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assures the food value of the remaining
part.
You would think that thc prospect of
growiog quality products which resist
insects and render pesticides unnec–
essary would cause great excitement.
But not so. This sol.utioo - the only
REAL
solution - runs counter to the
greed of human nature and the vested
ioterests of our social and economic sys–
tem. And it appears that man would
rather perish than change
that!
Now note aoother pest-producing
practice which is so near aod dear to
modero agricul ture.
Monoculture Upsets
Natural Balance
In the natural state, the earth always
raises varied crops. But in sorne areas of
our modero world, it is a rare sight to
see mixed-crop cultures.
Yct it is well known that growing
plants in large tracts of uniform crops is
not natural and wiU attract abnormal
amounts of insects. The greater the area
under one crop and the extent to which
that crop is gwwn exdusively year after
year, reducing soil quality, the greater
the potential problem.
H. Armslrong R.oberts Photo
A farmer spraying for potato beetles.
The Colorado beetle is an exarnple of
what happens when man begins to sim–
plify agriculture and farm onc crop
exclusively. This beetle used to be
harmless, feeding principally on smart
weed which it hunted out from among
many other plants. When huge fields of
potatoes wcre newly introduced to Colo–
rado, however, the beetle suddenly
found itself in the midst of mile after
mile of green potato fields - a beetle's
"paradise' ' As a result, this beetle mul–
tiplied so rapidly that within a few
short decades it literally ate its way
2,000 miles to the Atlantic coast!
Similar examples could be repeated
many times from all parts of the earth.
Yet unfortunately, our entire modero
farming method is geared toward
extensive ccop monoculture. To many it
would be unthinkable to even suggest
that this practice be changed!
Yet
many
have succcssfully changed of their own
free will .
Other sound principies of agriculture
which farmers often neglect are the fail–
ure to rotate the crop to minimize insect
reproduction; or to observe the correct
time for planting; or to grow trees and
hedges which encourage insect-eating
birds to visit the farm.
Weeds and Herbicides
Herbicides to kill weeds are another
major segment of the poison-spray pol–
lution problem in agriculture. In the
U. S., crop losses from weeds equal the
combined losses from insects and dis–
eases and run second only to those
caused by soil erosion. American farm–
ers lose about $2.5 billion annually to
weeds and spend another $2.5 billion
fighting
weeds.
For example, corn acreage treated
with herbicides rose from 10 percent in
1950 to almost 60 percent in 1966.
Many other crops showed similar
increases (1966 USDA Survey).
Discovery and exploitation of herbi–
cides - weeds killers - has been both
rapid and recent. About half of the
present commercial herbicides were
unknown ten years ago! Some expcrts
predict the number of herbicides will