This is for me, King of Poop and diva, Queen of Poop!!!!!!
Manure: In the 16th and 17th centuries, everything had to be transported by ship and it was also before commercial fertilizer's invention, so large shipments of manure were common.
It was shipped dry, because in dry form it weighed a lot less than when wet, but once water (at sea) hit it, it not only became heavier, but the process of fermentation began again, of which a by-product is methane gas. As the stuff was stored below decks in bundles you can see what could (and did) happen. Methane began to build up below decks and the first time someone came below at night with a lantern, BOOOOM!
Several ships were destroyed in this manner before it was determined just what was happening. After that, the bundles of manure were always stamped with the term 'Ship High In Transit' on them, which meant for the sailors to stow it high enough off the lower decks so that any water that came into the hold would not touch this volatile cargo and start the production of methane.
Thus evolved the term 'S.H.I.T ' , (Ship High In Transport) which has come down through the centuries and is in use to this very day.
You probably did not know the true history of this word. Neither did I. I had always thought it was a golf term.
bille, i am thrilled to be enlightened on this topic.:)
i will keep this in mind when i put the garbage out on fridays which contain weekly poo depends which have sat in the sun.. haha.. ugh. be sure not to have my cell phone on... just in case. boom! divvi
Isn't fertilizer what was used as an explosive (with other stuff) in the Oklahoma City disaster?
More than you probably want to know: elephants have really poor digestive systems. They poop a LOT frequently. This fertilizer is extremely good in gardens. Once a friend, a beloved professor, had a deposit of elephant poop on his front stoop, with a note stuck on top "who said elephants can't fly?!!" (the circus was in town)
We had friends in Georgia who grew wonderful gourds by fertilizing their patch with "zoo doo" -- he was resident head ranger at a city park/zoo, and I believe elephant poop was a major ingredient.
As the Poop King, I have to make a confession-----in the form of a poem!!! Here I sit All broken hearted Tried to Poop But only Tooted. Better Luck tomorrow!!!!!!
Morgan Composting in Sears Michigan produces "Dairy Doo" from raw cow manure. They deliver it by the truckload to certified organic vegetable farms. "Nightsoil" from human feces is widely used for fertilizer in China where a lot of our store-bought produce comes from these days.
We always used the cow manure to fertilize the garden. When they would empty the septic tank, dad would have the guy spread it over the hay field. In Donald, OR they use the water from the sewer treatment plant to water the nursery stock around the facility. Which meant on hot summer days -guess what it smelled like in town? Was worse than our nightly skunk spray! (there are numerous skunks in the small town and seemed during the hot, summer nights, around 11:30pm they would spray. You had no choice but to close your windows even though we did not AC.)
Speaking of skunks. Last summer we were having problems with skunks so I set a live trap in the back yard. Didn't catch any for about a week but when I did it was on a morning when I had planned to meet a friend for coffee, so I left the skunk in the trap intending to deal with it when I got back. When I returned home the trap was empty. Turns out DW had gotten up, saw something in the trap and went outside and let it out. When I questioned her she did not remember what a skunk was. I'm amazed that she didn't get sprayed. True story.
We baby-sat a deoderized female skunk in about 1969 for about a month or 6 weeks. She was very sweet. Very cuddly and we really loved her. The trouble was, she was about 9-10 months old. We had lots and lots of skunks living in the woods around here. I lived in mortal fear that she would come in heat while the owners were gone and all the boy skunks would come calling. Didn't happen. But it could have....
When I was about 10, a mother skunk and daddy were killed on the road. The 5 babies showed up on the porch of a nearby house. They were friends so called us. It took 2 months to find a vet that would de-skunk them. In that time they only sprayed once - when my sister's boyfriend's dad opened the box - he got it in the face. I still have the front page my 2 year old brother was on playing with the skunks. The headline read 'here kitty kitty'. We kept one skunk and gave the other 4 away. She was the best pet I ever had. Was litter box trained (it was in her pen); our dog shared his scraps with her; she wouldn't eat corn on the cob unless it was buttered, salt and peppered; green beans we ate with mayo on them, so she had to have mayo; meat had to have catsup on it. :-) She would follow me every where and sit on my lap while I watched TV. Her fur was soooooooo soft. One fall day my brother (a year older than me) agreed to keep an eye on her while I went into the house. He was playing with a friend and didn't. Must have been mating time cause she disappeared. The next spring we had a new dog, who when she was returning to me, mauled her. She died early the next morning. One of the saddest days of my life.
If you ever need to get rid of the skunk smell: for people and pets baking soda, peroxide, and a little dish soap takes it right away. For buildings or cars: spray with apple cider vinegar.
Tomato juice took care of it when my Uncle's Springer Spaniel was sprayed. Lots of tomato juice in a wash tub. Scrub well. Rinse. Then quick wash with nice smelling soap or shampoo.<lol>
It takes very little of baking soda and peroxide (32 oz) plus it is cheaper. I got it off the internet. When our cat was sprayed, was told to leave it on 10 minutes - oh ya with a cat??? She held still while I mixed it in and rinsed out with water from our hot tub. The only place with smell was around her eyes and ears where I refused to get the soap, and that smell was gone in a couple days. The recipe was passed around our manufactured home park due to all the skunks. One neighbor opened their door to let their dog out and the dog got it right in the face before getting out the door.
I love your skunk tale, Charlotte. I think they're dear! We had a white long-haired cat, Muffy, for a number of years. She loved to go out in the evening but I always called her in at night. She carried her tail over her back. For two different summers, she had a skunk friend. I'd call her to come, and they'd come trotting over together from across the street (and the woods behind). When they got to our property, the skunk would peel off, only to see her again the next night.
My ex BIL found a baby white albino skunk. He kept it in a shed for years. Never had it de-skunked and as near as I can remember it never sprayed. The skunk got old and died and BIL had it stuffed and probably still has it.
brie - how special of a memory. Just proves that being enemies is something learned, not natural. Just have to have the right circumstances to be friends.