Tom Gardner Mars@Tacks fired this volley in news5idnXV1-
:

Darwin? In retrospect, why didn't he mix it with water and use it as
fertilizer. I'm not a smart guy but even I know better...EVERYBODY
knows better! Was he not aware of how to handle powder?


Black powder doesn't go "skunky", nitrocellulose-based propellants do.

BP contains potassium nitrate and sulfur; both good soil amendments. NC
powders make lousy fertilizer, releasing most of their decomposition
products as nitrous oxides and concentrated acids.

LLoyd