"Oz" wrote in message
...
Gordon Couger writes
My soils aren't quit as old as those in Australia. They are some of the
oldest in North America. Diamoium phosphate was the main sauce we used.
Mixing it with ammonium nitrate, Urea or on the high pH soils ammonium
sulfate to get the ratio of N & P we wanted. Any trace elements would be
added to that.

I don't think such complexities were warranted in the relatively
extensively grazed australian outback. A whiff of P&S gave a useful
response, dams gave water (well, more weirs down every valley to catch
stormwater) and that was as intensive as could be warranted. Oh, they
did use mineral blocks.

Quite pretty country, apart from the flies. Within the hour we all just
let them crawl over our arms and faces, one can get used to this
surprisingly easily. The alternative of flailing your arms *constantly*
is too stressful.

One thing we have pretty well controlled is the damned flies. As a boy I can
remember the north side of the house being black with them. Now we have cost
effective was to control them.

My mother's uncle died in the 50's from lung disease he got from spraying
cattle for a living. The rest have to wear out before they die.

Gordon