the SEASONS of the GARDEN
A new look at apple polishing, USDA discovers organic agriculture, fruit explorers and gleanings.
NOVEMBER
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DECEMBER
It's late autumn in the garden . . . sere leaves drift from
sleeping trees, soldiers of stubble mark harvested rows of
corn, Winesaps ripen and fall, and — while warm
afternoons occasionally stir memories of summer's heat
— the morning's white rime heralds winter's chill
kingdom. Draw close to your loved ones, and offer thanks
together for the bounty you've stored.
FRUIT EXPLORERS
One of the biggest bargains in horticulture — and one
that makes a dandy Christmas gift as well — is a
five-dollar membership in the North American Fruit
Explorers. NAFEX is dedicated to the exchange of
information — through its quarterly journal,
Pomona — on growing both the rare and common
fruits . . . from blueberries to papayas, peaches, and
persimmons. The society also has panels of folks who are
experts on many varieties of fruit, cultural topics, and
techniques. NAFEX members can draw upon this wisdom and
experience for just the price of a stamped, self-addressed
envelope.
If you'd like to join NAFEX you can do so by sending $5.00
(the annual dues include a subscription to the magazine) to
Roy Walker, Dept. TMEN, Box 711, St. Louis, Missouri 63188.
USDA DISCOVERS ORGANIC AGRICULTURE
It's almost enough to make a believer out of a cynic! First
we saw the government supporting Integrated Pest
Management. (Copies of the USDA's Agricultural Handbook No.
512, "The Basic Principles of Insect Population Suppression
and Management", may be purchased for $10 from the
Superintendent of Documents, Dept. TMEN, U.S. Government
Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402. Get your local
public library to buy a copy.) Now — even more
surprising — the Department of Agriculture has
released a report on organic farming . . . and the agency's
conclusions highly favor wholistic techniques!
"Organic farming," as defined by the USDA, "is a production
system which avoids or largely excludes the use of
synthetically compounded fertilizers, pesticides, growth
regulators, and livestock feed additives. To the maximum
extent feasible, organic farming systems rely on crop
rotations, crop residues, animal manures, legumes, green
manures, offfarm organic wastes, mechanical cultivation,
mineral-bearing rocks, and aspects of biological pest
control to maintain soil productivity and tilth, to supply
plant nutrients, and to control insects, weeds, and other
pests."
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