memex/0_inbox/in/books/PDM/Bill Mollison - Permaculture A Designer's Manual text/183.txt

eommon mlnerals as relspars rn rdsls lo swell and
lemme no luck, lhen lo hydrate lhe lelspars lo luolm,
day, and porassrum (arbonale The rarlrorrales released
male Dlsai! walera suonger carbonic aeid lhan ll is as
r-anl

Almospllent oxygen dlssolves m rain m orldise lmll
minerals lpyrites) and lorml both haern and a
quanmy dl sulpnune aerd, whreh agaln drssalves
ulelals, so lhal waler malres an elleeirve rock
decomposer, even wnhonl lnvolslng lne espansron ol
wllu as lee. or me power ol lee las glaelersl to grmd
nxki to llour Hunts loo are uedglng open rocks and
mineral vamcles, reereallng aelds, and lransporllng
minerals ln melt sap roorher localxon; Aflunhls work
ere-res a manrle al topsoil, whlch ls esumaled lo build
alabonl 2-41/ha per year as uneornpaeled lopsorl, but
whieh we remove as a rare al lrom «>500 l/year rn
cropping and soll llllage Even llle mall ideal llllage
rusl keeps pare with lhe mosl rdeal eondllions ol soll
lonnauon, and m llle wolsl cases we ran remove 2000
years ol soll m a slngle erosron season or one sequenee
or llood or snong wlnol over eulnvaled soils

lhe only plaees where solls are conserved or
lnereased are

. ln uneul totes

. Under ule oulel walerol lakes and ponds,

o ln pralrlee and meadows olpermaneru plants; and

- where we grow phnfi wi|h rnulehed or non-
dllagesyslems

these then are lhe eure subiecls ol suslarnable
sodeues ol any eoneervahle lulure They are nor, you
muhl nolree, llle luoreels mosl laugh. ln lhe agn-
euhural eolleges or loresrry eourses oi lhe reeenl pasl,
nor do iney oeeupy rhe mrnds el polllleians, invcslr
menl bankers, ur TV srars

selole slanlng on lhe mnpk'x subpd ol solls land I
am rrol a sell serenlrsel, u is wrse lo draw llaels a lulle
and eonslder rhe queslrdn el solls lrorn some very
dlllerenl viewpelrus, or sels ol values. They are
broadly lhele

- ea lh (ho-h human and planll We musl be
ralelul and eonseryallve rn approach, eserrrally ln lhe
area olbioadls and high levels ol arullelal lemlisers.
Ailer all, our aneeslors llved m a ripe old age on
homergmwn produre wlrnoul llle benelll or
herlrleldes, peslrerdes, or mineral lerulrsers. we must
lherelore lmprove on. nol lessen, inal lncmv ol
lungelesfed vlra ly um was, and ls, lnlegral lo good
gardeners,

Nor enal l oelreve lhal lherr health was purely due to
did, several olller ladors amlalcd wlln gardenlng
may be one day betteriwssed, lneludlng:

7 null llvl Vgxular txrvnj: gardenlng rs a son ol
sceady and nmlAJmsslng lar [hl

_ mrdnalwll we ran srl and look as much as worle
and hanlrh all cares l lourld my gralldlalher as oilen
lus| loaklllg as workmg land he led about 1n lamrlres
lrorn nrs mum garden)

7 manmx ln gardenrng «here ls a very ronseleus
saw or dorng a you Ihal ls worlhwhrle, and oi arrrrr

 

 

value so olhels Gankning, espeelally lood gardenlng
rs ~rlghr Ilvelahood”

7 ll/e rnreresl. perhaps derlved lram lhe auove
Every day, every season lhere is ehange, sornelhmg
new so aulerye, and eonslanl leamrng. rennarullure
ereally adds lo lhis inreresr, and has me dxmnimns ol
a lllwnenled chess game, rnvolvlng lhe elemenls,
energy. and lhe drmensrons or bath llle-(onus and
nullding llnrsrures (also wnll pulldral, soeral, lrnanrral,
and global lmplioauonsl.

. mg, Hele, we same so a grave impasse There ls
no daulrl that lhe oneesoll yield ol a ploughed and
lemlrsed monoeulrure, supporled by snemleals and
large energy rnplus, ean oulrylreld ma! olalmosl every
olher plodueelon syslem Burl al whal publle eosv lor
how long rnalnlamedv wrlh wnal improvemenr ln
nu|nllonY wrlll wnal guaranlee or snsumnhillly? wllll
whal elleel on world hungll” on wlls’ and on our
hullh’ There rs now abundam plool lhar sueh loreed
ylelols are hempomry, and lhal plougn eullures desnoy
solls and soereries

These are some very .Iwkwa'd quesnons ln ask ol lhe
agrieulnaraleslalrllshmenr, [m vrry lew, ll any, modern
agrieulnaral sysrems do nor Carly llle seeds ol our own
deserunion. nesesyslernsale lhoae lnal reserve publre
hnanrral suppon, yd lhey desaoy the eounlrysrde in a
mulelnlde or ways, lrorn clearlng lhe land o4 loresl,
hedgerow, and anrmal spuiu lo lungderm soll
degradauon and polsonmg We are lnus oullged, by
ennenehed bureaucraeres, lo pay (or lhe dealnrelion ol
our world. regardless o! lhe leng-lerm rosls lo be
lrorne uy our ehlldren and our soeleaes

. 1; ln gall Sail organlsms are a mayor soil latter,
and have myriad pereepuule and prolound elleds on
pH. rrunenl eonlenl and avallahrllly. soll snuelure, and
eroslon

. gums, It ls nor are purpose a! people on earlh lo
reduee all solls lo perreelly ualanred, well—druneds
lrrlgaled, and mulrhed marlrel gardens. allhough rhrs
ls uhmrnbk and neeessary on llle la. ol lne earlh we
need lor our lood produellon. l-hlrs, whal I have so say
ol solls 14er lo llle: we, wrln wider rmplreanons only
lor those solls law at all agfimhunl sollsl lhar we
have rulned uy lhe plough or polluled lay emlssrons
lruln rals,spraya radioaelives and lndusrry

olrr largesl loll ls are .esloranorl ol solls and lows
lor llle nke el a heallhy earln llsell I| rs mosl
dzflmlely um la elear, delorm, or ruin any more land,
lrul nrsl lo pm in order what we have desuoyed, al lhe
same rime aloendrng lo lhe modes: area lhar we need
roroursurvival and mu nurnllen,

wnnoul pearly drarned, nanrrally deilslenl. leashed.
asidls or nlknline sues, many 0! lhe phm species on
earlh would disappear, niey have evolved in response
lo yusl sueh drllrelrll sondllions, and have speerallsed lo
ore-spy lass man perleel soil sues

Colin 1udge (Ntw Scream! '36) muses en lhe
propomon or lhe llriush lsles rhal eould be given bxk
lo nalure, He comes down wllh a very sonservauve
esurnale ol perhaps was, And al lhal, wuhoul Idung

‘83