lime, nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K), the last
three often referred to as NPK.
These products are soluble and mostly they are by-products of
what Viktor Schauberger called 'fire-spitting technology' They are
produced by heat, which is structure-disintegrating and energy-
depleting and applied by either spraying or by powder diffusion.
Chemical companies were quick to manufacture these new
products as a way of turning waste material to profit. Liebig later
realized that the ingredients necessary for healthy plant growth
were far more complex than simple NPK. Indeed he warned that
dependence on these basic chemicals could irreparably damage the
soil, but nobody was listening. The rapid spread in the use of artifi-
cial fertilizers led to a systematic depletion of soil fertility as it lost
its organic base. A highly mechanized system of cultivation, using
steel ploughs and artificial fertilizers reduced large tracts of mid-
western America to dustbowls, forcing the ruined farmers to leave
their land. The same is now happening in many third world coun-
tries, like India, where multinational chemical companies are
demanding the replacement of traditional methods in favour of
chemically dependent agriculture.
When the dependence on chemicals was first exported, it was
called 'the green revolution,' because their use was linked to
increased yields. However, this was quantity at the cost of continu-
ally decreasing quality, profit at the expense of life (see Chapter 5).
Artificial fertilizers are stimulants to growth and act like narcotics
on which the soil becomes reliant. The soil, now dependent on the
chemicals — rather like drug addicts who as their physical condi-
tion worsens, require more and more shots to extend their lives a lit-
tle further — is also dying.
In their finely powdered form, artificial fertilizers are moisture
demanding, robbing the lower ground strata and the young plants
of moisture. With insufficient moisture, transpiration is reduced
and the plants' internal temperatures rise, making them more sus-
ceptible to disease. These fine powders block the vital capillaries,
which supply naturally derived nutrients, mature water, and con-
duct rising immaterial energies. This makes it more difficult for the
plants to absorb rain, resulting in rapid runoff and faster re-evapo-
ration. Irrigation, with virtually worthless water, now becomes a
necessity. It is not surprising that the crops grown in such condi-
tions are neither particularly tasty nor nourishing.HIDDEN NATURE