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12
presence of these elements in the soi l.
He further suggestcd that fertility could
be maintained or improved by adding
thesc eleroents in suitable forros to the
soi l. About the same time an English–
man, Lawes, was experimentiog along
similar lines.
It was found that wheo nitrogen,
phosphorus and potash were added to
depleted soil, in thc forro of water–
soluble chemicals, production was in–
creased like magic! Soon farmers the
world over were adopting this method
as a shortcut to soil fertility- or at least
so they thought.
It should be noted that the early
advocates of chemical fertilizers only
intended that these ferti lizers
mppie–
ment
the use of organic matter. For
a time this continued to be the case.
For example, Lord Hankey, in a
speech in the House of Lords when soil
fertility was debated said: "There is
more common ground to begin with in
this matter than is generally real–
ized ... There is common ground as to
the great importance of humus in the
soil. There is common ground also that,
whether you have artificials or not, you
must have an adequate supply of
organi c fertilizers. Again, compost is
admitted by the supporters of chemicals
to be a very valuable form of organic
fertilizer...."
In Lord Hankey's thinking - and
the thinking of many others - chem–
icals were not intcnded to replace the
function of organic matter, but to
com–
plemmt
it- to help it feed crops.
But were these chemicals really
tleceJ–
Jary?
Were they really
needed
to com–
plemeot the organic matter?
There is no question whatsoever
about the fact that humus-rich soil can
provide everything needed to maiotain
and build soil fertility - induding
nitrogen, phosphorus and potash ( ab–
breviated NPK). But because of chang–
ing social and economic conditions, roen
found it much more expedient to
provide plant nutrients by organic
matter
m1d
chcmical fertilizers instead
of just by organic matter alone.
Intensive specialized farming became
more and more popular. Tbis method
of farming, for the most part, does not
allow for crop rotation and periodical
planting of soil-building legumes. By
The
PLAIN TRUTH
this time, also, the interna! combustion
engine was gradually replacing the
horse. There were labor problems with
mass migration to the cities. Farm size
was increasing along with economic
pressures oo the farmer.
And then there was industry. Astutely
sensing big business, industry did
not wait to
be
asked to provide arti–
ficial fcrtilizers to the farmer. Through
intensive advertising it urged and "edu–
cated" the farmer into believing that
artificial fertilizers was his panacea.
Under thesc conditions, the use of
chemical fertilizcrs skyrocketed! Soon
many farmers forgot all about organic
matter!
As a result, our husbandry has been
invaded by pests, parasites and diseases;
but industry, unashamcd, has providcd
an arsenal of more than
50,000
chem–
ical formulations to fight them.
What Chemical Fertilizers Do
Chemical fertilizers are like shots in
the arrn to the soil. They stimulate a
much greater plant growth. This growth
means a specdcd-up consumption of
organic mattcr.
But, and never forget tb is,
chernical
fertilizers can neither add to the hmmtJ
t·ontent
110r
replace it.
They do much more than just speed
up the consumption of humus, however.
They also dcstroy the physical proper–
ties of the soil and its life.
When thcy are put into the soil, they
dissolve and seek natural combinations
with other minerals already in the soi l.
Sorne of these new combinations glut
the plants, causing them to becomc
unbalanced. Others remaió in the soil,
many in the form of poisons.
For example, when sulphate of
ammoni a is used as a fertilizer, the
ammonia is taken into the plant, while
the sulphate, left free, joins itself to
hydrogen in thc soil and becomes sul–
phuric acid, a combination that is
deadly to the natural organisms in the
soil. Other chemicals used as fertilizers
follow the same pattern in adding vari–
ous pollutants to the soil.
Further, manufacturcd fertilizers alone
cannot supply what the soil needs to
produce abundant, healthy crops. Plants
need much more than NPK! They need
many other secondary and trace elements
June·J uly, 1970
- all in thc proper balance. And they
need the teeming mícrobial Iife that
helps them absorb the minerals.
The margin between too much and
too little is oftcn very slight. Mineral
excesses in plants - now common - are
often more dangc:rous th:m ddiciencics.
Too much nitrogeo weakens the
plant.
It
grows lush and watery tissue,
becomes more susceptible to discase,
and tbe protein quality suffers.
There is no artificial fertilizer on
earth that can supply a complctely bal–
anced diet for plants in the way that
humus-rich soil can. Chemical fertilizer
companies blend and formulate mixtures,
but thcy simply cannot mecbanically
formu latc humus.
Plants were not designed to gct their
nutrients by being force-fed. Quoting
soil scientist Eric Eweson:
"Even if we possessed sufficient
knowledge and it were practica! to pro–
vide chemical fertilizers containing
sorne 20 or 30 clements in the infioitely
varying proportioos required by plants
- instead of just NPK - this would
not salve our soil problem. Forcing
upon the plants immediately available
food
in
the form of water-soluble chem–
icals, which they cannot reject but must
absorb, constitutes a by-passing of the
soil's extremely important functions in
relation to phnt Life and all other life,
in the same maoner as intravenous
injections of sugar or protein by-pass
the digestive systcm of the human body.
Neither can contribute to normal, vigor–
ous life."
Nitrogen-fixing bacteria in humus–
rich soil supply nitrogen to thc plants as
needed; they don't force-fccd the plant
like chemicals do. To force a plant to
grow more bulk will cause thc plaot to
chaoge its inner biochemistry. As Pro–
fessor Albrccht of the Missouri Ex–
perimental Stattoo has shown, more
carbohydrates and less protcins will
develop in such pbots. lnsects are out
for unbalanced plants and find these
a well-preparc:d tablc and a suitablc
diet.
As explaincd in the artide on pesti–
cidcs in the last issue of
The
PLAIN
TRUTH, thc purpose of insects is to
remove weak and sickly plants so that
quality can be maintained. Thc alarming
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