karla@drutx.UUCP (RikansrudKB) (09/18/85)
Aren't there any people on the net who grew up on a farm?
I grew up in South Dakota, yet not on a farm, and even I know
that the only fecal matter that's suitable for fertilizing
is manure from herbivores (animals that only eat plants/grass).
Carnivore (animals that eat meat) feces is not good for anything.
This is why cow/sheep/goat (herbivores) manure is used to fertilize
gardens and lawns, and dog/cat (carnivores) poop causes brown rings and
dead spots on your lawn.
'FLAME'
The original question was yet another example of lazy people posting
a question to the net when they could look it up somewhere, quicker
and more cheaply than using the net. The person who said cat poop
was ok as fertilizer if you let it 'age' long enough, is another
example of people posting things to the net with an air of knowing
when they have no idea what they're talking about, they 'heard it
somewhere'. Let's not diminish the integrity of the net with careless
and thoughtless postings.
Sorry for the flame on what is usually a very 'clean' newsgroup,
but I had to get in my 2 cents worth.
-Karla drutx!karlatw8023@pyuxii.UUCP (T Wheeler) (09/19/85)
Just a few notes on fertilizers. Yes, poop from herbiferous (?) animals can be used directly, if it has been properly thinned. Do this to cut down on concentrations of nitrogen which will burn plants if it is too high. However, poop from meat eating animals can be used only if it is treated to cut other chemicals. This is done by combining pee and poop and letting it ferment for about one year. It will then be safe to spread, though not to nice smelling. This is the method used throughout the rest of the world. If you ever get a chance to travel in Asia or Europe, you will notice what are called honey wagons spreading the stuff on their fields. Do not put cat poop in the compost heap as it will not ferment correctly. Do not put chicken manure on the garden unless it has been leached for about 2 or 3 months. It is very high in nitrogen and will kill young plants. Although feces can be used as fertilizer, it is not a good idea unless you know exactly how to treat it before use. There are farms in the midwest that are using treated waste from a local sewage treatment plant on an expiremental basis, but as far as I know, results are not in yet. T. C. Wheeler
chen@uiucdcsb.Uiuc.ARPA (09/19/85)
> Aren't there any people on the net who grew up on a farm? > > I grew up in South Dakota, yet not on a farm, and even I know > that the only fecal matter that's suitable for fertilizing > is manure from herbivores (animals that only eat plants/grass). > Carnivore (animals that eat meat) feces is not good for anything. > > This is why cow/sheep/goat (herbivores) manure is used to fertilize > gardens and lawns, and dog/cat (carnivores) poop causes brown rings and > dead spots on your lawn. > I am no expert in fertilizers, but I do know for a fact that in south-eastern Asia it is common practice to use the composted manure of pigs, which are omnivores, as fertilizer. Kaihu Chen {ihnp4,vonvex,pur-ee}!uiucdcs!chen chen!uiuc@cs-net.arpa chen@uiuc.arpa Artificial Intelligence Laboratory Department of Computer Science University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign