Countryside & Small Stock Journal articles from September 1998

Countryside & Small Stock Journal archives from September 1998

Some people know an awful lot that isn't so. (year 2000 computer transition and misinformation) (includes related article on Y2K)
September 1, 1998... In one way, it makes an amusingly pointed story. In another, it provides a somber insight into how meaningless the "information explosion" really is. In the last issue I announced that on Dec. 31, 1999, after 39 years as an editor, I'm...

300,000 web site references to Y2K make us more pessimistic. (year 2000 computer transition)
September 1, 1998... At our last gathering here, I said there was a good possibility that the Y2K computer bug would cause some serious problems that would vindicate all the "crazy" homesteaders who are dedicated to a simpler way of living. I've changed my...

Survivalists, survivors, and new pioneers. (homesteading and reactions to the year 2000 computer transition)
September 1, 1998... A British newspaper columnist complained that a search for Y2K information on the internet turned up very little factual technical data. Most of what's being said assumes the power grid is going down and therefore concentrates on survival....

Some advice for newcomers: attitude counts! (homesteaders)
September 1, 1998... Our overriding theme here is that if you have been or are becoming interested in homesteading, the time to do it is now -- no ifs, ands or buts. However, many others, who have little or no interest in homesteading and even less knowledge...

Some thoughts and observations after 20 years in the military and 30 of homesteading.
September 1, 1998... I last wrote to Countryside nearly 30 years ago, shortly after we had started our journey down the narrow, twisting trail we dreamed would lead to self-sufficiency. Little did we realize then just how difficult, sometimes seemingly...

Forecast for alternative energy: sunny and exciting! (1998 Midwest Renewable Energy Fair)(Cover Story)
September 1, 1998... Come with us to visit the 1998 Midwest Renewable Energy Fair... and the homestead of the future For three days every summer for the past eight years a small town in central Wisconsin becomes the alternative energy capital of the world. ...

For high yields, garden intensively!(Brief Article)
September 1, 1998... ELIZABETH & CROW MILLER PO Box 3080 SAG HARBOR NY 11963 When asked to name the single most important factor in achieving higher yields, our answer is always -- soil! Building up the soil was the only thing we did at our Spring Meadow farm,...

How to build a raised bed.(Brief Article)
September 1, 1998... At Spring Meadow for seven years now, our raised beds have provided us with early onions, lettuce and cabbage. Our raised beds show proudly over the landscape, soaking up the extra warmth while the excess moisture drains down, leaving the rich...

A living soil is basic to organic gardening.(Brief Article)
September 1, 1998... ELIZABETH & CROW MILLER PO Box 3080 SAG HARBOR NY 11963 The basic premise of organic/sustainable technology is that a healthy soil produces healthy plants, which in turn will provide nutritious food for people. A healthy soil is one that is...

Ruminations in the mulch. (mulch and gardening) (includes related articles on compost) (reprinted from the International Peasant)
September 1, 1998... THE INTERNATIONAL PEASANT BALTIMORE, MARYLAND The Ruth Stout system of a permanent deep mulch has one serious drawback: slugs. Besides this, it can harbor wet, rotting conditions, unfriendly fungi, and destructive animal life. Still, here in...

Autumn care for honeybees. (includes related articles on beekeeping)(Brief Article)
September 1, 1998... FRANK FEDORCHUCK DESERT WIND RANCH PO Box 494 PEARBLOSSOM CA 93553 PHONE: 213-254-6077 September and October are harvest time for honey. Mistakes here can be costly to the bee population. The longer northern winter requires more feed and...

Build a neat but simple henhouse. (includes related article on identifying laying hens)(Brief Article)(Cover Story)
September 1, 1998... Chickens are an essential part of most homesteads. Too often, though, they are thrust into dark, damp, gloomy, unattractive, inconvenient-to-care-for, ancient and falling down henhouses, or makeshift shelters that are just as bad. Pity...

Which breeding schedule is right for you? (husbandry of sheep)
September 1, 1998... With a normal, seasonal schedule, most sheep are bred between August and December. But early--or late--lambing might make more sense on your homestead. For early lambing, ewes are bred between late July and early October so they will...

What some people know about goats isn't the truth. (goat myths)(Brief Article)
September 1, 1998... All goats stink, have horns, beards, and eat tin cans. False! While it is true that male goats (bucks) emit an aroma during breeding season, females (does) never have an objectionable odor. Beards grow on many goats, with mature...

Tillage tools. (part 3)
September 1, 1998... JEFF RAST, FARMER/DIRECTOR THE CENTER FOR SMALL ACREAGE FARMING P.O. BOX 219 FAIRFIELD, ID 833278 PHONE/FAX (208) 764-2332 One of the most enduring symbols of modern agriculture is that of the moldboard plow. After all, this was the tool...

Some weeds and their uses. (includes related article on Canada thistle)
September 1, 1998... A weed, as Ralph Waldo Emerson observed, is simply a plant growing in the wrong place. He also might have said it's a plant growing at the wrong time. There are many examples of plants we now consider weeds that were once treated as...

Phosphorus, potash and trace elements. (soil content) (includes related article on manure fertilizer values)
September 1, 1998... The best time to build up your soil's mineral reserves is in the late fall, when the harvest is in. This past season, you probably worked large amounts of organic soil conditioners (organic fertilizers, soil amendments and compost) into...

How to plan your root cellar. (includes related article on vegetable storing)
September 1, 1998... It's possible to live without a root cellar... but then it's possible to live without chickens, a garden, or wood heat. But would you want to? Not if you're a homesteader! There is nothing so pleasant, so reassuring, as going into the root...

Leaching Lye from wood ashes. (reprinted from Country Side & Small Stock Journal, July 1971)
September 1, 1998... This method, patterned after one used by the early settlers of North America, produces soft soap by combining fat and potash (lye obtained by leaching wood or plant ashes). This recipe has been tried successfully with waste cooking...

A short history of wind power.
September 1, 1998... We don't know when someone first experimented with harnessing the power of the wind to do useful work other than to propel a boat. A primitive horizontal windmill was used in Persia as early as the 10th century, but it could have been used...

Fee hunting. (land owners charge hunters for access to land as a source of revenue)
September 1, 1998... Opening up farms or forest lands for paid hunting access may provide a profitable opportunity to some landowners. In addition, gaining control of poaching, unwanted access, vandalism, negligent damage and damage of an excess deer population to...

Some hints about avoiding electrical hazards.
September 1, 1998... You might find it strange that we talk about "the lights going out" and electrical safety in the same magazine. How can electricity be dangerous if there isn't any! It's logical to assume that during blackouts or brownouts more people...

'We settled into new habits and a new rhythm that was somewhat slower, much quieter and very pleasant." (account of weathering a storm)
September 1, 1998... After a storm uprooted trees, flattened barns and shut down electrical power throughout our area, I spent one evening in the light of an oil lamp looking through Lehman's non-electric catalog to see if there was anything I wished I had during...

The problem of weeds. (includes related article on checkrow planting) (reprinted from Countryside and Small Stock Journal, June 1979)
September 1, 1998... From our files: This article is reprinted from our June, 1979 issue, but it was old even then. It was written in 1914 by A. L. Stone of the University of Wisconsin Agricultural Experiment Station. It's worth repeating for several reasons,...

Time Bomb 2000.
September 1, 1998... Time Bomb 2000: by Edward and Jennifer Yourdon; 404 pages, paper, $19.95; Prentice-Hall, Inc., Upper Saddle River, N.J. You have undoubtedly heard many unhappy predictions (especially from Countryside) about the fate of modern society...

Boom Counties: A Guide to Wealth and Serenity in a High-Risk Economy.
September 1, 1998... Boom Counties: A Guide to Wealth and Serenity in a High-Risk Economy by Jack Lessinger, Ph.D, 289 pages, paper, $89. SocioEconomics, Inc, P.O. Box 113, Bow, WA 98232. Author Jack Lessinger is known for his analysis of future "boom...

What homesteaders are doing in September and October.
September 1, 1998... Inventory your winter supplies. Remember the advice for beginning woodburners: Cut as much firewood as you think you'll need, and then cut another stack just like it. Actually, your firewood should have been cut, split and stacked months...

Countdown to 2000: a planning guide.
September 1, 1998... How far have you progressed with the plans suggested in the last issue? If you're average, probably not very far at all. There isn't any significantly new information to alarm you, no real reason to panic, and you don't want your friends...

The 21st century and homesteading.
September 1, 1998... What has gone before: The common view of the future as a high-tech Star Trek adventure isn't the only option, or even necessarily the best one. Our descendents could also enjoy a wonderful life based on homesteading. Preposterous?...

If the future is going to be so great, let's go there now! (homesteading and the future)
September 1, 1998... We're making several assumptions in this series on what the future might be like. One concerns what most people want... or say they want. Surveys show that for many Americans this includes living in the countryside, being self-employed,...

Fact: homesteading is a pleasant, comfortable lifestyle that could be even better 100 years from now.
September 1, 1998... I'm aware that there's a good possibility that not many people give a hoot about lifestyles a hundred years from now. Even fewer think it's their responsibility -- or even within their power-- to mold the future. But this series has something...

Seeing the future as history: Countryside conducts an interview 100 years from now.
September 1, 1998... Comparing life in 21000 with life in 2000 As the year 2100 approaches, only a few people are leery about or fearful of the future. One hundred years ago, however, the situation was quite different... and as it turned out, with good reason....