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soil; or that still others are parasites or
predators of damaging insects.
Instead of studying the habits of
insects and implementing natural con–
trol methods, many now simply mow
them clown with spray guns.
For the most part, the function of
"harmful" insects is all too little under–
~tood.
Now, happily, sorne few
scientísts are beginning to realize the
relationship between soil fertility, crop
production and pests.
Why
Insect "Pests"?
In hís landmark book
An Agriml–
tural
Testammt,
the famous British
agriculturist Sir Albert Howard relates
how in five years' time at a research sta–
tion in India he "had learnt how to
grow healthy crops, practica!ly free
from disease, without the slightest help
from mycologists, entomologists, bac–
teriologísts, agricultura! chemists, statis–
ticians, clearíng-houses of information,
artificial manures, spraying machines,
insecticides, fungicides, germícides, and
all the other expensive paraphernalía of
the modern Experiment Station." In
other words, Sir Albert worked with
the principies any small farmer could
use economically.
From his experience, he observed
that: "lnsects and fungí are not the real
cause of plant diseases but only attack
uosuitable varieties or crops imperfectly
grown. Their true role is that of censors
for pointing out the crops that are
improperly nourished and so keeping
our agriculture up to the mark. In other
words, the pests must be looked upon as
Nature's professors of agriculture: as an
integral portien of any rational system
of farming.
' 'The policy of protecting crops from
pests by means of sprays, powders, and
so forth, is unscientilic and unsound as,
cven when successful, such procedure
merely preserves the un6t and obscures
the real problem - how to grow
healthy crops" (p. 161).
Thesc cooclusions are not dreams of
a man who failed. Sir Albert was
knighted for these very agricultura!
researches- for effectively proving the
usdulness of the system.
Many who have worked with the soil
have noticed the tendency of insect pests
The
PLAIN TRUTH
to prefer plants that are weak, sickly,
unhealthy, unbalanced or just a little
"under the weather."
This deficiency or imbalance may be
so subtle or so slight that it cannot be
measured or analyzed by present scien–
tific methods. Because science cannot
ascertain this imperfection -
and,
judging by the paltry amount of
research being done in this area, is not
interested in finding out - it usually
pretends that no imperfection exists.
But it
does
exist. And the bugs know it!
Now take the cause-effect relationship
a step further. What is it that causes
plants to be weak and inferior- prone
to insect attack?
Why
I nferior Plants?
A number of factors may cause weak
and inferior plants. But one of the most
important factors is a depleted or
unbalaoced soil.
A
professional soils consultant for
Brookside Laboratories of New Knox–
ville, Ohio has stated: "We are proving
today that síck soils produce síck plants
and sick plants produce sick aoimals
and humans. There are about one hun–
dred of 1.1s who work with about
10,000
farmers at the present time. The
overwhelming majority of them have
already discovered that in a
truly
healthy
soil our crops are not attacked
by insects because God created these
pests to destroy sick plants so that they
cannot reproduce themselves."
In times past, this interrelationship of
soil, plants and insects was recognized.
In
1870
the American journalist Horace
Greeley reported: "Multiplication of
insects and their devastations are
largely incited by the degeneracy of our
plants caused by the badness of our cul–
ture. I presume that wheat and other
crops could not be devastated by insects
if there were no slovenly, niggard,
exhausting tillage methods used. But
when the fields of western New York
were lirst tilled there were few insects;
but after crops of wheat had beeo taken
from those .fields until they had been
well-nigh exhausted of crop-forming
elements, we began to hear of the deso–
lation wrought by insects."
Mr. Greeley had understanding that
April-May,
l970
most seem to lack today. In this day and
age ever so few see any relationship
between our depleted soils, the use of
incomplete synthetic fertilizers and tbe
alarming increase in iosect pests.
It is to their great shame that most
agricultura! institutions have been pre–
occupied with research involving pal–
liatives such as pesticides. They have
utterly neglected research into how to
correct the
CAUSE
of insect pests.
The information gleaned from the
smattering of work that has beeo done,
however, bears out the validity of the
principies just prescnted.
Dr. William Albrecht of tbe Univer–
sity of Missouri showed that spinach
grown in fertile soil resisted the attack
of thrips, while that grown on poor soil
was destroyed by thcse iosects.
Dr.
Leonard Haseman, also of the
Uoiversity of Missouri, found that the
greenhouse white
By
attacked tomatoes
only where there was
a
phosphorus
or
magnesium deficiency in the soil.
Chioch bugs thrive aod multiply where
coro is grown under conditions of
nitrogen deficiency such as on eroded
and poor hillsides
(Jo1tmal of Ew–
nomic E11tomology,
Feb. 1946).
Work done at thc University of Flor–
ida shows that both the rate and the
source of nitrogen has a pronounced
effect on the susceptibility of grass
to chinch bug damage. Grass receiving
high rates of inorganic nitrogen was
severely damaged by the bugs, in contrast
with the grass receiviog nitrogen from
an organic source (Wallace,
Nemato–
ligica 6,
1961).
The Haughley Research Farms in
England, operated over four decades,
now under the world-renowned Soil
Association, has found in actual practice
that crops grown on soil built up by
natural maoures were much more
resistant to pest-inviting weaknesses
than crops grown with the aid of
chemicals.
We are observing the same results in
our Ambassador College Agricultura!
Research Program.
Even under the best conditions,
insects may destroy a small percentage
of the crop. But is this in itself
bad?
The loss of the weakest part of the crop