This is a newly edited revision of Albert Howard's important text on organic farming and gardening, and the central role of humus in maintaining soil health and fertility. 
THE SOIL AND HEALTH is a detailed analysis of the vital role of humus and compost in soil health - and the importance of soil health to the health of crops and the humans who eat them. The author is keenly aware of the dead end which awaits humanity if we insist on growing our food using artificial fertilisers and poisons. 
Albert Howard (1873-1947) was one of the leaders of the British organics movement in the mid-twentieth century. He was the first westerner to document and publish research on traditional techniques of agriculture, including Indian and Chinese farming and management of the soil. 
"Agriculture is the fundamental industry of the world and must be allowed to occupy the primary position in the economies of all countries." - Albert Howard CONTENTS 
1 - Soil Fertility and Agriculture 
1.1 The operations of Nature The life of the plant The living soil The significance of humus The importance of minerals 
1.2 Systems of agriculture Primitive forms of agriculture Shifting cultivation The harnessing of the Nile Staircase cultivation The agriculture of China The agriculture of Greece and Rome Farming in the Middle Ages 
1.3 Soil fertility in Great Britain The Roman occupation The Saxon conquest The open-field system The depreciation of soil fertility The low yield of wheat The Black Death The Industrial Revolution and soil fertility The Great Depression of 1879 The Second World War 
1.4 Industrialism and the profit motive 
1.5 The intrusion of Science 
2 - Disease in Present-day Farming and Gardening 
2.1 Diseases of the soil Soil erosion The formation of alkaline land 
2.2 The diseases of crops 
2.3 Disease and health in livestock 
2.4 Soil fertility and human health 
2.5 The nature of disease 
3 - The Problem of Manuring 
3.1 The origins and scope of the problem The phosphate problem and its solution The reform of the manure heap Sheet-composting and nitrogen fixation The utilisation of town wastes 
3.2 The Indore Process - Some practical points - The New Zealand compost box - Mechanisation - The spread of the Indore Process 
3.3 The reception by scientists

The Soil and Health

Crafts, Hobbies & Home

Howard, Albert

Gardening & Landscape Design

Distant Mirror

An Agricultural Testament

"Howard's discoveries and methods, and their implications, are given in detail in An Agricultural Testament. They are of enormous usefulness to gardeners and farmers, and to anyone who may be interested in the history and the problems of land use.But aside from its practical worth, Howard's book is valuable for his ability to place his facts and insights within the perspective of history. This book is a critique of civilizations, judging them not by their artefacts and victories, but by their response to the sacred duty of handing over to the next generation, unimpaired, the heritage of a fertile soil." - Wendell Berry, The Last Whole Earth Catalog

dminoz

Why is there a cow on the front cover of this book? This is a book about agriculture, and farm animals have become unfashionable in some quarters. Cows, it turns out, are responsible for global warming, climate change, and so, no doubt, rising sea levels and chemtrails.But any real farmer, from any time in history, knows that this is not true. Animals have been around forever. Animals are a vital part of an insanely complex living system. Anyone who knows the basics of regenerative agriculture understands this.Albert Howard spent years studying and using the methods of traditional Asian agriculture, and shows in this book that the fertility and health of the soil depend on humus, in the production of which animal materials play an vital role. A healthy soil needs animal inputs. Animals in agriculture are central; they're right in there with fungi.This message is not welcomed by those who would feed the modern world a diet of plant-based, lab-grown food substitutes that have lists of ingredients as long as your arm, and are going to save the planet using gene-spliced soybeans and 3D printed pizzas.So, the cow and her calf are on the cover to redress the balance, and also to feature as one of the stars of this book (along with sugar cane, waste pits, and public servants). She was the photogenic one.Albert Howard's text has been thoroughly re-edited in this new version of his book. The habit, common at the time, of using long paragraphs is not preferred by modern readers, so the text has been extensively 'reparagraphed'. Grammar has been tweaked, and styles have been adopted. Headings have been added, infinitives unsplit.The changes made have been to make things more comfortable for modern eyes and tastes. The sense and intention of the author has not been altered at all, of course. We hope that Albert Howard would approve of this reworking of his book. His ideas are more important than ever.

By examining the root causes of aboriginal problems, Frances Widdowson and Albert Howard expose the industry that has grown up around land claim settlements, showing that aboriginal policy development over the past thirty years has been manipulated by non-aboriginal lawyers and consultants. They analyse all the major aboriginal policies, examine issues that have received little critical attention - child care, health care, education, traditional knowledge - and propose the comprehensive government provision of health, education, and housing rather than deficient delivery through Native self-government.

Disrobing the Aboriginal Industry: The Deception Behind Indigenous Cultural Preservation

Politics & Social Sciences

Widdowson, Frances

Social Sciences

McGill-Queen's University Press

Engineering & Transportation

Automotive

The Soil and Health: A Study of Organic Agriculture

Science & Math

Nature & Ecology

The University Press of Kentucky

During his years as a scientist working for the British government in India, Sir Albert Howard conceived of and refined the principles of organic agriculture. Howard's The Soil and Health became a seminal and inspirational text in the organic movement soon after its publication in 1945. The Soil and Health argues that industrial agriculture, emergent in Howard's era and dominant today, disrupts the delicate balance of nature and irrevocably robs the soil of its fertility. Howard's classic treatise links the burgeoning health crises facing crops, livestock, and humanity to this radical degradation of the Earth's soil. His message―that we must respect and restore the health of the soil for the benefit of future generations―still resonates among those who are concerned about the effects of chemically enhanced agriculture.

The Soil and Health: A Study of Organic Agriculture (Culture of the Land)

University Press of Kentucky

A Distant Mirror

2022 Reprint of the 1947 Edition. Includes 15 illustrations (including plan and diagrams). Exact facsimile of the original edition and not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. During his years as a scientist working for the British government in India, Sir Albert Howard conceived of and refined the principles of organic agriculture. Howard's The Soil and Health became a seminal and inspirational text in the organic movement soon after its publication in 1947. The Soil and Health argues that industrial agriculture, emergent in Howard's era and dominant today, disrupts the delicate balance of nature and irrevocably robs the soil of its fertility. Howard's classic treatise links the burgeoning health crises facing crops, livestock, and humanity to this radical degradation of the Earth's soil. His message―that we must respect and restore the health of the soil for the benefit of future generations―still resonates among those who are concerned about the effects of chemically enhanced agriculture.

Martino Fine Books

"An Agricultural Testament" is Sir Albert Howard's best-known publication, and remains one of the seminal works in the history of organic farming agricultural movement. Dedicated to his first wife and co-worker, herself a plant phsyiologist, it focuses on the nature and management of soil fertility, and notably explores composting. At a time when modern, chemical-based industrialized agriculture was just beginning to radically alter food production, it advocated natural processes rather than man-made inputs as the superior approach to farming.

Engineering

Stellar Classics

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Howard, Albert. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Howard, Albert

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Howard, Albert. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

The Soil and Health

An Agricultural Testament

An Agricultural Testament

Disrobing the Aboriginal Industry: The Deception Behind Indigenous Cultural Preservation

Disrobing the Aboriginal Industry: The Deception Behind Indigenous Cultural Preservation

The Soil and Health: A Study of Organic Agriculture

The Soil and Health: A Study of Organic Agriculture (Culture of the Land)

The Soil and Health

The Soil and Health: A Study of Organic Agriculture

An Agricultural Testament