Countryside & Small Stock Journal articles from July 1996

Countryside & Small Stock Journal archives from July 1996

Animals should show a profit, not a loss: can people on tight budgets afford not to raise livestock?(homesteading; Beyond the Sidewalks)(Editorial)
July 1, 1996... Can people on tight budgets afford not to raise livestock? COUNTRYSIDE: Your magazine is great! But the economy in this area (New Hampshire) is failing for working folks. We are losing our income, but our outgo is the same or greater. Property...

Be aware of safety around farm animals, especially with kids.
July 1, 1996... Like many new homesteaders, I am a woman, was raised in a small town and never saw a steer closer than about a quarter mile until I was 35. In fact, I'm not sure I could have told you the difference between a steer, a heifer, and a cow. Nearly...

Hand mowing: it's the reel thing.(using a push lawn mower)
July 1, 1996... Reel, or "push" lawn mowers as they are often called, were an integral part of Americana for almost a century. While aircraft technology progressed from Kitty Hawk to Cape Kennedy, the utilitarian design of the lawn mower was so functional that...

Bats are our friends.(includes related article from a representative of Bat Conservation International)
July 1, 1996... In the last issue, a correspondent described how interesting life can be when you have about 1,000 bats in your house. We braced ourselves for a barrage of outrage from bat lovers. Interestingly, however, we received the following article from...

How grandmother made strip quilts.
July 1, 1996... As a little girl I was very lucky to have a grandmother who let me use her Singer treadle sewing machine. Granny told me what to do and not to and let me sew to my heart's content. Thus began my endeavors at various crafts, most of which have...

"We have lots of suggestions and ideas for people just starting out."(homesteading tips)
July 1, 1996... I've been planning on writing to COUNTRYSIDE for about two years, but never found the time until now. My husband and I live on a two-acre homestead with our girls, Mandy, five, and Megan, three, in the foothills of Mount Saint Helens in...

Her dream: to be a farmer; she's had some setbacks, but she's getting there.(homesteading)
July 1, 1996... I grew up in the country on a small piece of land in Oklahoma. My dad had a very good job and my brother and I lacked nothing. We weren't rich, but had everything necessary for a happy childhood. Through the school years what made me the...

Advice to new neighbors: don't be a turkey in a pigeon coop!(new homesteaders should try to fit in)
July 1, 1996... Your insight, wisdom and advice to the "wannabes" who attempt to move into a strange area, only to find that they face a wall of resistance or outright animosity from the locals, was profound. (80/3:18.) "The real issue in these situations is...

Can you accept what you can't afford?(affording a move to the country)
July 1, 1996... I had never thought of myself as a homesteader until I met COUNTRYSIDE and discovered that I've always been one. I don't have much garden and there are no animals, but I reckon I could handle those again if need be. I grew up less than 25...

The Border collie is no boarder: it pays the rent, in many ways.
July 1, 1996... For many years Scotland's Border Collie has been renowned for its prowess with livestock. Selection was based on working ability without high regard for coat color or length or a standard look. Border Collies are most commonly black and white,...

Making money with sheep.
July 1, 1996... I'm happy the Mr. Oscanyan's story (80/1) had a happy ending and that his $8,000 fence was a successful investment for him. I also feel that his story is a good lesson in two areas: 1. that not all people are cut out to raise livestock; 2. that...

We like small, Soay sheep.(rare Scottish sheep)
July 1, 1996... I have always been attracted to unusual animal breeds that were somehow lost or overlooked through the years as the commercial farmer dictated the breeds available to suit his purpose. I know a lot of smaller homesteaders feel as I do--we don't...

Some ins and outs of buying cattle.
July 1, 1996... When most people hear "cattle" they think of huge ranches and feedlots. Actually, the average beef cattle herd in the United States is a part-time occupation with 38 animals. But whether you want a homestead business or just beef for your own...

Break a cherished tradition: quit turning those eggs in the incubator.(hatching poultry eggs)
July 1, 1996... I congratulate Pete Alberda for his article "How To Hatch Eggs In An Incubator" in the March/April issue of COUNTRYSIDE. It contained a lot of very valuable tips and information for those unfamiliar with the operation of an incubator. I do not...

Endangered chickens: the California Gray.
July 1, 1996... Why is it that as we grow older many of us like to collect mementos from our childhood? If we can't have the original item, we buy one like it. Five years ago I set out to find California Gray Leghorns--the kind of chicken from my boyhood...

Making hay at Malabar Farm: sometimes old ways of doing things still have merit.(includes related article on spontaneous combustion)
July 1, 1996... Most people who grew up as wannabe farmers can point to certain writers who fired their dreams. In the 1940s and '50s these often included William Faulkner of Plowman's Folly fame, M. G. Kains and Five Acres and Independence, and Louis Bromfield....

Beat high feed prices with alternatives: you don't need acres and big machines to grow your own.
July 1, 1996... You don't need acres and big machines to grow your own Grain reserves are at their lowest levels in years. The price of corn has doubled, and feed costs are soaring. Because of the low stockpiles and increasing world demand, this trend is...

"Old-fashioned" ways to feed rabbits. Price of feed too high? It's time to check out alternatives.
July 1, 1996... This article, which appeared in our November, 1919 issue, not only addresses homegrown feed, but also treats the "old" European method of feeding. In addition, it adds a historical perspective modern homestead rabbits should find valuable....

Ways to save water, all around the house.(Home Water Supply)
July 1, 1996... During a drought diners in many restaurants complain about not being greeted with the customary glass of water. Some folks "suffer" because they aren't allowed to wash their cars, water their lawns, or fill their swimming pools. Meanwhile, others...

How does a pump lift water? Answers to some often-asked questions.(Home Water Supply)
July 1, 1996... Hand-operated water pumps were once common in rural areas, and despite the convenience and economy of electric pumps, many of the old-timers survive. Many of these aren't in operating condition, which prompts many countrysiders to seek...

Consider the ancient water wheel lift.(Home Water Supply)
July 1, 1996... COUNTRYSIDE; We grow assorted vegetables for food banks and the homeless, and last year the drought left us with little to give. However, we have a field with a creek on three sides. If we could lift water the 10 feet from the creek to the field,...

How to pump water when the power fails.(includes related article on maintaining the hand pump)(Home Water Supply)
July 1, 1996... When the power goes out, lights, cooking, etc. are usually not too big a problem for someone who is prepared. However, getting water out of the well for household use and for the critters can be a real hassle. Down south we do not have...

To soften, or not to soften: a water softener is largely a matter of personal preference. Here are some things to consider.(Home Water Supply)
July 1, 1996... A water softener is largely a matter of personal preference. Here are some things to consider. Our small farm has its own private well, and we've been told that our water is "hard." What exactly does this mean, and what should we know about...

You can lead a goat to water, but....(encouraging goats to drink the proper amount of water)
July 1, 1996... Water is the most important and often neglected "food" Does may not care to walk in water or wet areas--some have been known to just about fly when encountering a stream or puddle!--but they certainly need to drink plenty of the wet stuff if...

A squash to "keep": it stores well - but we might lose it. (mooregold winter squash)
July 1, 1996... It stores well but we might lose it Because many younger readers tell us they enjoy hearing from older correspondents--and for other reasons as well--we will point out that Mr. Rezelman is 77 years old and is retired from the farm loan...

Short of garden space? Look up! (how to use buckets for growing plants)
July 1, 1996... Many people live up off the ground in apartments, condos, etc. and don't have a yard to dig up for a garden. It would be hard to get a load of topsoil to your 5th story apartment balcony. But most people could haul five gallon buckets and...

How to get more out of your garden: the less space you have, the more you have to plan.
July 1, 1996... The less space you have, the more you have to plan When planning your garden beds, keep in mind that there are three options. 1. Planting the entire bed with just one crop. This will give you more production than row planting and enables you...

Planting and puffing: grow you own tobacco.
July 1, 1996... Not so many years ago it was commonplace to refer to smoking a cigarette as "puffing a weed." Indeed, the tobacco plant is a weed that's native to several parts of the world, and a member of the nightshade family. As a tobacco grower for...

Make tea from a bog, instead of a bag! (Labrador tea plant)
July 1, 1996... Like my ancestors who pioneered in this part of the country, I guzzle tea through the rain soaked winter. Yet I spend less money on tea than most tea drinkers spend in a single month. Why? Because I drink what my forefathers drank. In times...

Getting started with cheesemaking.(includes cheese recipes)
July 1, 1996... It's not as difficult as you might think it is So you want to get started making cheese and have no idea where to begin? It's easier than you might think! I have written a book that is loaded with useful recipes which I have formulated over the...

Goats Produce Too!
July 1, 1996... Goats Produce Too! by Mary lane Toth; 78 pp., 1989, spiral bound; available for $14 from Mary Jane Toth, 2833 N. Lewis Rd., Coleman MI 48618. This little book has received high praise from COUNTRYSIDE correspondents, especially for its section...

"We're doing it ... a little at a time."(story of building house in the country)
July 1, 1996... And she keeps on reading COUNTRYSIDE... I took the day off just to sit and read the latest issue from cover to cover. The stories and articles are always so encouraging and inspiring to me. Because of them I realize my husband and I are not...

"Our farm is a piece of heaven."(story of moving to rural Ohio from the suburbs)
July 1, 1996... COUNTRYSIDE is our favorite magazine. One of the things that makes it so enjoyable is the varying opinions. If everyone agreed on everything wouldn't that make boring reading? I love reading the controversial letters and I try to understand each...

"We're tired ... but satisfied."(problems and thoughts on farming)
July 1, 1996... Also: propane, insurance, rural law enforcement, and horses Seven years ago we moved from northwest Iowa to southwest South Dakota. Due to a job residency requirement, we didn't have many options on where to locate our homestead, so...

You don't have to turn your back on technology to be a homesteader.
July 1, 1996... For years I have read with great admiration the tales and testimonials by what have become familiar to me as the "hard core" homesteaders. Those are the industrious, tireless, ingenious, dedicated souls who make the rest of us look, well, like...

How nomadic homesteaders eat without grocery shopping.(narrative of person living in a recreational vehicle)
July 1, 1996... A few months ago Colleen Sykora told us how living full-time in an RV qualifies her as a homesteader (79/4:77). Here she talks about food... with some ideas that might help others who don't have gardens and animals. After my article on mobile...

A sick goat mystery.
July 1, 1996... A mysterious case was presented to me involving two pregnant young goats, of different breeds, out of a herd of 20, all alike, all pregnant. All goats received the same feed, all had access to fresh water, sulfur salt, dairy mineral, and a...

What is homeopathy?
July 1, 1996... Allopathy: A method of treating disease with remedies that produce effects different from those caused by the disease itself. Homeopathy: A system for treating disease based on the administration of minute doses of a drug that in massive...

Current reality as seen here.(stock market crash and recession are imminent)
July 1, 1996... Almost two decades ago, Financial Management Associates released a book with the breathtaking title, How to Survive & Prosper in the Next American Depression, War or Revolution. Their premise was that the great machine of the American economy was...

Harmonic Farming: A Love Style.
July 1, 1996... Harmonic Farming: a love style; by Werner M. Gysi; Gooly Mooly Publishing, Box 978, Enderby, British Columbia, Canada V0E 1V0; 160 pages (8 1/2 x 11) paperback; $15.50 ppd. This is a delightful homestead book that is both practical and...

Managing 12 Volts: How to Upgrade, Operate, and Troubleshoot 12 Volt Electrical Systems.
July 1, 1996... Managing 12 Volts: How to Upgrade, Operate, and Troubleshoot 12 Volt Electrical Systems; by Harold Barre; Summer Breeze Publishing; ISBN 0-9647386-19; 219 pages with 74 tables and figures; $19.95; 1-800-247-6553 What do cruising sailboats and...

Taylor's Guide to Heirloom Vegetables.
July 1, 1996... Taylor's Guide to Heirloom Vegetables, by Benjamin Watson; 343 pages, $19.95 Countrysiders who raise vegetables don't need to be told that interest in heirloom vegetables is surging. In the last several years several seed companies have...

Job application.(poem)
July 1, 1996... Dedicated to George Washington Carver What tomatoes they must grow in heaven with no green shoulders nor splits or black spots and absolutely no cardboard flavor Imagine a tomato grown in an unfallen world... dripping with juices and...

Running the homestead like a business.
July 1, 1996... I don't want you to think we are impractical romantics. Our homestead is carefully planned and run in a business-like manner without, of course, any business-like cash flow. That's why we rely on creativity rather than cash. We have goats with...