THE AMAZING NATURAL FARM OF MASANOBU FUKUOKA

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Having said all that, we should also make it clear that Mr. Fukuoka does offer some solid, down-to-earth tips on gardening that you can try tomorrow, if you like. (For example, see the sections on mulching with straw and chicken manure . . . or on growing vegetables in semi-wild places.) But the main point of Masanobu's work—to let Nature do as much of the farming as possible—cannot he quickly summed up in a handy set of instructions.

For one thing, Mr. Fukuoka has developed his techniques in response to particular conditions on his farm and to the needs of his crops. What works for him may or may not work for you. It's good to remember, too, that Mr. Fukuoka did not succeed overnight. He developed his present method over a period of 30 years . . . and, by his own account, made some pretty spectacular mistakes along the way (for example, he has managed to wipe out an entire mandarin orange grove . . . TWICE).

Furthermore, if Masanobu is right, the knowledge of what is natural for your area and your land will not come from scientific analysis or experimentation . . . but from living on it for many years, sensing its pulse, and coming to love it even as you realize you can never really understand it.

Now, some folks may find this kind of talk too mystical for their taste. But from another point of view, it's just plain common sense. For instance, you don't learn to really know someone you love by jotting down their idiosyncrasies . . . for such an action will only take you farther from your goal. Instead, you just spend time with that individual . . . and, slowly . . . an imperfect but steadily growing knowledge of who he or she is and what he or she needs is sure to emerge.

According to Mr. Fukuoka, it's exactly the same with the land! While most farmers and gardeners try to figure out how to coax that next apple, plum, or dollar from the soil . . . Masanobu quietly waits for Nature to show the way. What NOT to do then proceeds as "naturally" as water from a spring. —SW.

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