Soil and Your Health"In "Soil and Your Health," eminent health writer and environmentalist Beatrice Trum Hunter discusses the natural resource that grows our fruits and vegetables. The quality of food depends on the quality of the soil in which it is grown. Is organically produced food superior to conventionally grown food? How do earthworms and trace minerals benefit the soil and the food and feed grown on it? How do intentionally applied fertilizers, pesticides, and sludge, as well as inadvertent contaminannt affect soil? Hunter responds to the mounting soil-quality crisis with hopeful answers and measures beginning in our own gardens and farms."--Publisher description. |
What people are saying - Write a review
We haven't found any reviews in the usual places.
Contents
| 3 | |
| 9 | |
| 15 | |
| 23 | |
Building Good Soil | 32 |
Soil Quality Organic vs Conventional Farming | 42 |
Soil Fertility and Weeds | 60 |
Consuming Soil | 70 |
Sludge An Inappropriate Soil Fertilizer | 91 |
Soil Contamination with Drugs | 95 |
Losing Soil in Global Dust Storms | 101 |
Bioremediation of Contaminated Soil | 107 |
Main Sources | 112 |
Additional Readings | 117 |
Index | 118 |
Toxic Trace Minerals in Soil | 77 |
Other editions - View all
Soil and Your Health: Healthy Soil Is Vital to Your Health Basic Health Publications, Incorporated No preview available - 2004 |
Common terms and phrases
acidic acres additional African agricultural aluminum amounts animals antibiotic appear applied areas arsenic become benefits bioremediation Chapter chemical chemical fertilizers clay compost conservation conservation tillage consume contain continued conventional crop damage develop diseases drug dust dust storms earth earthworms effects elements environmental especially example experience farmers farming feed fertilizers fields findings fluorine garden grass grazing growing grown growth heavy higher humans humus improve increased industrial insects iron known land leaves less levels living manure materials meal ment methods microbes million minerals mulches nitrogen nutrients organic organic matter percent pesticides plants plots pollutants potato practices present problem production raised reduced reported residues result rock roots selenium sewage showed sludge soil soil fertility sources substances supply surface tion toxic toxins trace trees United University wastes weeds yield zinc
Popular passages
Page 25 - The plough is one of the most ancient and most valuable of man's inventions ; but long before he existed the land was in fact regularly ploughed, and still continues to be thus ploughed by earth-worms. It may be doubted whether there are many other animals which have played so important a part in the history of the world, as have these lowly organized creatures.
Page 23 - For, to say nothing of half the birds, and some quadrupeds which are almost entirely supported by them, worms seem to be the great promoters of vegetation, which would proceed but lamely without them, by boring, perforating, and loosening the soil, and rendering it pervious to rains and the fibres of plants, by drawing straws and stalks of leaves and twigs into it ; and, most of all, by throwing up such infinite numbers of lumps of earth called worm-casts, which, being their excrement, is a fine...
Page 24 - ... by worms. It is a marvellous reflection that the whole of the superficial mould over any such expanse has passed, and will again pass, every few years through the bodies of worms.
Page 10 - The Objective of the Program The goal to be achieved is a more stable agriculture, more dependable sources of income, and progressively satisfactory livelihood for the people of the region. To achieve this goal, there must be widespread use of good soil management and water conservation practices and adjustments in sizes and types of farms which will enable farmers and ranchers to effectively cope with the climatic hazards of the region.
Page 24 - ... slopes, probably to avoid being flooded. Gardeners and farmers express their detestation of worms; the former because they render their walks unsightly, and make them much work: and the latter because, as they think, worms eat their green corn. But these men would find that the earth without worms would soon become cold, hard-bound, and void of fermentation; and consequently sterile...
Page 91 - viscous, semisolid mixture of bacteria- and virus-laden organic matter, toxic metals, synthetic organic chemicals, and settled solids removed from domestic and industrial waste water at a sewage treatment plant.
Page 17 - Briefly, this book sets out to show that the moldboard plow, which is in use on farms throughout the civilized world, is the least satisfactory implement for the preparation of land for the production of crops.
Page 15 - When water erosion is the primary concern, a farmer can meet the minimum requirement of conservation tillage by leaving 30 percent or more of the soil surface covered with crop residue.
Page 13 - Congress passed the Soil and Water Resources Conservation Act of 1977 (RCA). The act mandated a continuing appraisal of the Nation's soil, water, and related resources.
Page 44 - Professor of Soils and Chairman of the Department of Soils at the University of Missouri at Columbia, and Frank A.
Bibliographic information
| Title | Soil and Your Health Basic Health Guides |
| Author | Beatrice Trum Hunter |
| Publisher | Basic Health Publications, Inc., 2004 |
| ISBN | 1591200628, 9781591200628 |
| Length | 122 pages |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |