Rural System's

The Clumper

The Clumper is a approximately square piece of cloth (various types and weights available) (about 36 x 36 inches with a piece of 1 x 1 stapled to opposite sides. Some of he cloth is tie-dyed. It is one of the products sold within the Alpha Earth system along with soil building (Novosoils) strategies. A sample is available.

Many people rake leaves and do "pick-up" with bed-sheets or large pieces of plastic. The work is hard, discouraging, and prevents people picking up leaves often and moving them to a comp0sting site. Using the Clumper, the task becomes much more easy. An arm full of leaves can be picked up and placed in a wagon or caried to the composting site. The size and weight of each "load" can be adjusted to suit the strength and abilities of the person doing the pickup. Most people get a large "clump", picking up all of the leaves that have been raked into an easily-picked-up-pile.

The Clumper is a simple device to make autumn leaf pick-up easy and to allow efficient movement of them to a personal or neighborhood compost area. Designed by an ecologist and used by him for over 20 years, it is made of clear hardwood from the Appalachian mountains. It's tie-dyed with native colors, and then given a dip in a natural preservative.

This beautiful aid to personal lawn care is usually used in two ways. Leaves are raked into a flat row or cone-shaped pile. The Clumper is grabbedd in the center of each bar, then wrapped over the pile, enclosing it, then the two bars are pressed toward each other as far as they will go, bar to bar. The leaf bundles are carried to the compost pile. Later, for clean-up, the Clumper is laid flat on the ground and leaves, acorns, etc. are raked onto it. The bars are pulled together and the bundle then carried like a satchel or suitcase to the compost pile to be dumped.

Dried, then rolled up, The Clumper can be used for many years with reasonable care.

The booklet that comes with your purchase gives advice on leaf composting.

With your Clumper comes a free first-year membership in a group with great interest in soil and a dynamic Internet publication with interests, advice, and news about soils...one of the most important parts of the total rural system. It includes information on composting, decomposition rates in forests and the wildlands, and other ecosystems.

Buyers will also gain an E-catalog of other opportunities and services of Rural System.

A part of the sale of every Clumper goes into ecosystem studies within Rural System.

ContactRobert H. Giles, Jr. at any time with advice, comments, and suggestions.

Perhaps you will share ideas with me about some of the topic(s) above .

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Robert H. Giles, Jr.
November 21, 2005