab time and technician time. She's spent a lot of pro bono time answering questions on this list. the least we can do is honor her by paying the reasonable costs of doing these tests. Of course, we should also be prepared to face up to the possibility that this group is not interested enough in the physical realities of the preps to meet the expense of the testing and we'll just have to let this go by. These are the tests that Elaine requested: The tests I'd want to see are total and active bacteria, total and active fungi, protozoa, and nematodes. If the material was added in fields with plants, running mycorrhizal colonization would be good too! Just my opinion, but I think if we accept Elaine as an authority on soil foodweb lab work, we have an obligation to support the level of testing that she has requested rather than deciding among ourselves which tests are 'enough,' etc. -Allan
Re: How to spray compost tea?
I know there was some discussion of size of spray nozzle and pressure when we had Elaine Ingham on here. Will the regular spray nozzle that came with my 2 gallon garden sprayer be okay for getting the little critters out without hurting them? I mean, I know they're microscopic, but I'd like to hear from folks who have experience. Bonnie Bonnie - Elaine does give measurements for the various soil critters, so you might want to check with her web page after you find out the dimensions of your sprayhead. I wouldn't worry about that too much, however. As long as you keep your presure low and your nozzle is reasonably open, I don't think you're going to have problems. If you are innoculating soil in a garden, you may want to skip the sprayer and just splash the tea out like you would 500. If you are treating foliage, of course, youll want to stay with the sprayer. I hope this is helpful. -Allan
Re:Testing preps?
- Original Message - Allan Balliett Subject: Re:Testing preps? Gday Allan 2 bobs worth from down under . I've followed this thread for a while as I am pretty impressed with Elaine's work ( and the lady herself ) Seems you guys need to decide WHY it is that you want to test the preps is it ? 1. So that you have a scientific basis for making THE BEST compost teas ever ? if so then the choice of what to test should be focussed on that ( barrel compost and 508 ???) if its 2. to prove to the world at large just how good these preps are then hey Elaine's lab can not measure the energetic bit . In either case I believe a full analysis on a couple of samples would be more value than a cheap test on the lot FWIW I have heard Arden Andersen say that radionically the biodynamic preps are Very Nice Materials a term he does not seem to use lightly. Lloyd Charles Just my opinion, but I think if we accept Elaine as an authority on soil foodweb lab work, we have an obligation to support the level of testing that she has requested rather than deciding among ourselves which tests are 'enough,' etc. -Allan
