Countryside & Small Stock Journal articles from March 2004

Countryside & Small Stock Journal archives from March 2004

Homesteading in France.(Country conversation & feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2004... COUNTRYSIDE: I would just like to write and say how much I enjoy the magazine and all the stories in it. Whenever I find life a little tough I re-read old ones and take heart. We have been fortunate enough to buy land in southwest France and...

More thoughts on identity theft.(Country conversation & feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2004... COUNTRYSIDE: In reference to Gary Thompson's submission concerning identity theft (Nov/Dec 03), that article alone was worth the price of the magazine. However, I have gone even a step further in restricting personal information on my...

You don't need money to "live".(Country conversation & feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2004... COUNTRYSIDE: I'm an avid COUNTRYSIDE reader, never expecting to write of our experiences, but after reading the "Retirement success" article (Jan/ Feb 04) I just had to vent! Thank God my husband and I failed the test miserably. If all I...

Another form of log hauler.(Country conversation & feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2004... COUNTRYSIDE: We are writing in regard to making a log hauler (Nov/Dec '03). We were thrilled to see someone else making a similar log hauler. We used an axle off a modular home trailer (most trailers are thrown away) and some scrap gasline...

There are many ways to deter insects.(Country conversation & feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2004... COUNTRYSIDE: I just got my Jan/Feb 04 issue and had to respond to the letter from Jarred Dobbs about using boron for killing ants, especially the line "I've never heard of it [boron] being used on crops, but it may be possible." I had...

"Bad apples" are nothing new.(Country conversation & feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2004... COUNTRYSIDE: I would like to say I have enjoyed the magazine for many years and look forward to getting it in the mail, I just wish it was a monthly magazine. I agree with your stance mentioned in the Jan/Feb 04, "Is nothing sacred?" from...

Corn: to burn or not to burn?(Country conversation & feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2004... COUNTRYSIDE: In the response to Kevin Black's reply to the person inquiring about corn stoves, I believe there is a misunderstanding. I believe what she was writing about was stoves that burn corn cobs, the core left over when the grain is...

Strip your cottonwood before building.(Country conversation & feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2004... COUNTRYSIDE: I would like to reply to the question by Jeffrey Jack and comments in the Jan/Feb 04 issue concerning cottonwoods. As Ken Scharabok comments, the wood of the cottonwood is very soft. Although technically a hardwood, when it's left...

Old book source.(Country conversation & feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2004... COUNTRYSIDE: I enjoyed seeing Barb Gibson's "Homemaking Tips from 1887," in the Jan/Feb 2004 issue. I understand not posting her address or e-mail. Simular books can be found on our website: www.thelitterbox.org/ librum/.--Michael SeFair

Roosters can be downright nasty.(Country conversation & feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2004... COUNTRYSIDE: While reading Kristin Radtke's article "Woman vs. Rooster: Let the Games Begin" (Nov/Dec 03), I had to chuckle. We've had various roosters over the years, many with that same "I can take you on" attitude. I remember one rooster,...

Passing on the farm.(Country conversation & feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2004... COUNTRYSIDE: The item in the Jan/Feb 04 issue on passing on a farm caught my interest since I am in a similar situation. I have not been married, nor have any children. None of my family is particularly interested in farming, yet I would like...

Food supplies and pioneering skills.(Country conversation & feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2004... COUNTRYSIDE: I have loved your magazine since I found it in the early 1990s. The variety and timeliness of your articles certainly reflect on what interests me, and also opens up new avenues to reflect on. I like the mix of old and new skills,...

Trimming schedule depends on the animal.(Country conversation & feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2004... COUNTRYSIDE: My husband and I are enjoying our subscription, many interesting articles. However, in the most recent issue I have to disagree with the author of the hoof trimming article. I am not experienced with sheep, so maybe twice a year is...

Gene was a "she".(Country conversation & feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2004... COUNTRYSIDE: I'd like to inform B. Fetterman and your readers something about Gene Stratton Porter that just might surprise them. Gene was a woman. The book Daughter of the Land was her book--it's fairly extraordinary given the time these books...

The "career scrounger".(Country conversation & feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2004... COUNTRYSIDE: I just read the article "Buying second hand, it's not shameful." I have a different take on buying and using used-anything and everything. I think it's shameful not to. I don't stop with just buying second hand; what's wrong with...

"Secondhand" resources.(Country conversation & feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2004... COUNTRYSIDE: I love the magazine and really enjoyed the articles on books and buying secondhand in the Nov/ Dec issue. I wanted to add a great resource book that combines the two. During the past few years that I have been recieving...

Countryside is full of "stuff".(Country conversation & feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2004... COUNTRYSIDE: Your magazine is one of the most unusual collections of "stuff" I've ever owned. I don't know how far I'll ever be able to get with the homesteading thing on this side of heaven. I keep reminding myself that if all the good people...

You won't go wrong by starting small.(Country conversation & feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2004... COUNTRYSIDE: I once knew a millionaire who had a sound, sensible rule to follow. "Watch the pennies, the dollars will look after themselves." Starting small is good advice for anyone who plans to move to a farm or homestead. If you can...

Beans, beans, the magical fruit ...(Country conversation & feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2004... COUNTRYSIDE: After reading almost 100 e-mails in response to my letter-to-the-editor in the Jan/Feb 2004 issue ("Making the best of a bad situation"), I have come to three definite conclusions. 1) Bean-related intestinal problems seem to be...

Mange treatments for dogs.(Country conversation & feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2004... COUNTRYSIDE: I am a long time breeder of show quality dogs. I would like to clarify the issue about mange and treatments for it (Nov/Dec 03). First, there are two types of mange. Sarcoptic is caused by an invasive mite. It's is very itchy...

Soapmaker adds her two cents.(Country conversation & feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2004... COUNTRYSIDE: A friend who subscribe: passed this piece on to me and I had to comment--I'm a soapmaker starting my fourth year in business. We live on a farm and I grow some of my ingredients, and buy as many as I can from local farmers and...

Worming, dog chews and dehydrating tips.(Country conversation & feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2004... COUNTRYSIDE: I read with interest the article(s) in the Sept/Oct 03 issue about Ivermec for the different animals. My husband and I have goats, different kinds of fowl, and dogs and cats. We are breeders of purebred dogs. I know that is a...

All purpose cleanser recipe.(Country conversation & feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2004... COUNTRYSIDE: I loved the inclusion of a few colored photos in the Jan/Feb 04 issue! Also, I have a great, natural recipe for an all purpose cleaner. I especially like it for cleaning the bathroom, and for getting the soot buildup off of the...

Marjoram or oregano?(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2004... COUNTRYSIDE: This refers to a question in the Jan/Feb 04 issue, page 89. What is origanum? Origanum is the essential oil of oregano. Fresh oregano leaves and flowering tops are steam distilled to produce a highly concentrated oil. Origanum is...

Countryside contacts.
March 1, 2004... Countryside Contacts: Your listing is free; however, please keep the following in mind: * We reserve the right to accept or reject any and all submissions for any reason or no reason at all. * Submissions may be edited for clarity...

Coming events.(Calendar)
March 1, 2004... Coming events: Send your event at least three months in advance to: COUNTRYSIDE Coming Events, WI 1564 Hwy. 64, Withee, WI 54498; csymag@tds.net. March 8-12, 2004 A practical course in Aquaponics will be held at Camp Living...

Building a raised bed with concrete block, compost and wood chips.(The garden)
March 1, 2004... Several issues ago, readers were asked to report on their favorite garden tools. At that time, I would have voted either for my Troy-Bilt Tiller or perhaps my four-foot rotary plow, but after my experience with raised beds last year, I would...

A country gardenhouse.(The garden)
March 1, 2004... We hadn't lived in the Texas Hill country a week when I knew we would have to get creative, if we didn't want our garden to become a salad bar for every critter known to man. They could jump over, dig under, fly into, and climb through anything...

Grow bamboo in the midwest.
March 1, 2004... When you think of bamboo, your mind conjures up images of exotic places and swampy, remote areas of the world, but did you know that there is actually a bamboo native to North America? In fact, many varieties of bamboo are well suited for the...

Soil sifters.(Notes from the Northwoods)
March 1, 2004... When the maple sap starts flowing, my gardening year starts. For many folks, March is the beginning of spring. For those of us in the northwoods, it is the end of winter, but the promise of spring can be felt. The days are longer, the sun is...

Wild onions--punchy pungent, perfect.(Foraging)
March 1, 2004... There's nothing quite like foraging for food that grows naturally without anyone tilling the soil, pouring the water, or breaking his back. Gardening is a wonderful and gratifying activity, but it is a lot of work and worry, unlike the ease of...

Treat yourself to a kitchen garden.(The herb garden)
March 1, 2004... Once again, it's that time of year when our thoughts begin to focus on planning the season's garden and herb patches. For most homesteaders (whether country or city dweller) not only the planning, but the entire gardening process (from start to...

A solar greenhouse: an unfishished greenhouse is better than no greenhouse, in Northern Wisconsin.(The Solar Cowboy)
March 1, 2004... Well, here we are again contemplating the solar universe among the snowflakes and the quiet rustlings of the winter homestead. Regular readers may have noticed my column missing in the last issue and I am sorry to report that I didn't even...

Make an e-z log poker.(The blacksmith shop)
March 1, 2004... A problem with most store put chased fireplace pokers/rakes is they are often too flimsy to really handle a good-sized chunk of firewood and they are so short you can't really get close enough to the fire to be effective. This is a fairly...

A traveling reed comber.(The machine shed)
March 1, 2004... At 70 years of age, David Hurford is the last of his breed. A farmer all his life, he is now the only traveling reed comber in East Devon, England. He moved to his farmhouse when he was three months old. Nestling in the Devon countryside,...

Cows can make you sick, but not with BLV.(The cow barn)
March 1, 2004... I would like to take the time to thank you for your wonderful magazine, and to address subscribers in regards to the recent article titled "Can your cow make you sick?" by Debra Ridings in the Jan/Feb 2004. I feel it is our responsibility as...

Earn extra income raising calves.(The cow barn)
March 1, 2004... We live in a dairying region of Wisconsin and wanted a ay to make extra money on our six-acre farm. We felt we didn't have enough room to milk cows, so we thought of raising calves. It seems some dairy farmers prefer to concentrate more on...

True success comes with planning.(The goat barn)
March 1, 2004... Would you like to enjoy a small group of goats as pets? Have a family milk/ soap supply? Keep goats as part of a large acreage weed control effort? Become a breeder of a particular breed and exhibit them at shows? Perhaps you would like to...

She takes her goat raising tips from nature.(The goat barn)
March 1, 2004... COUNTRYSIDE: I have had a buck for about two years, and he weighs about 200 pounds. He enjoys having his head scratched and will perform mock battle with me. I have a four-foot stock fence and 1;he only time he comes out is when the gate is...

Hog butchering time.
March 1, 2004... I remember butchering time during the early 1930s. It was something special and it was the highlight of the year. My parents allowed my brothers and I to stay home from school in order to help get fresh meat on the table. It was a...

The homestead donkey.(Homestead livestock)
March 1, 2004... We live about 70 miles south of Chicago, and most people around here are "horse people." Horses are nice but they are so big they scare me. So whenever I tell anyone I want a donkey, I get "the look." You know, "You want a donkey?! Ohhh, well...

Raising chicks without electricity.(The henhouse)
March 1, 2004... In response to the gentleman looking for ideas on raising chicks with out electricity in the Nov/Dec 2003 issue, I too was faced with the same dilemma. This past spring was our first on our wonderful northern Vermont, off-grid homestead....

Chicken tractors make raising meat a breeze.(The henhouse)
March 1, 2004... Here in upstate New York the only signs of spring are the catalogs arriving from the seed companies and hatcheries. We are anxiously awaiting spring so we can get back outside. My wife, two daughters and I are working on a homestead of our...

Your turkey eggs won't hatch? This may be why.(The poultry yard)
March 1, 2004... I thought readers might like to know that the Broadbreasted Bronze and Broadbreasted White turkeys that they buy from most feedstores and hatcheries do not reproduce naturally. These commercial turkeys have been bred through the years to...

Game breeds span history: California breeder traces history and beauty in Modern Games.(The poultry yard)
March 1, 2004... The Game breeds are the earliest domesticated chickens and their genes influence many modern breeds. Jennifer Floyd of Shahbazin Rare Breed Poultry in Jamul, Calif., has collected a library of poultry history over the more than 25 years she has...

The Modena: a new, old hobby.(The pigeon coop)
March 1, 2004... Many years ago in Modena, Italy there was a sport whereby one person would attempt to trap the birds of another person. The birds used at that time were bred for flying purposes. Later these birds were exported to Europe, and in the lofts of...

Gleanings from woodland rabbitry.(The rabbitry)
March 1, 2004... I have been raising rabbits off and on for 30 years and had an interest in them before that. I started out with a New Zealand White buck and doe, and found it to be an interesting hobby. Before long I found myself raising rabbits to sell. We...

Mead: gift of the gods.(The country kitchen)
March 1, 2004... "Every kid who has thought about entering the science fair has wanted to concoct some special mixture, some wild slurry of his own invention that would win a prize," says mead maker Ken Rehkopf whose prize-winning concoctions enchant and...

Use that Y2K stash with these Wheatberry recipes.(The country kitchen)
March 1, 2004... I just read Carol's letter in the Jan/ Feb 04 issue of COUNTRYSIDE. I still have several buckets of wheat berries from Y2K, too, as well as some newer ones. I buy three kinds of wheat--soft, white and red. Each works better for different...

Wheat would work for muffins, too.(The country kitchen)
March 1, 2004... I'm am a 16-year-old homeschooler and have been read-ing your magazine for a little over a year now, and I have simply fallen in love with it. My family and I do not live on a homestead now but we hope to someday. COUNTRYSIDE has provided us...

Incorporating feedback spirals.(Question of the month)
March 1, 2004... For most of us homesteaders the use of feedback spirals is so automatic that we don't even realize we are doing it. Each time we learn a new homesteading skill we go through the same process of identifying the need for the skill, creating a...

World events & homesteading.(Homestead finances)
March 1, 2004... Commentary on many homesteading websites reflects a lack of direction and understanding of our current world condition. That commentary can be boiled down to "Why should I homestead?" Let me distill down some of my thinking relevant to world...

Money: it's only a tool.(Homestead finances)
March 1, 2004... Let's say Home Depot is having a big sale on Power Tools. So you hop in your car and drive over to check out the deals. There it is, the Makita Compound Miter Saw XK Turbo Model 2310, the saw of your dreams. Price tag, $3,300. You haul...

Little cabin in the north: they lost interest in their cabin after Y2K, but maybe it's time to pay attention once again.(Alternative housing)
March 1, 2004... ANONYMOUS IN MICHIGAN I couldn't decide if I should write or not, but after reading last month s question regarding favorite books, I had to run out and get a copy of The Fourth" Turning. I haven't read the whole book yet, but heaven help...

A small space: it's harder to collect too much "stuff" when you don't have walls.(Alternative housing)
March 1, 2004... In the last issue someone was wondering about alternative/smaller housing. We built our cabin this past spring. We spent a year or so investigating yurts, domes, cordwood, metal buildings, and strawbale. Some were great but very labor...

An old trailer becomes a new ranch.(Alternative housing)
March 1, 2004... I have just a few comments to make in regards to Kevin Black's letter in the Jan/Feb 2004 issue of COUNTRYSIDE. I have a feeling that Mr. Black isn't a farmer. If he was or was in contact with farmers on the eastern side of our country, he'd...

Their "country cottage": it's too fancy to be called a "cabin," and by doing much of the work themselves, the Freunds spent less than $3,500 on outside labor.(Alternative housing)
March 1, 2004... I noticed an article from David Williams inquiring about in what type of structures (alternative homes) some of us homesteaders are living. I thought I'd respond with our story. We had a large 3,000 sq. ft. home on three levels in a small...

Solar hot water and heat.(Alternative energy)
March 1, 2004... My 10-plus years of success with solar hot water made Bob Davis want a similar system for his new house. Through word of mouth, I heard about someone in Huntsville, Alabama who had a four panel solar system free for the removal. It was...

The virtues of 12 volts.(Alternative energy)
March 1, 2004... What does that mean? Well let me add a few comments. All that you read on the web, in books, and everywhere, has to do with a meager or primitive way to survive a disaster. Through my own experiences in survival mode, I have learned to use my...

Poor Will's Almanac for early spring 2004.
March 1, 2004... It is Early Spring: frost melts down The furrow in the West Wind, Plowshares glisten in the sun, The sleek black land shines open. --Virgil Astronomical data for March The Phases of the Salamander Moon and the Cabbage Moth Moon ...

Nightmare in the Ozarks: they thought they were living their dream, until they lost a loved one to a cougar attack.(Homestead horrors)
March 1, 2004... We live in a very rural, almost remote section of the Arkansas Ozark mountains. Having our own place in the woods has always been our dream. Through hard work we had been achieving this dream. We had a large garden, 16 raised beds, grape vines...

Where are all the homesteaders? Could it be that the outhouse blues have struck?(Country neighbors)
March 1, 2004... I never thought I would write, but I have to add my two cents worth. I read in the Nov/Dec 03 issue about homesteaders in short supply. I agree with it. My husband is 70 and I am 58. We have lived both in town and in the country. Most of our 40...

A positive attitude keeps them going.(Country neighbors)
March 1, 2004... During the early years of my homestead/country life in the Ozark Mountains of southern Missouri, it seemed that the everyday duties and chores kept us prepared for non-routine events. Things such as cutting wood, milking cows, gardening,...

The end of the Rhode Island Red gang.(Country neighbors)
March 1, 2004... A few years ago a I ordered dozen and a half chickens from the Murray McMurray Hatchery and waited. When the order came, they had added extra chicks from whatever stock was not sold to help hold the warmth in the little box. Consequently, we...

Foraging in Germany.(Country neighbors)
March 1, 2004... From the time that my mother could take me along as a little tyke, I took to foraging like a duck to water. Foraging was as naturally a part of our lives as building a fire in the stove. I was taught early to be thankful and appreciate the...

A new life in Montana.(Country neighbors)
March 1, 2004... I was raised on a farm in England so I guess homesteading is in my blood. My husband is an English city guy who is enjoying this new way of life but would not like to earn his living from it! God has been so good to us and blessed him with a...

Birthing of a tincture.(After chores)
March 1, 2004... David paused at the door, anticipating the delicious aroma of Mary's freshly baked bread. Instead, a fit of coughing propelled him through the kitchen, now Mary's makeshift herbal laboratory. He passed the table with the gelatin capsules...