THE BALLOON MAN

 

Back in the Day - Nov. 14, 1982: Free exotic dung offered to North Jersey residents
By BRYAN LAPLACA, COLUMNIST
from:  northjersey.com
November 19, 2012
Nov. 14, 1982
"If your spinach is spindly and your beans are bedraggled, Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus has the answer to pep up the most anemic garden. The Greatest Show on Earth is sponsoring its first exotic manure giveaway at the Byrne Meadowlands Arena," it was reported.

"The mineral-rich fertilizer is generated constantly in gargantuan proportions by the quadruped performers of the Greatest Show on Earth," the article continues. "Circus manure is premium quality fertilizer since the animals have a rich and varied diet consisting of hay, grains, apples, carrots, and other vegetables. It, therefore, has a higher concentration of nitrogen, phosphorous, calcium, and other valuable minerals."

This was certainly not just a cheap publicity stunt to get rid of animal waste.

"In an era when organic gardening has gained such popularity, this is indeed a windfall for all green-thumb enthusiasts and health conscious tillers of the soil. Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus has decided to make this natural gardener’s tool available to all interested New Jerseyans to avoid waste of a great natural resource and assist happy farmers and gardeners in the region," it was reported.

But people had to act fast to take advantage of this windfall. It was a one-day offer only. Plus, people needed to clear some space in the backyard because they couldn’t just take it home and spread it on gardens and put it in pots. The manure had to age for several months before it would be suitable compost. Thankfully, the giveaway was in November.

The press release had several instructions about the best way to garden with circus manure and expounded on its advantages over commercial fertilizers.