rec.gardens.ecosystems homepage -> archive: MOD$010108.21048@rec.gardens.ecosystems



Subject: Re: Why grow organic food?
From: Cangemi@ulster.net (Kay Cangemi)
Organization: BiznessOnline.com, Inc.
Date: Mon, 08 Jan 01 09:30:16
Message-ID: <MOD$010108.21048@rec.gardens.ecosystems>
References: <MOD$010107.2588@rec.gardens.ecosystems>



In article <MOD$010107.2588@rec.gardens.ecosystems>, wrote:

> NoahSoil posted saying that organic gardening was "the
> way they did it a long time ago". Hidden
> that "Organic gardening is a relatively new art, barring
> some manuring by sustinence farmers."
>
> I think this comes down to the way one defines, "organic
> gardening". It seems to me that some seek out the use of
> materials and/or methods that are not commercial, synthetic
> insecticides, fungicides or herbicides for the prevention
> or control of pests, disease or weeds and consider this
> "organic gardening". For example, the use of baking soda
> for the control of powdery mildew on roses.
>
> This kind of gardening is relatively new and comes out of
> the effort to avoid the use of commercial pesticides that
> corrupt or injure the environment. Organic gardening is
> often defined in those terms.
>
>
I've yet to really get a working understanding of what is specifically
meant by 'traditional gardening practices'. It is methods that predate
modern 'scientific agriculture', but I've only run across it being
lambasted by 'scientific agriculture' writers like Downing and, to a
certain extent, Tolstoy. Rather like our knowledge of Carthage coming
almost solely from the Romans. It is unhygenic, inefficient, not
scientific, and old fashioned, but exactly what it does to be all of these
things, I don't know. So talking about how things were done before really
doesn't help without more definitions.

My understanding of things is that 'scientific agriculture' was an
invention of the late 18th century. One of its first big proponents in this
country was Jefferson, and his farm diaries provide decent documentation on
how he did things. (some day I'd like to look at these) Its biggest 19th
century accomplishment seems to have been the breeding of improved
livestock strains, but there was some work done on plants, and some basic
discoveries about soil. In the early 20th century scientific agriculture
split into a chemical and organic branch. Originally the organic branch was
much less a philosophical statement than an economic one. Chemicals were
expensive and not necessarily appropriate for small plots. The entire cost
savings of a 1930's vegetable garden could be wiped out by the purchase of
one pesticide container, while improved knowledge of soils, pest behaviour,
and other things could provide a gardener with good choices about pest
control.

--
Kay Cangemi

A chiel 's amang ye takin' notes - Burns

New York, USDA zone 5
http://www.ulster.net/~cangemi