[Terrapreta] Terrapreta Digest, Vol 2, Issue 33

[Michael Bailes]

Many years ago, in a previous life, I held various executive positions in
HDRA Australia including President.I wanted to change HDRAs name but never
could Glad top hear they have got something catchier

I organized Hill's visit to Australia, with  the beautiful, and much missed,
June Fear.
Hills was an amazing man who despite a broken leg was unstoppable. He talked
non-stop.He was ahead of his time.

for example
I remember we had a one page brochure on How to Compost in the
Backyard.(probably
written by Hills)
             At that time I lived over-looking Sydney/Parramatta river
basin. Every Sunday people would mow their lawns and then set alight to the
wet grass. The whole river valley (huge with 1+Mil. people or so) was dotted
with thousands of little fires and the valley would fill with smoke. It is
hard to believe now. But I guess there are many things we have done to the
planet in our ignorance.
              We went to the council and asked them to send out our
composting brochure with their rates notice. (We would print the brochure
for them free -we had very little money) They looked at us as if we were
total loonies and could not get rid of us quickly enough.

              Now I note the local council has two people employed promoting
composting and has a green waste disposal system (composting)
 It still pains me to see people throw away grass clippings into the council
bin.

              I used to collect the grass clippings from my neighbors who
thought  was mad. Some yard soils had been cropped like this for 20 years
and there was no organic matter in the soil. It was like concrete

HDRA is probably responsible for most of what I know about gardening

Hills will be turning over in his grave now that the UN is allowing DDT to
be used again.

Why not contact HDRA in UK and write an article for them about charcoal in
agriculture.?
michaelangelica

On 28/02/07, Rhisiart Gwilym <Rhisiart at ddraiggoch.org> wrote:
>
> Siwmae pawb (Hiya all)!
>
> Years back, I was a member of the Henry Doubleday Research
> Association (now known as 'Garden Organic', at Ryton Gardens, Ryton
> on Dunsmore, near Coventry, Britain) when it was a camaraderie of
> backyard gardeners, small-holders, and so on, who did organised
> experimental gardening, to gather knowledge of practical small-scale
> ways to enhance yield, land-health and people-health. This knowledge
> was intended for free distribution to anyone, particularly poor
> subsistence agriculturalists in the poor countries, as the original
> HDRA was an educational charity.
>
>
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