All in Favor of Manure!

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 19:52:00 -0400

Cristina Soriano '11

Food For Thought Seminar Fall 2008

In current society, manure unfortunately has negative connotations. This modern disgust, however, was actually quite the opposite in ancient times. Dried dung cakes were (and in some areas still are) the main providers of fuel throughout history; nomads journeying the Oregon Trail, for example, collected buffalo feces as a firewood alternative. Today, manure is seen as an essentially useless waste product—but in fact, possesses very valuable qualities—it is an incredibly beneficial substance for plant life and growth.

Manure that comes from macrobiotic grain-fed cows is an organic fertilizer because it contains no artificial or synthetic chemicals. Manure compost is an infusion of the waste excretions of large animals, such as cows, sheep, and pigs, as well as decomposing hay and other plant matter. Spreading manure over cropland to enrich the soil has been an old farming custom used for centuries, and is actually superior to the modern invention of chemical fertilizers.

Organic residue is beneficial to crop growth because it is a “storehouse for anions essential for plant growth” (Follet, Murphy and Donahue). Anions, such as “nitrates, phosphates, sulfates, borates, molypdates and chlorates” (Follet, Murphy and Donahue), are negatively charged ions that are formed when an atom gains electrons in a chemical reaction. Plants rely heavily on the uptake of anions because they are key in helping plant cells adapt to environmental stresses. They act like the plant’s immune system, assisting their acclimation to severe and rapid weather changes. The applied organic fertilizer enriches the soil with vitamins and minerals, improving the vigor of the previously depleted soil. The foe, synthetic fertilizer, also provides soil fortification but in an artificial manner. Synthetic fertilizers need to be mixed with chemical substitutes of anions. It therefore seems quite disadvantageous and futile to use the synthetic alternate if Mother Nature complimentarily provides the natural.

A second reason that manure fertilization is successful in establishing a sustainable agricultural practice is because it protects the surface soil from rain and irrigation water erosion. The layer of fertilizer provides a buffer for the soil against capricious climates such as early frosts, excruciating heat, and turbulent acidity and salinity levels.

Thirdly, organic fertilizers are effective because it retains superfluous nutrients. The fertilizer fosters an ecologically balanced environment for mud-living animals. One such vital creature is the earthworm. As compared to synthetic fertilizers, manure-based compost permits the survival of earthworms because there are no chemically added anions. Earthworms are vital in creating a nutritional and prosperous ecosystem, they are an important ingredient in producing fertile soil just by their monotonous movements through their extending and compressing actions. They convert large pieces of organic matter into humus, or enriched soil. This process also mixes up the soil, leaving open channels for drainage and aeration. Worms consume some of the soil, and through digestion, grid it into a fine paste and then excrete it back into the earth. What is wonderful about earthworms is that the casts (worm feces) are deposited in the deeper levels of the soil, surrounding the longer roots of larger plants, providing them with vitamins.

In an era with a great drive to eat green, chemical free produce, it is evident that manure-based organic fertilizers should be implemented throughout the entire agricultural industry, and, locally in Hamilton’s 1812 Garden. So, what tactics should be employed in order to enrich the soil of the College’s garden? One method frequently used is the Fourteen Day Method. On Day One, the farmer must collect an array of basic materials and mix, in a large container, “equal parts of leaves, grass, clippings and manure (sheep, goat and cattle are best), with a liberal sprinkling of natural rock powders” (Rodale). On the second and third days, the compost material should have begun to heat up and the farmer (or, in this case, student!) should insert a thermometer into the mixture in order to keep note of the rising temperature. On the fourth, seventh, and tenth days, the heap should be turned or mixed, and moistened and the temperature recorded. On the fourteenth day, the compost is ready to be applied! The process is fairly simple, yet the outcome is incredibly beneficial for plant harvests. This method, however, requires that the mulch be applied to the field before the first frost; and because central New York is blessed with early snowfalls, this technique cannot be implemented this season. Another suggestion is to purchase some already-made compost from the nearby Drover Hill Farm, less than twenty-five minutes away from Hamilton’s campus. Stephanie Lipsey, the innkeeper of the farm (and its accompanying bed and breakfast), informed me that the cow manure from her cattle ranch, “works marvels on any plant”.

She collects the manure and hay from the cattle barns and creates a dumpsite where she discards the compost for about a year before applying it on the fields. Stephanie kindly offered the College as much manure compost as desired and she can be contacted at: The Drover Hill Farm, 1014 Earlville Road, Earlville, NY 13332. Phone: 315.691.2327. Website: www.droverhillfarm.com. She advised that the fertilizer could be applied come springtime when seeds are being planted and then again during the hot summer months in order to hydrate the sprouted crops. The second suggestion is a much more feasible method not only because the mulch at the Farm has been made, but because this specific fertilizer should be applied in the spring, rather than before the first frost.

Manure fertilizer is most definitely the most desirable and “nutritious” of all types of fertilizers—its exceptional qualities have preceded the test of time. Manure is the way to go!

Bibliography

Follet, Roy H., Larry S. Murphy and Roy L. Donahue. Fertilizers and Soil Amendments. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall Inc., 1981.

Glanz, James. Saving our Soil. Boulder: Johnson Books, 1995.

Rodale, Robert. The Basic Book of Organic Gardening. New York: Rodale Press Inc. , 1971.

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Poison Ivy Eradication

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 00:34:00 -0400

You come back home after having spent a long, fruitful day in the garden. Your arms and your hands are blackened with soil, and fine particulates of grit remain embedded under your nails. But all is well – you look at your garden basket and smile because the earth has rewarded your hard labors with plump and colorful vegetables. Days later, however, you scratch a red spot on the back of your hand. And then you scratch again. And again. And now you’re scratching your wrist. You look down and see a red angry rash beginning to trail its way up your arm.

That’s when you realize what that unfamiliar plant was in your garden.

Rhus radicans, better known as “poison ivy”, is an unfortunately common pest that plagues many a backyard and vegetable patch, especially in the Northeast United States. The big problem regarding this plant is the oil in its leaves, urushiol. When this compound comes into contact with membrane proteins in exposed skin cells, it binds with them and changes their structure. The body, mistaking these newly-formed proteins for foreign pathogens, incites an autoimmune response. The allergic reaction that results is usually a rash in the contact area, characterized by redness, swelling, streaks, and blisters.

However, once one learns how to identify poison ivy, it’s not difficult to avoid. Poison ivy has a leaf structure that consists of three leaflets. Each leaflet (the middle being slightly larger than the others) is about two to four inches long. They are a dull or glossy green, with pointed tips. The edges of the leaves vary from plant to plant, and can appear either toothed or smooth. Poison ivy can be found in one of three forms: an upright shrub, a trailing shrub running along the ground, or a woody vine, the last usually
growing on trees or other objects for support. Also, most mature poison ivy plants will flower and produce clusters of white or yellow fruit, which appears much like wax.

There are numerous ways to go about eradicating poison ivy from one’s garden. Most of them consist of using some type of herbicide. However, this article will avoid proposing these methods in favor of more organic, healthy approaches. The first and most obvious is manual labor – good old hand pulling. The best time to start pulling is early in the spring (when the leaves unfold) and when the soil is moist. Whenever handling poison ivy, it’s crucial to wear gloves. For added protection, wear a long sleeved shirt and long pants. Be sure to pull up the entirety of the root, or else the runners that remain in the ground will re-grow. Do try to avoid touching the outside of the gloves – there are probably traces of urushiol on the glove surface, since the oil clings to almost everything. Do not mow the poison ivy, since fragments of the plant will just be scattered everywhere. And whatever you do, DO NOT BURN poison ivy. The smoke still contains urushiol and, if inhaled, can cause severe lung damage.

Of course, there are alternative methods of eradication. One is a household mixture that contains three pounds of salt and one gallon of soapy water (or: one cup of salt, eight drops of liquid detergent, and one gallon of vinegar). Spray this mixture on the plants and they should wilt and die within about two weeks or so. The downside to this method, however, is that the salt may be damaging to the environment – it will leach water from nearby plants and remain in the soil until washed away by enough rainfall. Another method (albeit a time-consuming one) consists of wrapping a poison ivy vine in black plastic bags for a few months. Eventually, the plant will suffocate.

And voila! A poison ivy-free garden.

Bibliography:

Shaughnessy, Debbie. "Poison Ivy." Home and Garden Information Center. Dec. 2006. Clemson Extension. 14 Nov. 2008

The 1812 Garden Blog - Garden advice

All in Favor of Manure!

Bibliography

Poison Ivy Eradication