Countryside & Small Stock Journal articles from March 1996

Countryside & Small Stock Journal archives from March 1996

Homesteading and political correctness; chaos and entrophy.(sameness and variety among society and homesteaders)(Editorial)
March 1, 1996... In this issue some correspondents tell us that homesteaders are not politically correct. By itself, that is neither a revelation nor a cause for alarm. It just means that people don't agree on everything. But we could take this much further. For...

My favorite kitchen tools(simple tools for homesteaders)
March 1, 1996... Country cooks and homesteaders use kitchen tools that would seem quaint in most modern kitchens, where the most essential gadget might be a can opener. As a group, we have a different concept of what's essential. And yet, there is plenty of...

The hanging gardens of your backyard.(growing plants by hanging them from a clothesline)(Cover Story)
March 1, 1996... Container gardening was practiced long before King Nebuchadnezzar's Hanging Gardens of Babylonia in 590 BC became famous. Every kind of vessel imaginable has been used to grow flowers, vegetables and trees--limited only by the size of the...

Ginseng and goldenseal.(growing medicinal plants for market)
March 1, 1996... I have been in the business of buying ginseng (Panax quinquefolium) and other botanicals for over twenty years. I have seen a lot of information on raising ginseng, and I believe that much of what I see today is misleading. I would like to...

Protect your groundwater when servicing your windmill.
March 1, 1996... If proper precautions are not followed, regular maintenance of windmills, turbine pumps and other oil-lubricated water pumps can result in an oil-contaminated well, a New Mexico State University water quality specialist warns. "Just as most...

Gardening in the great indoors.(with high density discharge lights)
March 1, 1996... Imagine a garden giving you gardenias in full bloom, a ripe mango, or maybe you savor that fresh picked tomato flavor with pungent home-grown basil. This can be experienced any time of the year at any latitude, no matter how much snow, wind, or...

Growing fall corn in Texas.
March 1, 1996... Several years ago I wrote an article for COUNTRYSIDE about growing fall corn in Southeast Texas. Since then Dottie and I have been trying to improve our technique. Here is what we are doing now. We plant field corn because we prefer it over...

Sheet composting has benefits, but some disadvantages, too.
March 1, 1996... For years, I've read advice to put compost on your garden. I've never used compost. I always put the livestock manure directly on the garden. I put cow, rabbit, goat and pig manure on after the garden is done in late fall. I don't till it under...

Some random thoughts on honeybees.(bee keeping)
March 1, 1996... There are varied approaches to beekeeping. Here are some methods I have used in handling the honeybee. Predators If animals like skunks, or even lizards, bother your hives, there are two ways to control or minimize the problem. You can put...

How to hatch eggs in an incubator.(homemade incubator techniques)
March 1, 1996... Homemade incubators don't come with instructions, but Countryside readers are always ready to help out! I sure enjoyed the article on how to build an incubator (80/1:54). But I couldn't help but notice...homemade machines don't come with...

Build the sensible chicken coop.(Cover Story)
March 1, 1996... Alan MacAlevy says he received many letters in response to his 79/1 article and "I feel there would have been even more if I didn't have a prison address." One of his correspondents drew up plans to go with his description...and Alan built a...

Another perspective on sanitation: try working with nature, instead of fighting with it.(chicken house sanitation)
March 1, 1996... Anyone who raises chickens will find this article to be thought-provoking, informative, and probably quite valuable. But that's not all. The ideas and ideals expressed here epitomize homestead thinking: analyze the problem and find a solution...

The Rhodesian ridgeback: could this be "the ultimate dog?"(hunting and herding dogs)
March 1, 1996... Although the Rhodesian Ridgeback is one of the most popular dogs in southern Africa, most people in the U.S. have never heard of it. It's one of the rarest breeds in the world. It's no accident that they haven't received a lot of publicity...

A moveable feast for pigs.(portable pig pen)
March 1, 1996... A homestead just doesn't seem like a homestead without a pig or two. You can produce about 150 pounds of meat in four or five months, for about $1/pound, with very little effort. Pigs turn kitchen and garden scraps into mouth-watering,...

Off-flavor goat milk: is it genetic?(dairy goats)
March 1, 1996... I have a few questions I'd like to toss out for other countrysiders to consider. 1. Is there a genetic defect that causes "goaty flavored" milk? Until 19861 owned a small herd of Nubians that gave adequate quantities (average one gallon...

Building a $177 log cabin just for fun.(Cover Story)
March 1, 1996... We have 15 acres in Western New York that is mostly wooded. Unfortunately, a lot of the trees are elm and have fallen victim to Dutch Elm Disease. We had many dead trees that had to be cut down, but we didn't have a wood stove or any way to get...

How to paint your truck (and other equipment).(includes related article on trailering)
March 1, 1996... I had finally gotten fed up with that rusty old gray truck. We had been talking about having it painted for the last five years, but the money was never available. And after securing the camper to the flatbed, separating the two to have the truck...

Alaska homestead: "It seems like the whole world is ours!"(Cover Story)
March 1, 1996... I have read COUNTRYSIDE from cover to cover for twenty-five years and started writing several times but never quite got it sent. After reading Mr. Underwood's letter I just had to finally write. My husband and I are "back-to-the-landers" from the...

Wisconsin homestead: take down the for sale sign - it's ours!
March 1, 1996... Way back in 78/4:23 was a story about Muscle-in-My-Arm Farm (based on a song). An appropriate name for any homestead-type place, but it was so appropriate to my own situation... "When I first came to this land, I was not a wealthy man..."...

Are homesteaders politically correct?(homesteaders on vegetarianism and other topics)
March 1, 1996... The vegetarian Thanksgiving dinner DEBBYE HARMON FALLON, NEVADA I hope Linda Everhart can take some comfort from others of us who have also been treated shabbily by those who consider themselves "better than." The molecular biologist...

The changing face of environmentalism.(homesteaders and environmental regulation)
March 1, 1996... Here's another slant on PC, and the strange twists it can take over time. Twenty years ago homesteaders, organic farmers, and environmentalists were, if not the same people, at least in the same camp. That has changed. A noted organic farmer...

Our experience with homeschooling.
March 1, 1996... My daughter, Heather, likes to tell people she's a second grade dropout and autodidact. She loves the way people's jaws drop and they say, "What?" I guess we're called unschoolers, too. Every year I write up a basic curriculum for the state,...

How to start homesteading.
March 1, 1996... This second article from Wendy Martin not only provides added insights to her comments on homeschooling (above). It also shows that the pioneer spirit of an older generation, which we'll hear about on the next page, is alive and well among...

Why they have the pioneer spirit.
March 1, 1996... The first baby boomers are now 50 years old. They were born in the era of post-World War II prosperity and high expectations. Many have been disappointed, and even more wonder about their future: will social security and pension funds really be...

The herb lady, part II.(herbal treatment for lip cancer; includes related article on a woman studying natural home medicine)
March 1, 1996... I am 67 and grew up on a "stump farm" on the banks of the Skagit River between Sedro Woolley and Clear Lake in the State of Washington. For a number of years now I have been trying to remember what my father used to "cure" a cancer he had on...

Snaring - for food and fur.
March 1, 1996... No magazine dealing with topics PC (or anti-PC) would be complete without a good discussion of trapping and snaring. Besides, some day you might be in a situation where knowing how to set a snare will be more important than being politically...

View from a small woodpile.(making woodburning stoves more efficient)
March 1, 1996... There is room for diverse views and opinions on even the most seemingly basic of homestead topics--such as wood heat. JEFF OWENS Every once in a while someone mentions the disadvantages of heating with wood, and purports to show that it can...

Preparing for emergencies requires regular check-ups and maintenance.
March 1, 1996... The recent Northwest windstorm, with its 100 mph winds and millions of dollars in damage, gave us an opportunity to test our emergency preparations. Having heeded common sense and COUNTRYSIDE's advice to expect the unexpected and be prepared for...

The Humanure Handbook - A Guide to Composting Human Manure (Emphasizing Minimum Technology and Maximum Hygienic Safety).
March 1, 1996... The Humanure Handbook--A Guide to Composting Human Manure (Emphasizing Minimum Technology and Maximum Hygienic Safety), by J. C. Jenkins; Jenkins Publishing, PO Box 607, Grove City PA 16127; 198 pages, glossary, appendices, dozens of charts and...

The Busy Person's Guide to Preserving Food; Easy Step-by-Step Instructions for Freezing, Drying and Canning.
March 1, 1996... The Busy Person's Guide to Preserving Food; Easy Step-by-step Instructions for Freezing, Drying and Canning; by Janet Chadwick; 224 pages; Storey/Gardenway Publishing, Schoolhouse Rd., Pownal VT 05261 (1-800-441-5700); $15.40 ppd. If you think...

The Modern Homestead Manual: What it Really Takes to Succeed Beyond the Sidewalks and Power Lines.
March 1, 1996... The Modem Homestead Manual: What it REALLY Takes to Succeed Beyond the Sidewalks and Power Lines;by Skip Thomsen and Cat Freshwater; Pandanus Publishing; available from Oregon Wordworks, PO Box D, Manzanita OR 97130; 217 large format pages;...

Earth Ponds: The Country Pond Maker's Guide to Building, Maintenance and Restoration.
March 1, 1996... Eartb Ponds: The Country Pond Makers Guide to Building, Maintenance and Restoration; by Tim Matson, 152 pages, 10"x 8" quality paperback; 50 photos; drawings, diagrams, resource list and index; The Countryman Press, Inc., PO Box 175, Woodstock VT...

A place called Attar.(fiction excerpt)
March 1, 1996... The first flake floated to Earth unseen by anyone except a daydreaming boy in third grade who was looking out the classroom window. No one else was even aware of the white speck that lazily settled on the asphalt of the playground...and quickly...

Diversity, unity and tolerance.(homesteading philosophy)(Column)
March 1, 1996... On particularly bad days, I have asked myself, "Why be a Beyond the Sidewalks Person?" (hereinafter referred to as BTSPs.) Personally, I became a BTSP because I wanted to be different than what I saw people becoming around me. To preserve my...