chris French wrote:
In message , Janet
Baraclough
writes
The message
from "Mike Lyle" contains
these
words:


I'm assuming that the experiments were carried out with the usual
controls, in order to avoid what I think of as "the
reading-scheme
phenomenon" (impressive results achieved with a new teaching
method,
but turning out to be just because of the extra attention
received
by both pupils and teachers).

snip

At the time I was there, there were no "control beds ", using just
stone dust as a dressing, and I have never seen reference to such
a
comparison being attempted.

ISTR that in the article by Colin Shaw I mentioned he talked about
comparing beds with and without the rock dust

As I said, I only skimmed the site (and a couple of links); but I got
the impression that a comparison was being made between beds with
compost and rock-dust and beds with compost alone. Well, compost
alone isn't a good growing medium for most garden plants. And what is
_any_ fertile soil but a mixture of compost and rock-dust plus living
organisms? On that basis, I'd say "Big deal!"

But Michael Adams has pointed to a more informative set of
experiments which suggest situations in which the treatment can be
valuable. See:
http://www.rosneath.com.au/ipc6/ch02/oldfield/
Though even the paper at that link does say "Whilst our nursery and
field trials have been conducted under scientific supervision even
these results must be treated with caution. Field trials on one
location, over a four year period of contrasting seasons, can have
only modest empirical value. Nevertheless they do give an indication
for further trials on wide ranging sites. If resources and funding
can be found we will extend the trials and fit together the mounting
evidence." It quotes no recognised scientific journal, and I wish I
could read an account of what they actually did.

I'm just not ready to take seriously anybody who says, as the paper
does, "From the rock dust they developed a range of cylinders,
castings and egg-like stones whose properties were able to benefit
life forms, and particularly the water bodies over a wide range.
Placed in the ground they acted rather like acupuncture treatments
for the forest and the farmlands."

I have actually received great and apparently permanent benefit from
acupuncture in a specific case; but the above looks like pure hooey
to me. Particularly as it goes on to wonder if there's a connection
with quartz-crystal watches.

--
Mike.