..."Acidic soil, severely compacted, nutrient deficient particularly in oxygen, nitrogen, copper and potassium, not many other plants about, those that do grow are subject to aphid attack. Just a moment."
The pendulum became active for a moment or two. "Hilly country, possibly once forested with fir, that might explain the acidity. Public land, I think, probably laneway or roadside. How am I doing . . . . . .?" The woman had gray scraggly hair and plenty of wrinkles under a Tilly hat. She smiled and started speaking quickly in that awful American brogue, "Too dry for aphids on the right-of-way at the end of the summer. You're right about the road. It's in a draw beside Rapid Lightning Creek. I have references on dowsing, but it's hard to get started. I get my information from conventional sources" Charles nodded and leaned against the fence. This lady was trying to talk his language. "What about the acidity?" "The soil has a pH from 6.5 to 5.9 and the CEC for the 6.5 bare soil is 4.0. A hawkweed patch has a CEC of 8.7. Putting missing elements back into the soil is a good strategy for a farm, how about for a whole 8-mile road or a county weed program? The county government has sprayed 2,4-D on the roads every three years since I don't know when. The only thing they will spend their money on is herbicide. I'm trying to learn something here in Australia so that I can catch their imaginations and can get them to make the paradigm switch. They have state ordinances that favor large ag chemical companies. They insist that soil amendments be registered--to the tune of $100US an amendment per year. Now I've gone and said too much. I've gotten a lot of help from Australians on the Net and this trip is my last hurrah at trying to do anything. I'm ready to retreat to my own land and just do Bio-dynamics. People in my neighborhood don't want the spray, but aren't willing to put time and energy into the road themselves. If I don't make it back to Idaho, there's no one to take my place..." Roger Pye wrote: > "Say, could you tell me the way to Bohmbayla?" > > Charles Rogers sprang up from his squatting position just inside the > paddock fence, almost dropping his pendulum in the process. "Er, Bombala > do you mean? You're a fair way away, keep on this road across the Snowy > River into Dalgety, turn left then right, follow the signs, OK?" > > "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. What are you doing?" > > "Trying to work out why this plant is growing here." He touched a > largish rosette of light green leaves with his boot. "Great Mullein. It > fixes sulphur in soils. In layman's terms mullein extracts nutrients > from the atmosphere, mixes them with others drawn in through the roots, > converts them all to sulphur which it pumps out into the soil. You're > American, aren't you?" > > "Idaho. I know about mullein, it's a herb, I grow herbs. There seems to > be a lot of it here, all the way down both sides of the fenceline." > > "Too much. Sure, the soil is deficient in sulphur but only a little bit, > it doesn't need all that.. No, I think this is here for another reason. > Can I help you with something else, ma'am?" > > "You think plants grow where they do for specific reasons, do you? I'm > involved in a project that has problems with knapweed, tansy, hawkweed > and thistles. What would you make of them?" > > Charles glanced at the stationary pendulum, a steel plumb bob on a cord. > Without warning the bob went through a series of gyrations then became > still again. "Acidic soil, severely compacted, nutrient deficient > particularly in oxygen, nitrogen, copper and potassium, not many other > plants about, those that do grow are subject to aphid attack. Just a > moment." > > The pendulum became active for a moment or two. "Hilly country, possibly > once forested with fir, that might explain the acidity. Public land, I > think, probably laneway or roadside. How am I doing . . . . . .?" > > roger > > Merla Barberie wrote: > > >Roger, I love this. Is a novel a better way to educate people? Will you > >write a novel about Rapid Lightning Road Weed Project? Our weeds are > >knapweed, common tansy, hawkweed and thistle. Our soil is glacial till and > >our conditions brittle in August and September. Our over rainfall is 36". > >It varies rapidly according to elevation. Teach me how to write a novel. > > > >Merla > > > >Roger Pye wrote: > > > >>"Weeds? I've seen 'em all, mate, paddocks full of 'em - serrated > >>tussock, gorse, fireweed, needle grass, blackberry. I've been farming > >>here, man and boy, for fifty years! Aye, fifty years, nigh on. Weeds are > >>a blight on pastures and a permanent drag on the old hip pocket. But > >>this - well, I never saw anything like this before and that's a fact!" > >>
