CREATURES ON THE FARM
From: Samba (das) SDG (Mauritius)
Samba.SDG@bbt.se
Sent: 02 October 1999 11:44
Subject: Creatures on the farm
[Text 2671035 from COM]
Can anyone give me any information on keeping the following creatures;
Geese: From what I have seen they make a pretty good guard dog replacement.
Are they easy to keep, what does one feed them, how much, and is there
anything a person should know before thinking about getting some? Do they
eat snails?
Peacock: Nice to have around. From memory we had one or two in Ireland, and
one flew off. How do you make them stick around, without confining them? Do
they eat snails? What do they eat in general, and how much?
Ducks: Nice little waddling things. Does anyone know what they are good for,
apart from throwing bread at? Do they eat snails? What do they eat in
general, and how much?
Chickens: In the rainforests of South India, there are wild fowl, that look
good, and that run wild in the forest. I was thinking of trying to get some,
as they might like to eat snails (we get a lot of them here, as you might
have gathered) but they don't produce a lot of eggs, and we can let them run
wild. I thought of getting your 'normal' domestic chicken, but what to do
with the eggs? What do they eat in general, and how much?
Donkey, Ass, Mule: To me these are one and the same, but maybe not? What is
the difference? I want a pack animal to move rocks, fetch water, collect
coral and other lime ingredients from soft sandy beaches (where an ox cart
might get stuck), and generally get into tight spots and extricate things.
Also should be cuddly and lovable, for weekend guests. What is the best
animal to get for that job description, that eats less, and is generally
manageable? What do they eat in general, and how much?
Sheep: Good for wool. Anything else? What do they eat in general, and how
much?
Dog: According to my brother in law, in the Manu Samhita, it says that if
you own a dog you will go to hell. I don't want to go there. Does anyone
know about that? Say I can avoid hell, yet own a dog, which kind of dog
would be best as a farm animal, to scare off those pesky wild pigs, and also
pesky poachers, yet not eat all the above mentioned creatures, and generally
be good to have around?
Any other tips for caring for the above mentioned creatures, such as living
facilities, amount of area required, or anything else would be appreciated.
Finally, are there any other animals or fowl (I don't want pigs), that would
be good to have on a varnasrama farm (apart from cows obviously)?
Thanks prabhus.
Your servant
Samba das
From: Carol
DGilsen@aol.com
Sent: 02 October 1999 17:44
Subject: Re: Creatures on the farm
[Text 2680072 from COM]
Haribol Samba
Geese, great watch dogs, some are vicious, bite and draw blood....
Five geese eat as much as one cow! They do not necessarily sleep at night
they are a great alarm critters. They mate for life, may live twenty years,
as I recall they ate organic material love grass and aquatic plants, not
water lilies alas, and love to swim. I don't know if they eat snails.
Ducks on the other hand eat snails and any thing else they can get
their beaks on are not a noisy as geese mate for the season. Can live away
from water with ease.
They can weed your yard and paths. But will eat your crops when young
after grains get to large they can be used to weed and eat bugs, in your
garden. They can eat any thing you eat.
Peacocks, DON'T! They are loud will trash a garden and act like monkeys in a
garden, They breed prolifically Aside for their beauty I would never have
any around, I am certain they would eat your snails. Peacocks can eat any
thing you eat also.
Chickens, they will eat your snails and any thing else they can get their
beaks on. I borrow a large flock each year to clean out my garden
from season to season. They will eat any thing they can get. In Guatemala I
used to feed the placentas (after birth) to the chickens after I had
delivered a baby. The chickens are great at scratching up grubs, larva's,
beetles, and worms of all sorts, beneficial as well as harmful from your
garden. They will eat your garden plants the younger and more tender the
better for them. As for the eggs well they hatch into little chickens. If
however you do not get a rooster, the eggs will not hatch. You will have to
gather up the eggs or the hens will try to hatch them and will sit on their
nests. You can break the eggs and let the chickens eat them if you would
like. The egg shells ate great ways to add minerals to your soil.
Donkey, ass, mules well, All will do lots of work.. More than a horse,
if they feel like it. They however require less maintenance than cows
or horses. But still they require a certain amount of care. Again they are
a twenty year commitment! They are all of them, cows, horses oxen asses
and donkeys are sneaky and will find ways to get into your crops and gardens
so eternal vigilance and good gates and fencing is your best bet.
Sheep, well believe it or not are good for wool of course, and milk their
tits are not as hardy so you have to be fairly gentle. They are great a
keeping your grass trimmed.
Goats are good for wool also if you get the angolias, they produce copious
amounts of milk. and can pull small wagons and will trim your trees, they
prefer to trim your trees as opposed to eat your grass, and they can climb
trees great for pruning trees. Are as a group fairly hardy, and goats milk
cheese is excellent! They can eat almost any thing a cow can also.
Rabbits, I usually have about ten at any time. They will eat the weeds you
pull and place in their enclosure. They will then poop out "bunny berrys" an
excellent compost that can be placed on your plants without having to age
them. I place sheet metal under their enclosure and direct the bunny berries
and urine to roll down the metal to needy plants. Each day as I water I just
spray the sheet metal to clean it off and it dilutes the urine which will
"burn" your plants. Rabbits need lots and lots of cool fresh water. I move
the cages as often as necessary in the hot summer I let the beans grow over
the cages it keeps the bunnies cool and shady and they can trim any plants
that grow into their cages. You must keep a board for them to stand on as a
wire bottom cage is very uncomfortable on their feet, and will
cause problems. One other problem, don't get a buck (mail rabbit) or you
will have eight new babes every two months, till the mother dies!
Snails in general. Place shallow saucers of beer under your plants
and snails who love beer will get so drunk they drown, change the beer as
needed it really works. To keep snails from getting into your garden place
copper window screen around your trees snails cannot crawl across copper
wire. The slime they must make to slither any where is salty and It is like
getting a continuous electric shock for them. So if you can get copper
window screen it will keep them from getting into your garden by placing a
six inch high "fence" around your garden. As well as strips on the ground to
keep them from crossing from row to row.
Dogs, well there is a story of lord Caitanya feeding some ones dog with his
own two hands. So I guess he didn't go to hell for it. I didn't know that
there was a hell in our beliefs. Is there? I thought we just got put back
further down the evolutional path for various MIS deeds i.e. come back as a
rat or earth worm or something. Dogs can pull carts will eat almost
any thing you can. Is loyal, will defend you and your family, will warn you
when someone is approaching, and can be easily trained not to attack your
live stock particularly if you get the dog as a puppy. Can be trained to
herd cattle sheep goats ect. Some dogs have very dense fur that can be used
as wool and can be woven into sweaters but if you the sweater in a city you
may end up chasing cars and urination on fire hydrants! :-)
Hope this helps
Carol
From: Balarama (das) LOK (Alachua, FL - USA)
Balarama.LOK@bbt.se
Sent: 03 October 1999 01:12
Subject: Creatures on the farm
[Text 2672164 from COM]
Hare Krishna.
According to my brother in law, in the Manu Samhita, it says that if
you own a dog you will go to hell.
According to Rupa Vilas' book The Seventh Goswami, Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur
kept a dog as a young man. So if do wind up in Hell, you'll be in good
company.
Finally, are there any other animals or fowl (I don't want pigs), that
would be good to have on a varnasrama farm (apart from cows obviously)?
If mice are a problem, either in the house or in the grain storage, etc, a
cat will keep them away for the most part. We have one for that purpose. He
never sets foot in the house yet we rarely have mice (and they were a
terrible problem before we got him). We feed him on leftover prasadam only
and he is healthy and happy and friendly.
ys, Balarama Dasa
From: Gunamani (dd) ARD (Arhus - DK)
Gunamani.ARD@bbt.se
Sent: 03 October 1999 07:58
Subject: Creatures on the farm
[Text 2672482 from COM]
According to Rupa Vilas' book The Seventh Goswami, Srila Bhaktivinode
Thakur kept a dog as a young man. So if do wind up in Hell, you'll be in
good company.
What did he feed it?
ys. Gm.d.d.
From: Balarama (das) LOK (Alachua, FL - USA)
Balarama.LOK@bbt.se
Sent: 03 October 1999 21:21
Subject: Creatures on the farm
[Text 2673769 from COM]
What did he feed it?
That the book does not say.
ys
From: Syamasundara (das) (Bhaktivedanta Manor - UK)
Syamasundara@bbt.se
Sent: 03 October 1999 20:06
Subject: Creatures on the farm
[Text 2673680 from COM]
Peacocks: I don't know if they eat snails but they will find some interest
in your seedlings. At Bhaktivedanta Manor they had a liking for walking up
and sown our village neighbors rather expensive cars. As a consequence we
had to ask them to leave
Ducks: They definitely eat snails. The alternative energy centre in Wales
recommends feeding snails to them as way to rid your garden of them. They
were suggesting actually collecting the snails and then feeding them to the
ducks. We cannot perform such a direct act as feeding snails to ducks,
although we can allow ducks to find there own snails from around the garden.
Donkey: I don't think donkeys eat snails!!
From: Malati (dd) ACBSP (Columbus - USA)
Malati.ACBSP@bbt.se
Sent: 03 October 1999 17:00
Subject: Creatures on the farm
[Text 2673338 from COM]
Peacock: Nice to have around. From memory we had one or two in Ireland, and
one flew off. How do you make them stick around, without confining them? Do
they eat snails? What do they eat in general, and how much?
They eat about anything and mate a lot, they are fairly hardy creatures, BUT
they leave too much stool, big huge globs if it, all aver the place.
From: Carol
DGilsen@aol.com
Sent: 03 October 1999 17:27
Subject: Re: Creatures on the farm to have or not to have
[Text 2673400 from COM]
Haribol to fellow critter keepers
As the owner of hundreds of critters over the years, dogs included, they eat
almost anything. Our temple retreat dog, KC (bet you can't guess what that
stands for)? Is fed pershadium. He eats vegetarian dog chow from pet stores
or he cleans up what is left over after our meals. He keeps the range cows
out of the garden, trees the local resident bear when he comes
around, offers comfort to children and terrorizes the temple cats. ( we do
have a mouse and chip monk problem). He also keeps the elk out of the
garden, they can be real pests at 600 Kg or 1200 pounds. I think he pays his
keep up there. Dogs are loyal, friendly very protective of children, and
will defend your territory, and alert you to intruders. Properly trained
they can herd your other animals pull small wagons and will do any number of
tasks for you. If you have a dog and treat it well, you will have a friend
for life. If you mistreat your dog or ignore it, you may end up with an
untrustworthy sneaky vicious biting barking dog. You pretty much set the
behavior of your dog. Over all they are worth while. One more thing, the
smaller the dog the longer it lives, Great Danes one meter or 36" tall and
150lb or 75 Kg live six to eight years. tiny dogs six lb or 3kg live up to
twenty years.
If you are going to store grain, get a cat or two. Cats will keep both mice
and rats down but will also keep snakes and scorpions at bay also. They eat
cheese, milk cream all dairy products, some rice and other vegetarian food.
If you keep them fed they will hunt for sport and not quit when they are no
longer hungry. They are clean quiet, loving and deadly predators. Cats will
pay there keep on the farm and are well worth keeping. They live about ten
to twenty years, depending on the care they receive.
While most people think that a farm without critters is not a farm. Believe
me animals own you, not the other way around. You have to get up every day
in good health or not to milk the cow morning or evening. You can't go on
trips to visit a friend or a wedding or funeral, because you have to milk
the cow. Or you must find a very reliable person to stay on your farm and
care for the critters.
Having critters is a huge obligation and burden. Think hard about that. If
your farm fails or you find out you are not cut out for farming what happens
to the cows? Or the other critters? You can usually find a home for chickens
or a dog or cat but what about the big critters? These are real and tough
questions. Go slow if new to farming ect, you probably won't be able to give
a cow to the humane society, although in my city a pair of donkeys were
donated and still live on at a humane society workers home.
So if you are starting up a farm first time I advise you not to get
any critters until you have your feet under you and feel you can make a go
of it. Vet bills will bankrupt you if you are in financially poor condition.
They now have in the USA animal insurance, you might consider getting it for
your farm animals!
Chickens on the other hand are very old at age six years. Geese live twenty
years, as well as Cows, horses and mules.
CRITTERS ARE A MAJOR LONG TERM COMMITMENT .... THINK ABOUT IT!
CAROL
From: Madhava Gosh (das) ACBSP (New Vrindavan - USA)
Madhava.Gosh.ACBSP@bbt.se
Sent: 04 October 1999 15:27
Subject: Re: Creatures on the farm
[Text 2675270 from COM]
If mice are a problem, either in the house or in the grain storage,
etc, a cat will keep them away for the most part. We have one for that
purpose. He never sets foot in the house yet we rarely have mice (and they
were a terrible problem before we got him). We feed him on leftover
prasadam only and he is healthy and happy and friendly.
ys, Balarama Dasa
They also control wild rabbit population by eating the young ones, and
chipmunks, both of which can be pests, especially rabbits.
From: Iskcon of New Talavan
talavan@datastar.net
Sent: 04 October 1999 23:52
Subject: RE: Creatures on the farm
[Text 2676169 from COM]
They also get into the gardens and scratch up all of the flowers and
veggies.
Peacock: Nice to have around. From memory we had one or two in Ireland,
and one flew off. How do you make them stick around, without confining
them? Do they eat snails? What do they eat in general, and how much?
They eat about anything and mate a lot, they are fairly hardy creatures,
BUT they leave too much stool, big huge globs if it, all aver the place.
From: Malati (dd) ACBSP (Columbus USA)
Malati.ACBSP@bbt.se
Sent: 06 October 1999 01:17
Subject: RE: Creatures on the farm
[Text 2678660 from COM]
Obviously the beauty of peacocks remains best appreciated when viewing
their feathers on Krishna's turban or crown, or seen from a far
distance.....like not to close to home! or, as we say in the USA, "NIMBY"
(not in my backyard)!
From: Madhava Gosh (das) ACBSP (New Vrindavan - USA)
Madhava.Gosh.ACBSP@bbt.se
Sent: 06 October 1999 15:20
Subject: Re: Creatures on the farm
[Text 2680011 from COM]
Can anyone give me any information on keeping the following
creatures;
Geese: From what I have seen they make a pretty good guard dog
replacement. Are they easy to keep, what does one feed them, how much,
and is there anything a person should know before thinking about getting
some? Do they eat snails?
Think about the fact that they are a little aggressive and will harass
small children, which while cute to watch perhaps can be a very terrifying
and unpleasant experience for the child. They do, as all creatures,
defecate where ever and when ever they want.
They do eat grass, and penned in with a bunch of strawberries, will clean
the grass out of them, an otherwise difficult task. May be special breed
for that. There are a lot of different breeds, so think about getting
visually attractive ones.
Guinea hens are arguably better as watch dogs, or so I have been told.
Peacock: Nice to have around. From memory we had one or two in
Ireland, and one flew off. How do you make them stick around, without
confining them? Do they eat snails? What do they eat in general, and how
much?
They eat flower blossoms and they is usually a conflict between those
appreciating their unpenned up beauty and gardeners. If you confine the
hens, the cocks stick around. Even without penning any, they roam a
certain area but will return to where they have been accustomed to be
feed. As for one flying off, was it observed flying off? Just as the main
predator of wild turkeys is the great horned owl, peacocks are also
vulnerable. So it could have left in the claws of a predator. Raccoons
will also eat young birds. Plus they are dumber than wild turkeys, as a
wild turkey will move out of the way of a car on the road, but peacocks
sometimes won't and get hit.
Care is pretty much the same as turkeys, so read up on turkeys and you
could handle peacocks. They do eat snakes, which may or may not be a good
thing. They like prasadam.
Ducks: Nice little waddling things. Does anyone know what they are
good for, apart from throwing bread at? Do they eat snails? What do they
eat in general, and how much?
New Vrindavan has a lagoon for sewage treatment ( sorry Radha Krsna,
it was mandated by health authorities) monitored by the state version of
EPA. Duck weed grows on the surface which is a violation of regulation.
Conventional wisdom is to use an aquacide to control it. the devotee in
New Vrindavan who manages it, got some ducks and keeps them on it. If they
are there early in the spring and in the right amount, they will control
the duckweed without having to resort to the chemicals, as they do here.
So ducks on a pond will help keep it clean.
Plus, the more exotic breeds are quite beautiful.
Chickens: In the rainforests of South India, there are wild fowl,
that look good, and that run wild in the forest. I was thinking of
trying to get some, as they might like to eat snails (we get a lot of
them here, as you might have gathered) but they don't produce a lot of
eggs, and we can let them run wild.
Might be something like the guinea hens.
Donkey, Ass, Mule: To me these are one and the same, but maybe not?
Mule is a donkey/horse hybrid, by a donkey jack out of a horse mare.
Almost as strong as a horse but with the stamina of a donkey. Can take the
heat better. More temperamental than a horse, so needs a more experienced
driver to deal with them. Not for neophytes.
Sheep: Good for wool. Anything else?
Keep the lawn mowed, good quality manure.
From: Syamasundara (das) (Bhaktivedanta Manor - UK)
Syamasundara@bbt.se
Sent: 07 October 1999 17:06
Subject: Re: Creatures on the farm- Teatotal Slugs
[Text 2683135 from COM]
Haribol Carol. Good idea about the copper screen slug deterrent. The other
idea is somewhat over active. A devotee gardener is like a father over the
living entities under his domain. One can fence them and train them and
redirect them but one cannot directly snuff them out. The beer in a dish
is a known organic way of eradicating slugs but it is direct action.
Action to which a devotee gardener cannot do. In-direct slug protection
like keeping roaming ducks or chickens is OK, but not actually drowning
them or picking them off the leaves and handing them to the ducks. Srila
Prabhupada said we can keep cats to deal with mice and rats.
ys Shyam
From: Samba (das) SDG (Mauritius)
Samba.SDG@bbt.se
Sent: 08 October 1999 16:58
Subject: Re: Creatures on the farm- Teatotal Slugs
[Text 2685622 from COM]
Haribol Carol. Good idea about the copper screen slug deterrent. The
other idea is somewhat over active. A devotee gardener is like a father
over the living entities under his domain. One can fence them and train
them and redirect them but one cannot directly snuff them out. The beer
in a dish is a known organic way of eradicating slugs but it is direct
action. Action to which a devotee gardener cannot do. In-direct slug
protection like keeping roaming ducks or chickens is OK, but not
actually drowning them or picking them off the leaves and handing them
to the ducks. Srila Prabhupada said we can keep cats to deal with mice
and rats.
ys Shyam
I have just been informed by a naturalist here, that the best bird for
slug control is a Quail. They are not interested so much in plants, but
love slugs and snails. So they can wander through your subji patch, an eat
only the bugs. Neat huh!
Goshji, Gaurasakti prabhu told me that one time you figured out how to
make a type of house for a particular bird that eats flies, and that after
you made it, the birds came, and the flies left (or should I say
'disappeared'). What were those birds, what kind of flies, and how do you
make the house?
Syamasundara prabhu, what about birth control for bugs? Apparently neem,
when sprayed on plants, does not kill the bugs, but works in other ways. A
plant sprayed with neem becomes undesirable to a bug, which will starve to
death, even if surrounded by its favorite food. Apparently it also deters
bugs from laying eggs on plants (ovipositional deterrence), which is the
cause of much damage when they hatch. Interestingly, while it deters
unfavorable bugs, bees are unaffected, and in some cases bee diseases can
be cured with it.
Neem appears to me to be nothing short of a miracle tree, Lord Caitanya
didn't take birth under one for nothing!
YS Samba das
From: Madhava Gosh (das) ACBSP (New Vrindavan - USA)
Madhava.Gosh.ACBSP@bbt.se
Sent: 09 October 1999 03:46
Subject: Re: Creatures on the farm- Teatotal Slugs
[Text 2686618 from COM]
Goshji, Gaurasakti prabhu told me that one time
you figured out how to make a type of house for a particular bird that
eats flies, and that after you made it, the birds came, and the flies
left (or should I say 'disappeared'). What were those birds, what kind
of flies, and how do you make the house?
For the record, peacocks eat flies. Even very young ones can pick them
right out of the air.
Early peoples made birdhouses out of gourds. Purple martins will keep
mosquitoes down. Eastern bluebirds and wrens are insectivorous and
relatively easy to attract. I am sure in every environment there are
similar birds.
Study of birds is fascinating and useful. Anyone trying to make a leap to
living on the Earth would be advised to develop an interest. A love of
birds can be a quite interesting hobby to replace many of the over
stimulating pleasures of ugra karmic society.
From: Malati (dd) ACBSP (Columbus - USA)
Malati.ACBSP@bbt.se
Sent: 10 October 1999 15:28
Subject: Re: Creatures on the farm- Teatotal Slugs
[Text 2689637 from COM]
Soo, we shouldn't use or do anything that would directly cause the demise
of a poor slug or any other insect-creature. Using another environment
friendly creature to eat them is ok. Alright, but what about us
city-folk-gardeners who are not allowed by law to keep ducks and geese or
whatever...? (Actually, we even tried the beer in a dish method once, and
it didn't work for the slugs, but it earned us a dubious reputation from
our guest who could easily smell it! Never mind that we had so send
someone our "under-cover" to buy it!) (as for that method, what is wrong
with it really? Except that it doesn't work? We do not actually place the
little rascals in the dish of beer...they go in all by themselves!) Neem
trees don't make it through the winter-hell and besides, there isn't that
much room for a neem orchard anyway. We see these rascal snails/slugs as
invading element, attacking Krishna's gardener, eating up His flowers and
vegies...so how to defend in a non-violent method in the city? (like,
these slugs even eat up the marigolds which were planted for protecting
the other plants from various insects as well as for garland making!) It
seems like a situation of "all is fair in love and war...."
From: Taraka (das) ACBSP (Gita Nagari, PA - USA)
Taraka.ACBSP@bbt.se
Sent: 11 October 1999 05:33
Subject: Re: Creatures on the farm
[Text 2691067 from COM]
Sheep: Good for wool. Anything else? Keep the
lawn mowed, good quality manure.
One of my vetinary books advises keeping sheep separated from cows as the
stool of sheep can impart a serious disease to cows. Here at Gita Nagari
we had some sheep which were free ranging for a time. They would sometimes
get into stores of hay intended for the cows. Naturally, they would do
what comes naturally... all over the hay. So contaminated hay had to be
carefully removed. I would like to post the reference, but I'm having some
difficulty to find it. It's been many years since I read this. I'll pass
it on when I do find it.
Ys,
Taraka dasa
From: Madhava Gosh (das) ACBSP (New Vrindavan - USA)
Madhava.Gosh.ACBSP@bbt.se
Sent: 11 October 1999 04:30
Subject: Re: Creatures on the farm- Teatotal Slugs
[Text 2690987 from COM]
Soo, we shouldn't use or do anything that would
directly cause the demise of a poor slug or any other insect-creature.
Does that mean everyone will stop driving autos? Those splotches on the
windshield, for those who haven't made the connection, are bugs.
(Actually, we even tried the beer in a dish method once, and it
didn't work for the slugs,
We have used it quite successfully, but stopped, just because it was so
expensive buying all the beer.
Never mind that we had so send someone our "under-cover" to buy it!)
Even if there appears to be some discrepancy according to an imperfect
devotee's estimation, the devotee should be fixed in the conviction that
even if his spiritual master goes to a liquor shop, he is not a drunkard;
rather, he must have some purpose in going there.
Ref. VedaBase => Antya 3.11
So, now we now one reason why he might have gone in there?
(as for that method, what is wrong with it really? Except that it
doesn't work? We do not actually place the little rascals in the dish of
beer...they go in all by themselves!)
Exactly. Seems even less implicating than bringing in a duck for the
purpose of eating them.
..so how to defend in a non-violent method in the city?
If you were hung up on that, and didn't want to use diatomaceous earth (
not the swimming pool stuff) you could trap them and then go drop them in
a cemetery or somewhere far enough away they wouldn't crawl back. Like
leave a board next to where they are eating, and in the morning turn it
over, collect them , and relocate them.
From: Carol
DGilsen@aol.com
Sent: 11 October 1999 05:34
Subject: Re: - Teatotal Slugs to kill? or relocate, that is the question?
[Text 2691070 from COM]
...... If you were hung up on that, and didn't want to use
diatomaceous earth (not the swimming pool stuff) you could trap them and
then go drop them in a cemetery or somewhere far enough away they
wouldn't crawl back. Like leave a board next to where they are eating,
and in the morning turn it over, collect them, and relocate them.
There is another consideration, Snails are bisexual!
They breed all by them selves. If you miss just one They are back! If we
are going to go to all the trouble to relocate snails, then we must find
the correct habitat for the little #*!@#$* darlings. An enemies back
garden perhaps? Opps, I didn't really mean that but it is nice to
contemplate! I love the Idea of the grave yard to deposit them. I guess I
am just not devotee material yet .... I kinda like the Idea of the beer,
at least they don't care that they are drowning. The diatomaceous earth is
painful to a body like theirs. If I had the time To pick the little
darlings off the plants and under the thousand boards I would have to put
out, well it wouldn't be worth the effort. Bring on the ducks! Box
turtles, peacocks, geese and stomping boots! On the other hand of you have
the really big snails they could become a cash crop, Thirty years ago I
used to collect them in California and sell them to restaurants for . 50
each they intern turned the snails into Escargot with garlic and butter
sauce. But Alas, I am now a vegetarian and do not exploit critters to feed
humans (bees Excluded). Thank GOD I do not live that life any more! And in
the desert my snail problem is almost non existent! What ever the answer
is It will involve much time and effort and I do not have much of those
valuable commodities. If we ever get it resolved I am all ears!
Carol
From: Radha Krsna (das) ACBSP GB (Great Britain)
Radha.Krsna.ACBSP.GB@bbt.se
Sent: 14 October 1999 21:33
Subject: Re: Creatures on the farm- Teatotal Slugs
[Text 2701213 from COM]
(Actually, we even tried the beer in a dish method once, and it
didn't work for the slugs, but it earned us a dubious reputation from
our guest who could easily smell it!
You have to let the beer ferment a little then they'll go for it. It
doesn't seem to kill them, they become even slower moving - then they can
be removed. Vinegar does actually kill slugs and snails.
From: Radha Krsna (das) ACBSP GB (Great Britain)
Radha.Krsna.ACBSP.GB@bbt.se
Sent: 14 October 1999 21:33
Subject: Re: Creatures on the farm- Teatotal Slugs
[Text 2701214 from COM]
Never mind that we had so send someone our "under-cover" to buy it!)
Even if there appears to be some discrepancy according to an imperfect
devotee's estimation, the devotee should be fixed in the conviction that
even if his spiritual master goes to a liquor shop, he is not a
drunkard; rather, he must have some purpose in going there.
I went round the local pubs with an old container asking for the beer
slops that I got for free. Some publicans did make the comment, when I
asked for this, that they'd seen everything now!
Also one can place fresh veg waste from the kitchen around the veg beds.
This will distract from what you are trying to grow.
