[Terrapreta] corn stalk carbonization

[Kevin Chisholm]

Dear Robert

I commend your efforts to understand Terra Preta by getting inside the 
heads and lifestyles of the people who made it.

Your proposed method makes a lot of sense, and seems very "do-able" by 
primitive people.

A few questions...

1: Why would they go to the extra effort of pulling the stalks and 
burning them? Wouldn't it be easier to harvest corn, cut (or trample) 
the stalk at the base, leaving the root ball in place? Wouldn't it be 
more work to haul all the root balls and stalks to a central burning 
location, and then have to lug back the earth and char to fill in holes?

2: Would you have any explanation for the pottery shards found in the TP?

Best wishes,

Kevin

Robert Klein wrote:
> I just posted this on my blog on global warming found
> at:
> 
> http://globalwarming-arclein.blogspot.com/
> 
>  carbonizing corn in the field
> 
> I have already commented earlier in how I thought that
> the Indians in the Amazon likely created windrows that
> they then lightly buried and set afire. Today I
> figured out the rest of it.
> 
> When a corn stalk is pulled out of the ground, the
> root ball resembles an eight inch wide disk. This
> allows the building of a wall of inward pointing corn
> stalks in which the earthen root ball forms a brick on
> the outer surface. The stalks will stack and pack very
> well. Of course, you build a matching wall on the
> other side of the first stack so that you get a two
> sided bank protected by the root balls. With any luck
> the tops of the stalks will compact well and a small
> space of a several inches can be left between the two
> halves for fire ignition. The compaction could allow
> the formation of an arched top to the bank that
> continues the root ball surface unto the top of the
> bank.
> 
> The ends of the bank can then be sealed off with with
> either more stalks or more likely a little earth. The
> same holds true for any gaps in the roof. Building one
> of these things would even be fun for the community,
> since pulling the corn is very easy work.
> 
> It is then a simple matter to wait for the right time
> to set this stack afire and you have a natural
> carbonizing oven. Two days later, you have a nice pile
> of reduced carbonized corn waste mixed with dirt that
> can be forked unto seed hills for the next corn crop.
> It really is that easy and only requires a little bit
> of additional effort in the stacking.
> 
> What I am very conscious of is that is not a lot of
> work compared to what many other crops require. A
> family could even do this today on any simple one acre
> patch, anywhere in the world.
> 
> Posted by arclein at 9:44 PM 0 comments    
> 
> Labels: carbonization in Amazon, corn root ball 
> 
> 
>        
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