Countryside & Small Stock Journal articles from May 1998

Countryside & Small Stock Journal archives from May 1998

Small things add up with time. (homesteaders understand how little things become big things)(Editorial)
May 1, 1998... At first the newspaper article was merely irritating. Then it became startling, but after I thought about it, it was just another sign of the times. It concerned a booklet titled "Getting Rich in America: A Few Easy Rules to Follow." ...

The great ice storm of 1998. (personal narrative)
May 1, 1998... Our farmstead is located in Moira, New York, which is about 20 minutes from Canada. As you may have heard, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine and Quebec were hit with a devastating ice storm on January 6, 7, & 8th. We received over 5...

"It can't happen here" (but it did). (power outage due to ice storm)
May 1, 1998... You are probably hearing from lots of New Englanders/Mainers since The Ice Storm Of The Century. I wanted to write and thank COUNTRYSIDE for all its wonderful advice and continual admonitions to reach self-sufficiency in as many areas as...

The importance of flowers. (attracting beneficial insects)
May 1, 1998... When planning our garden, our focus used to be almost exclusively on vegetables. We'd comb the seed catalogues and get several varieties of each veggie and start them from seed ourselves. But when it came to flowers, well, that was...

If you can't afford to build a pond to put a boat in ... put the pond in the boat! (backyard pond made from old boat; includes related information on storing nightcrawlers)
May 1, 1998... My husband has always wanted two things: a pond, and a new boat. He has an old (1953) fiberglass 14' boat that needs a new transom. Well, he finally got his new boat and was trying to decide what to do with the old one. We didn't figure...

Understanding the balance of soil, plants and insects. (organic gardening)
May 1, 1998... Why do weeds, insects and disease become a problem? Why don't they bother every plant in a row? Organic farmers and gardeners have learned to recognize edible weeds and are tolerant of weeds in general. But I wasn't satisfied with eating weeds...

The Fila Brasileiro. (dog breed)
May 1, 1998... What breed of dog is absolutely bred to be a farm dog and a devoted family companion? In my eyes, no other breed can even stand in the shadow of the Fila Brasileiro. This breed was developed in Brazil, where crime rates are high, and the...

Raising chicks in a "cardboard condo." (novel chicken coop)
May 1, 1998... I am currently living in a small rented trailer on about one acre of land. Last February I had the opportunity to obtain a large number of day-old chicks (for free). I had nowhere to put them and I wasn't sure if my landlord would...

First year with chickens. (personal narrative)
May 1, 1998... In the fall of 1994, we finally realized our dream of moving from the city. We wanted to start living the homestead life before we could afford to buy land, so we moved to a rented acreage just outside of town. Then, unprepared and...

Guinea fowl for tick control.
May 1, 1998... Of all the valuable things we've learned, both from Countryside and from experience, this defense against ticks is the one we really feel needs to be shared with others. My wife and I own five acres on Maryland's Eastern Shore. In our...

Why Oberhasli Swiss dairy goats?
May 1, 1998... I've been reading Countryside magazine from cover to cover for about two years now and, like many of the people who write articles for this magazine, I have always thought it would be fun to share a few lines about what makes me love being out...

She raises Pygmy goats for fun ... and profit.
May 1, 1998... I've noticed many articles in Countryside about doing something you enjoy and making a little money from it. Well, that's what I'm doing. I raise Pygmy goats. I started five years ago, after falling in love with them when seeing them at...

Young rabbit raiser shares what he has learned.
May 1, 1998... Rabbits make fun pets. I have been raising 4-H show rabbits for four years. If you are considering raising a rabbit, I would like to share what I have learned. Rabbits come in many sizes and colors. Your first decision is whether you...

Lessons of a backyard cow. (raising a milk cow)
May 1, 1998... In March of 1994 I bought a Jersey heifer calf from a nearby neighbor. She was eight days old when the farmer delivered her in the front seat of his pickup truck. He carried the calf across our yard to the makeshift enclosure I had built to...

Observations on hybrid vigor, commercial production, and homesteading.(Column)
May 1, 1998... While I generally agreed in substance with the perspective of Val Dambacher regarding raising sheep naturally in the January/February magazine, I feel I have to take issue with some unsubstantiated inferences contained in the essay. Yes,...

Some Katahdin breeders get a good price. (marketing Katahdin sheep)
May 1, 1998... This is a response to Mr. Scharabok's article in the last issue of COUNTRYSIDE. I believe he's incorrect about the supposed problems of marketing hair sheep, at least Katahdin sheep. First, let me describe my position. I've had Katahdin...

Instead of a trailer, consider a carry-all. (farm equipment)
May 1, 1998... When I bought my small, old, T-20 Ferguson tractor, a carry-all came with it. I had seen carry-alls of all sizes at auctions and paid little attention to the one that came with my tractor. It was made of steel, five feet wide and four feet...

Tool, toy or trap? Important principles for equipping your small farm.(Part 1)
May 1, 1998... Important principles for equipping your small farm I can't recall a day in my life when I didn't like tractors. Their big gripping tires, shiny paint jobs and beefy power have attracted me since the day I could play in a sandbox without...

Preserving gasoline. (products and technique)
May 1, 1998... My question asking how to preserve gasoline was answered by about a dozen helpful Countryside readers from all over the US. It seems there are two products on the market that can be added to gasoline to prevent it from deteriorating. Most...

Vegetable soup. (recipe)
May 1, 1998... Large pot--I use one bigger than the one that comes with sets of pots and pans, probably 6-8 quarts 1 quart stewed tomatoes, or 1 can plus a can of tomato sauce, if you want reddish soup 1 or 2 chopped onions 1/3 of a bunch...

Teenagers find other interests - but return to homesteading. (personal narrative)
May 1, 1998... As our children grow older things begin to change, for us as well as them. We change from marathon runners to chauffeurs. We are no longer just physically tired, but mentally. Their questions become more complicated. Shades of gray appear in...

A student writes: home educaiton is a good choice.
May 1, 1998... The author was home educated from third grade until the completion of high school He currently studies computer science by correspondence. He is sixteen years old. I still remember our official first day as a "homeschooler." I was in...

Save the hornets? No way! (negative aspects of yellow jackets; includes information about Great Pyrenees dogs)
May 1, 1998... A comment about the letter by Carol Vacek titled "Save the Hornets; and Recycle More": I certainly disagree with her about yellow jackets. They may have a good side--that I don't know about and won't argue with--but the downside is what...

Stalking greens, potherbs and shoots. (varieties)
May 1, 1998... Warmer weather brings a time of rejuvenation, a time to revitalize our systems, which have become sluggish from the cooler weather and diet. It's time to begin to seek out those growing things that are full of vibrant elements to aid our...

Work with nature to produce more eggs.
May 1, 1998... Maintaining a steady flow of eggs throughout the year without bird-damaging and costly artificial lighting can be done with strategic planning and hoophouse winter housing. We produce about 30,000 dozen pastured eggs per year at an...

Why farmers go to farmers' markets. (excerpted from Jeff Ishee's 'Dynamic Farmers' Marketing: A Guide to Successfully Selling Your Farmers' Market Products')
May 1, 1998... Most conventional farmers in this country do not attend local farmers' markets... and there are many reasons why. In the latter half of this century, emphasis in agriculture has focused not only on feeding our own towns and communities,...

Beware of work-at-home scams.
May 1, 1998... Almost every classified advertising section of newspapers, magazines and other periodicals, plus tv and radio, carry advertisements for work-at-home ventures. The advertisements sure sound interesting. People in need of extra income and time...

Another way to save money: start a buying club.
May 1, 1998... Several Countryside correspondents have talked about buying clubs and how they can save you money. They're right--buying clubs save both money and time, and have the additional benefit of helping you organize your needed shopping. We...

Apples ... a wealth of varieties not found in stores are available to the home orchardist.
May 1, 1998... An agricultural tome of the 1950s listed over 1,000 varieties of apples, all of which had been introduced by European settlers. (The native American variety is a small, hard crab apple.) And although there has been a trend in this century...

What can a tree be used for? (wood products)
May 1, 1998... Once they get past the obvious uses like furniture, toothpicks, houses and paper, most people are hard-pressed to think of other products made from trees. The fact of the matter is, there are thousands of products -- many of which we use every...

Dog does its job, gets owner in trouble. (property rights)
May 1, 1998... Last week my dog bit someone. The dog was doing his job protecting our property. Now we face a huge fine, and might have to kill the dog. Let me tell you our story. As I came in the door from picking up my husband from the hospital, the...

Let's go to the fair! (competing at state and county fairs)
May 1, 1998... Start planning now to enter your county fair as well as -- if possible -- the state fair. Sandra Kayser told us about her success with garden produce (81/5:33), but there's a huge assortment of other projects you can enter at the fair. A...

Make your own greeting cards with creative rubber stamping.
May 1, 1998... If you want to make your fortune, buy shares in greeting card companies. Have you shopped for greeting cards lately? The day I pay $3.50 for a greeting card that someone looks at once and tosses, other great cataclysmic events will...

The ancient skill of snaring. (animal traps)
May 1, 1998... Our forefathers scraped an existence out of the wilderness and had to survive on what was available. They planted crops and harvested game from the woods and fields. But contrary to popular belief and what we have read and seen on television...

For good computers, cheap, think used. (buying used computers)
May 1, 1998... You don't need a new computer to have a good computer. I have been buying used computers and printers since 1986. True, I don't have the latest, biggest, or fastest computer on the market. However, I have a better quality used computer than I...

The "antique" value of prudence and the psychology of economics; things prudent people should know about their money - and their future.(Column)
May 1, 1998... Things prudent people should know about their money--and their future I have been enjoying the recent discussions about the core values of homesteading and Current Reality As Seen Here. Although I am a psychologist, not an economist, I have...

Where the money went; why the savings you think you have in the bank aren't really there. (cash reserves are low to nonexistant)
May 1, 1998... Strictly speaking, there is not much money in this or any other country today. Almost none of it circulates. What we call money, the Federal Reserve "notes", are sometimes called fiat scrip. This means that it is money only by fiat or decree...

Mortgage Free: Radical Strategies for Home Ownership.
May 1, 1998... By Rob Roy; 280 pages, paper; Chelsea Green Publishing Co., White River Junction VT Anyone who is not already living in the house of their dreams--and without a mortgage--should read this book next weekend, if not sooner. But then, almost...

How to live without television. ('The White Dot Newsletter')
May 1, 1998... The White Dot Newsletter, quarterly; $8 for four issues; The White Dot, PO Box 577257, Chicago IL 60657. The White Dot is subtitled Survival Guide for the TV-Free and fits in nicely with the homestead philosophy. A statement on the...

Working at home requires a sense of humor!
May 1, 1998... I was on the phone with my editor at the Saginaw News when Rarie the Rooster crowed from where he stood on top of the washing machine. As quick as I could I laid a hand over the phone, hoping the editor would think anything but that I had...