A soils instructor at OSU begins his talks by telling his students that we understand so little about soil (and many other things) because we humans are too big and don’t live long enough. He illustrates by holding a handful of garden soil and asks who can see the billion bacteria contained in the soil. No one raises their hand. He asks if anyone has been here for the hundred years it took to create just the top inch of topsoil. Ditto. Needless to say, he doesn’t have to inquire about anyone’s existence throughout the millions of years it took to break down mountains into the clay that is found…
