Maple Field

On Maple field we have 6 plots of experimental,’ rare earths’  –   each undergoing different cultures of deep- mulch and alternative care,   no digging,  no ploughing or any fidgeting with mechanical motions and the quite spectacular results combine in a force for future good  –   a ‘rare earth’ catalogue of, perhaps, how we could restore the six inches of topsoil to a Mesopotamian richness only seen in areas of the world practising flood- retreat farming. Our treatment of the soil is not incidental to its being but fundamental to our survival  –   the job of rebuilding matters more than the quantity of food that comes off it,  the profit is buried by the battalions of underground workers,   and their existence and survival and effort is more important,  or at least as important, as ours. It is reduced effort, reduced inputs almost to nil, and a complete absence of pollution of any sort  –   whether or not the carbon element builds is a consequence of the system, not a climate target. The climate/ eco target is one of harmony and close- quarter grappling with the field’s Biome  –   to render it useful for the next 1000 years  –   this method of smother- surface farming, if we are right, could be the most effective means of restoring soil fertility and holding it at exemplary levels for the rest of the Anthropocene (Anthropo = human; cene= recent in ancient Greek). We could orchestrate the Maplefield Test Ban Treaty for agrochemicals to coincide with an edging- out of the plot system, first in the Parish, then across Britain  –   I see every reason to rejoice in our discoveries following up on Ruth Stout’s work in West Virginia, USA.