Misc.
Agriculture
From: Rohita (Dasa) ACBSP (New Talavan MS
- USA) talavan@com.org
Subject: Re: Flies on Cows
Date: Saturday, February 28, 1998 6:40 PM
[Text 1139376 from COM]
Dear Subala das;
Please accept my humble obeisnaces, all glories to Srila Prabhupada.
On 28 Feb 1998, you wrote:
Please accept my obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada
Thank you for writing back promptly. Gopal is a Jersy and was born here
about twelve years ago, he lived only briefly in a nearby community before
returning to New Goloka. I have taken care of him for most of the two
years I have been here. Before that I can't say for certain how he was
treated. He doesn't have and behavior problems, he is mild and
affectionate, we get along great. I am afraid he has been lonely though,
judging from his behavior. This has been due to my ignorance. I am fond of
the quote by Srila Prabhupada that temple authorities should make sure all
the devotees are jolly and eating a lot of prsadam. Gopal is a devotee too
and I must keep him jolly by your mercy.
If you have worked with Gopal for the last two years
on a daily basis you should now be well acquainted and be able to understand
his desires. Yes like humans they require some show that you care about
them. This should be corrected by a daily visit where you take the time to
talk to him, occasional brushing (daily is not really necessary) and by your
gentle touch indicate to him that you wish to see that he is well. Check his
legs, rub his neck and brisket ... you probably know where he likes to be
scratched do it occasionally.' Just be a friend time' I like to call it, a
time set aside when your not feeding or cleaning etc. a time just to
inquire.
You said before the manure has to picked up, the area around where his hay
is kept is very muddy and mixed hay and manure. I can't shovel it completely
clean.
The principle is the area where he is fed should be clean. Devotees don't
like to eat in an unclean place. So the best thing maybe to move his feeding
area frequently so that the soil does not become bare. I don't know if this
is possible for you.
Here in New Talavan the winter (a cool wet season with no snow) temperatures
rarely reach freezing (this only lasts for a few hours around sunrise) day
time temperatures are in the 50's from X-mas to about the first week in Feb.
The rest of the winter is like your spring. So our cows stay out in the
field without shelter and because we have a large herd we try to feed 1600lb
bales in a different spot each time a bale is fed out. Usually just 50 or so
feet over from the last. We also have winter grass for them to graze after
Dec 1 (summer grasses sometimes last until then) with proper management it
is possible to have year round grazing.
It is a tin roof with sides to keep him from walking on the fresh hay,
should it be moveable to prevent such a build up?
We put a moveable hay ring around each bale we feed out. If you noticed the
articles on 'cowshed' this is more suited to your weather conditions. This
means daily removing what manure is past along with soiled hay, spreading
loose hay around that Gopal has rejected when eating. This is what must be
done. The loose hay will absorb most of the urine. This makes nice compost
for the garden (to be spread around full grown plants) or can be directing
in a ditch just prior to planting a vegetable garden. There is no worry of
this manure being harmful to the plants. If you have feed vegetables to
Gopal you may have noticed watermelon, tomatoes and potatoes even just
growing out of a manure patty. This is not true of those animals that pass
little pellets (horses, sheep , goats). Urine is another story, you have to
keep it from falling on the leaves especially of the tomatoes, eggplants and
related vegetables. Excuse me, short of rambled on and right off the topic.
I am sure it attracts flys.
If you observe closely it attracts any insect, bees
included. There is a sweet smell present in freshly pasted manure and urine.
This smell comes from two substances, aldehyde (a by product of the
breakdown of natural alcohols) and
ketose (a natural sugar like compound).
Is it good to feed Gopal old vegetables from the
farmer's market?
Yes he may eat vegetables but care must be taken as to
large quantities. For two reasons:
1. The vegetables may have been sprayed with chemicals that are hazardous to
him if he eats a little there should be no problem. (a five gallon bucket is
small for a large Jersey).
2. It may cause diarrhea. This maybe corrected by omitting vegetables for
the next couple of days, access to hay and to an area in which oak trees
grow. A good causion is to feed vegetbles after he has filled himself with
hay.
The same applies to spring grass. Before you let him graze new grass you
should follow this procedure:
1. For the first week let him graze only in the evening for about an hour.
2. He should always have access to hay and a block of salt.
3. After about a week the time on new pasture may be gradually increased by
about 20 minutes every three days.
4. He should be let out into an area of coarser growth and it is highly
beneficial at this time that oak trees are present. Browsing, a time when he
will eat small twigs and more fibrous plants is a time when he will acquire
various minerals beneficial in counteracting
If he has a lack of appetite, pain, blood in his manure and a fever this is
more serious and will require special attention as this is dysentery.
I pray this is not to much at one time. I a weeks time it is a good practice
to read over these things again and think about how you may adapt some of
these ideas to your situation. Watch Gopal he can instruct you on the best
thing to do, learn to read his body language. He will see that you have
little free time and just his association will pull you in to the mode of
goodness. Keeping a diary may help. just little points like
Sunday
pasture 45 min., fresh hay. brushed. no veg today.
Monday
pasture 30 min. no new hay eating left over from Sun, lots of flies.
Try to keep this for a month or two. Then study it. do you see a pattern?
Then make some changes. When you see him going to pasture his head bobbing
up and down note it down, what was done differently why is he so happy? Try
to duplicate this situation the next day.
Hare Krishna
Rohita dasa
What quantity?
From: Hare Krsna
Hare.Krsna@com.bbt.se
Subject: urine IS organic
Date: Friday, March 13, 1998 6:50 PM
[Text 1165358 from COM]
From: Hare Krsna dasi
Perhaps I am mistaken, but I was quite surprised to see recently two
devotees on this conference seeming to say that urine is not "organic."
I'm not sure whether this meant "organic" in the chemical sense -- that is a
substance containing carbon, or "organic" in the gardening sense, that is a
substance from a plant or animal. It is certainly both, and is a very
valuable component of composted manure.
In the chemical sense urine is organic because it contains urea which is
also knows as carbamide. The formula [without subscripts, unfortunately] for
urea is CO(NH2)2.
My old 1978 edition of Rodale's Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening comments:
p. 714:
Urine contains compounds from the digested portions of the foods and
secretions from the animal's body. Because they are in solution, the
elements in urine are more quickly made available as plant nutrients than
the constituents found in dung.
...It is worth noting that the urine of most animals contains more nitrogen
and more potash than solid excreta. Unfortunately, farm manures are handled
in such ways that most of the urine is carelessly allowed to escape into
drains which lead it off the farm.
Urines are especially valuable as activators in converting crop residues
into humus.
p. 780
Nitrogen is one of the elements necessary for plant growth. Too much or too
little nitrogen in the soil results in productivity decline. It must be
constantly renewed and replaced in the soil.
Nitrogen is directly responsible for the vegetative growth of plants above
ground. With a good supply, plants grow sturdily and mature rapidly, their
foliage a rich, dark green. In cereals, nitrogen is responsible for
increasing the percentage of protein. Nitrogen also produces succulent
crops.
Nitrogen deficiency is indicated by leaves which are yellowish or light
green and often very small. The lower leaves are the first to show
discoloration and they may even fall off before the problem is remedied.
Excesses of nitrogen can be more harmful than deficiencies. When crops take
up too much of the element, they tend to rapidly develop tissues that are
watery and weak instead of stiff. As a result, the plants are easily broken
off or lodged by wind gusts. They are more susceptible to frost damage and
to many diseases.
...Although none of the sources of organic nitrogen are as high in their
nitrogen content as chemical fertilizers, they have many advantages. Many
release their nitrogen slowly, over long periods of time, and do not have
the tendency to burn plants as do chemical fertilizers. Manure is one of the
bets all-around fertilizers, although it does not have a particularly high
nitrogen content. It is widely available and helps to build organic matter
in the soil, a condition important to the action of soil microorganisms that
release nitrogen.
p. 898
One of the three major plant nutrients, potash or potassium oxide is
essential for the development of strong plants. It is composed of two parts
potassium and one part oxygen, K2O. Potash is concerned chiefly with plant
sugar manufacture. It helps plants to resist diseases, protects them from
cold and protects during dry weather by preventing excessive losses of
water. Potash can do more than any other mineral to counteract the excesses
of nitrogen. While excess nitrogen may cause plants to lose their resistance
to disease, a good supply of potash will increase resistance.
Deficiency Symptoms: Plants with potassium deficiencies produce poor yields
of crops. The leaves sometimes get yellow streaks or spots on them, and leaf
edges and tips become dry and scorched. In corn, the ears that do develop
are small and poorly developed and the space between leaf nodes is
abnormally short. Stalks are generally weak and dwarfed in appearance, and
have a tendency to lodge [fall over].
Potassium-deficient plants have poorly developed root systems. Fruits ripen
unevenly and are soft. Carrots showing potash deficiency exhibit curled
leaves, beats grow tapered roots instead of fat bulbs and leave of radishes
are deep green in the centers with scorching on the edges.
...Plant residues, manures and compost bring to the soil potash that is free
and available. But even in highly fertile soils the supply of this free
potassium is rarely enough to meet the needs of a growing crop. So during
the growing season the roots of plants come in contact with potash "locked
up" in the soil's minerals and make it available.
If your soil does not have sufficient reserves of potash in its mineral
structure, you are likely to have a potash deficiency. Natural mineral
fertilizers,-- granite dust and green sand -- are the ideal solution because
they supply the mineral potash reserves that plants can draw on throughout
the season.
One more way to get urine into the soil is to have your cows graze directly
on fields and gardens that have been harvested. Then the urine and dung goes
directly onto the field without any additional labor to collect and spread
it. If the field is disked under in the fall, a cover crop can be planted to
store the nutrients so they don't leech into the soil or evaporate. Then
they will be available to use the following spring, after a short interval,
when they are tilled under.
your servant,
Hare Krsna dasi
From: Hare Krsna dasi (Brunswick, Maine - USA)
Hare.Krsna.dasi@bbt.se
Sent: 28 August 1999 00:29
Subject: Drought = Cow Slaughter
[Text 2587032 from COM]
I'm just back from visiting Ohio and Michigan. I have to say that the corn
and soybeans look really bad -- especially the corn. Some of it is only 2
feet tall -- in August. Much of it has yellowish or browning leaves. It
should look very tall and green and lush by now. The drought is really
hitting hard.
It's hard to tell how prices will go, because of global competition, but in
general a drought means that prices for feedgrains and hay will increase.
When they do, farmers suffer a loss, because the income they get for milk is
less than what they pay to feed their cows. The usual result is that during
drought years farmers slaughter a higher percentage of their cows and
slaughter their bull calves earlier than they would normally do. (They don't
fatten them first.)
In turn, this pushes down the prices for meat, and the meat from the extra
slaughtered cows floods the markets. In turn, this can push down the price
for the animals themselves. In particular, male dairy calves are often sold
on a per pound basis which is the same as the per pound price for beef.
On one hand, this is a tragic situation for the cows. On the other hand, if
there are any devotees who are thinking of getting a cow or a couple bull
calves for oxen, this may be a very good year to do so. Naturally, getting
them from a stockyard is a risky business because of the likelihood of
getting diseased animals.
On the other hand, maybe this fall is a good time to look up a Brown Swiss
or Guernsey or Milking Devon (etc.) farmer in your area and let him know
that you might be looking for a good animal that he can no longer maintain.
For example, a cow with coliform mastitis in one quarter might be too
expensive for him to keep. But if her lineage is good, she might be perfect
for you. She can produce perfect daughters and perfect sons and still give
you plenty of milk for your family and a few others. Your needs are
different from the commercial producers.
So, many devotees may want to keep this opportunity in mind this year.
your servant,
Hare Krsna dasi
From: Hare Krsna dasi (Brunswick, Maine - USA)
Hare.Krsna.dasi@bbt.se
Sent: 27 September 1999 17:28
Subject: [Fwd: Wild food] Website
[Text 2658818 from COM]
I just had a brain storm
Haribol to all
Sense I have challenge you guys to learn at least ten eatable wild plants,
that live in your area. Then learn to eat them. That knowledge may save
your life and at least it may save you grocery money.
Hare Krishna Carol and everyone!
this is a great idea.
here is an interesting web site with info on plant types and their various
uses .. hope it helps in some small way.
http://metalab.unc.edu/pfaf/D_search.html#USE
Your servant, Krsna Prana dd
Perth, Western Australia
From: Hare Krsna dasi (Brunswick, Maine - USA)
Hare.Krsna.dasi@bbt.se
Sent: 15 October 1999 21:36
Subject: Campbell Folk School - North Carolina
[Text 2711223 from COM]
John C. Campbell Folk School
Brasstown, North Carolina
***************************
From: Hare Krsna dasi
Recently Harakanta prabhu sent me a catalogue from the Campbell Folk School
in North Carolina.
In light of our recent discussions on the importance of producing flax in
Northern climates, I was interested to note that on Feb 25-27, 2000, the
school will be offering a class called: *Flax: From Seed to Linen* by Dale
Liles. "We will use the actual tools involved: flax break, scutching board &
knife, and hackles. Class material is designed to be of interest to
historical re-enactors and docents for historical sites, as well as those
interested in the many uses of this plant besides its thread-making
qualities. Other bast fibers will be discussed and spun as time permits."
But, beyond that, I was quite surprised what an extensive range of courses
they offer (450 classes) and that they have been in existence since 1920.
This raises several points for consideration:
1. This school could well be one of the models (like Tillers International
ox power school) we might want to investigate for developing our own
Varnasrama Colleges.
2. The Campbell Folk School is based on the Skandinavian Folk school model -
so European devotees could visit those schools as models.
3. The vast range of courses (450) and the length of time they have been in
existence (70 years!) shows how much the public can be attracted by this
type of training, and how successful it can be if craftspersons of top skill
can be engaged to present courses. This seems to be an exact confirmation of
Prabhupada's plans to spread Krsna consciousness by developing varnasrama
self-sufficiency colleges (14 March 1974, 14 Feb 1977). It also supports his
statement in Mauritius 1975 to the effect that "They will be attracted by
your training power."
Below is a list of the subject areas (there may be as many as 24 courses
within 1 subject area) and some contact information, for those of you who do
not have web access.
Naturally, it would be nice to visit the school - but even for those of us
who cannot visit, this give a clue of some subjects which could be taught at
a varnasrama college. One idea is to offer courses on self-sufficiency which
will be of interest to the general public. When they visit for a week or so
to take the courses, we have the opportunity to teach them about Krsna
consciousness.
Below is the information.
your servant,
Hare Krsna dasi
[I am also sending a blind copy of this post to topical.discussions.]
***************************
http://www.folkschool.com/
On our 372 acre farm-campus in the mountains of western North Carolina we
offer more than 450 week long and weekend classes for adults year round
covering a wide variety of traditional and contemporary crafts, folk music,
folk dance, photography, nature studies, cooking, gardening, writing, and
storytelling.
For more information phone us weekdays from 8:00 am until 5:00 pm eastern
time at 1-800-FOLK-SCH (1-800-365-5724) or 837-2775 for local callers. Our
fax number is 828-837-8637. Our postal address is One Folk School Road,
Brasstown, NC 28902. We're sorry that at this time our e-mail capability is
limited to catalog requests only.
About The Folk School
The Folk School was founded in 1925, a collaboration between two progressive
educators and an Appalachian community. Olive Dame Campbell, Marguerite
Butler and the people of Brasstown created a unique institution that seeks
to bring people toward two kinds of development: inner growth as creative,
thoughtful individuals, and social development as tolerant, caring members
of a community. Throughout its history, the Folk School has worked toward
these goals through performing arts, agriculture and crafts rooted in the
traditions of Southern Appalachia and other cultures of the world.
Lifestyles and relationships to tradition have changed since 1925. Rural
life, no longer isolated, is part of a global life that is increasingly
interdependent. The individual expression and social interaction that are
encouraged through music, crafts, gardening and dance are still meaningful
to people today, regardless of where they live. Materials, tools and
motivations for these traditional arts have changed, but the satisfactions
of developing skills in a noncompetitive, supportive environment are useful
correctives to the hard-driven, often dehumanizing regimentation of much of
today's world.
Modeled on the Danish "folkehøjskole,"instruction at our Folk School is
non-competitive: there are no credits, no grades, no degrees, no pitting of
one individual against another. The method of teaching is what the Danes
called "The Living Word." Discussion and conversation, rather than reading
and writing, are emphasized, and most instruction is "hands-on." The Folk
School Experience is a unique combination of rich history, beautiful
mountain surroundings, and the experience of living and learning together.
Information about the history and development of the Danish Folk Schools may
be found (in English!) on the web pages of the Royal Danish Ministry of
Foreign Affairs.
A Unique History
John C. Campbell, born in Indiana and reared in Wisconsin, studied education
and theology in New England. Like many other idealistic young people of his
generation, he felt a calling to humanitarian work. At the turn of the
century, the Southern Appalachian region was viewed as a fertile field for
educational and social missions. With his new bride, Olive Dame of
Massachusetts, he undertook a fact-finding survey of social conditions in
the mountains in 1908-1909.
The Campbells outfitted a wagon as a travelling home and studied mountain
life from Georgia to West Virginia. While John interviewed farmers about
their agricultural practices, Olive collected the ancient ballads and
studied the handicrafts of the mountain people. Both were hopeful that the
quality of life could be improved by education.
The "folkehøjskole" (folk school) had long been a force in the rural life of
Denmark. These "schools for life" had helped transform the Danish
countryside into a vibrant, creative force in national life. The Campbells
talked of such a school in the rural South as an alternative to education
that drew intelligent young people away from their family farms to the
cities. After John died in 1919, Olive Campbell and her friend Marguerite
Butler studied folk schools in Denmark, Sweden, and other countries. They
returned to the U.S. full of purposeful energy and a determination to start
such a school in Appalachia. But they realized, more than many reformers of
the day, that they could not impose their ideas on the mountain people, but
would need to develop a genuine collaboration with the people. Several
locations were under consideration for the experimental school. On an
exploratory trip to Brasstown, Miss Butler explained the idea to Fred O.
Scroggs, the local storekeeper, and said she would be back in a few weeks to
see if any interest had been shown. When she returned, it was to a meeting
of over 200 people at the local church. The people of Cherokee and Clay
Counties pledged labor, building materials and other support, and the
Scroggs family gave 75 acres of land. In 1925, the Folk School began its
work.
A Beautiful Place
Now designated an "Historical District" by the National Register of Historic
Places, the Folk School's twenty-seven buildings are the scene of many
services to the community, a variety of special events, and an
internationally-known instructional program. The 372-acre campus has
fully-equipped craft studios, a saw mill, meeting rooms, a covered outdoor
dance pavilion, a nature trail, a craft shop, a vegetable garden, rustic
lodgings, and The Community Room, which has one of the best dance floors in
America.
The School is located more than 1600 feet above sea level, in the rolling
farmland of a mountain valley. Some of the School's buildings were designed
by a Belgian architect in a Romantic European style, while others are more
typical of
Appalachian farm houses.
The Craft Shop, open daily, sells the work of over 200 mountain
craftspeople, including the famous Brasstown Carvers.
Basketry
Bead Work
Blacksmithing
Book Arts
Broom Making
Calligraphy
Chair seats
Clay
Cooking
Crochet
Dance
Dolls
Drawing
Dyeing
Embroidery
Enameling
Felting
Gardening
Geneaology
Glass
Jewelry
Kaleidoscopes
Knitting
Lace
Marbling
Metalwork
Music
Nature Studies
Painting
Paper art
Photography
Printmaking
Quilting
Recreation
Rugs
Spinning
Soapmaking
Stonecarving
Storytelling
Thread art
Tinsmithing
Weaving
Woodcarving
Woodturning
Woodworking
Writing
From: Madhava Gosh (das) ACBSP (New Vrindavan - USA)
Madhava.Gosh.ACBSP@bbt.se
Sent: 28 November 1999 13:28
Subject: Ashwaganda
[Text 2814150 from COM]
From The October 1998 issue of Nutrition Science News
Revitalize with Ashwagandha
By John Douillard, D.C.
An herb that rejuvenates the nervous system, erases insomnia and eases
stress?
Finding a gentle tonic for common 20th-century ailments sounds too good to
be true, but research has validated many virtues of the Ayurvedic herb
ashwagandha.
Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) is sometimes called Indian ginseng in
reference to its rejuvenative and tonic effects on the nervous system. In
fact, numerous studies show ashwagandha to be superior to ginseng (Panax
ginseng) as an antistress adaptogen.1,2
Ashwagandha, also called winter cherry, is a small, perennial evergreen
shrub found predominantly in India and Israel. A member of the Solanaceae
family, it resembles a large, erect potato plant. Traditionally, all parts
of the plant were used as medicine, but the root, which has a damp-horse
smell, is most commonly used today.
Ashwagandha contains at least 26 bioactive alkaloids and steroidal lactones
called withanolides.3 The most active withanolide, withaferin A, appears
responsible for most of ashwagandha's bioactivity. The plant's complex
chemistry and numerous constituents may explain its broad spectrum of
therapeutic properties including acting as an adaptogen, anti-inflammatory,
aphrodisiac, nervine, respiratory stimulant, sedative and tonic.
Deep Tissue Cleansing
Because ashwagandha is a sweet root with secondary bitter qualities, it can
penetrate the body's deep tissues, opening rather than constricting them.
Very bitter roots constrict and cleanse but do not deeply access the body
and rejuvenate it. After tissues are penetrated, ashwagandha's secondary
bitter and astringent qualities stimulate a deep-tissue cleansing not
possible with an exclusively bitter herb. Its sweetness also makes
ashwagandha a "heavy" herb, which may require it to be taken with meals or
ginger (Zingiber officinale) for effective digestion, all according to
Ayurvedic theory.
A typical dose is 250 mg three times daily but varies based on condition. A
toxic dose of ashwagandha would be hard to come by. The LD50 (a lethal dose
for 50 percent of mice studied) was 1,076 mg/kg.4
Ashwagandha is called a rasayana, which means a powerful rejuvenative in
Ayurvedic terminology. Rasayanas are rarely made up of just one herb, but
ashwagandha is a key component of many formulas. According to the Ayurvedic
system of medicine, there are seven "tissues" manufactured by the body:
lymph, blood, bone, muscle, fat, nerve and reproductive tissues. According
to Ayurvedic theory, a 30-day series of enzymatic processes transforms lymph
into ojas, which is
the body's most specialized tissue. Ojas controls reproduction, immunity and
general health, and ashwagandha specifically builds ojas and supports these
functions.
Ojas depletion can be caused by stress, which triggers stress-fighting
hormones and free radicals that in turn cause degeneration of the immune and
other physiological systems. This stress-induced reaction can open the way
for illness
and disease.
In one double-blind study involving mice, ashwagandha prevented
stress-related gastrointestinal ulcers, increased physical endurance, and
prevented the depletion of vitamin C and cortisol in subjects that were
stressed with a swimming exercise.5
In another double-blind study, 101 healthy men ranging in age from 50 to 59
took either ashwagandha or placebo for one year. Aging parameters such as
graying hair and calcium levels were significantly improved in the herb
group compared to
placebo. Up to 70 percent of those using ashwagandha also noticed increased
libido and sexual function.6
In Ayurvedic medical theory, ashwagandha balances both the nervous system (Vata)
and the musculoskeletal system (Kapha) simultaneously, while it also
increases heat (Pitta). In chronic conditions it is common to see Vata-Kapha
imbalances, which are usually long-standing and difficult to treat. A
classic example of such a condition is arthritis, which involves joints that
are both painful-dry (Vata) and swollen-inflamed (Kapha). Ashwagandha would
be the medicine of choice in such a condition because it balances both Vata
and Kapha.
Ashwagandha is used effectively for insomnia but does not act as a
sedative.
Its rejuvenative and nervine properties provide the energy (prana) the body
needs to settle and sleep. In this way it helps the body address a
stress-related condition rather than masking it with a sedative.
Ashwagandha has a complex role in health and healing that is just beginning
to be understood by researchers. Its diverse applications, which range from
antistress and anticancer to enhancement of memory and learning, make this
an up-and-coming herbal star.
John Douillard, D.C., is an Ayurvedic physician trained in India. He has
taught Ayurveda in the United States for 11 years. Author of Body, Mind and
Sport (Crown Books, 1994), he also directs an Ayurvedic panchakarma center
in Boulder, Colo.
REFERENCES
1. Grandhi A, et al. Compapharmacology investigation of ashwagandha and
ginseng. J Ethnopharmacol Dec 1994;44(3):131-5.
2. Battacharya SK, et al. Antistress activity of sitonindosides VII and
VIII, new acylsterylglucosides from Withania somnifera. Phyto Therapy
Research 1987;1(1):32-7.
3. Duke J. Handbook of Medicinal Plants. Boca Raton (FL): CRC Press; 1986.
4. Withania. Lawrence Review 1988 Jul.
5. Karnick CR. Indian Medicine 1991 Apr-Jul;3(2,3):1-5.
6. Kupparanjan K, et al. Effect of ashwagandha on the process of aging in
human volunteers. J Res Ayurveda and Sadai 1980;247-258.
From: Samba (das) SDG (Mauritius)
Samba.SDG@bbt.se
Sent: 15 December 1999 03:28
Subject: Dry Ice
[Text 2858880 from COM]
I just bought about 150Kgs of various grains and beans, and they are almost
all infested slightly with grain weavils and other undesirables. Getting
good storage cans in this country is not easy, eventualy I found some Indian
stainless steel containers with a good lid, but not airtight, they hold
about 15 kilos of rice each.
Well I cant find diatomaceous earth. And I am franticaly searching for dry
ice, where could I look? I have called Lab suppliers, pharmaceutical
suppliers, and clinics, and none of them even heard of dry ice. When I
explain that you can use it to freeze body parts, they hang up on me!
If I get co2 and I dont have airtight containers, will it work? What if I
fill the container with co2, and then put on the lid and tape it up? But how
would I know if the container is full, and what is to stop the co2 getting
out and air in?
Say I fill a 20 litre jerry can with grain, give it the co2 treatment for
half an hour, then, unhappy that I have succesfully suffocated countless
entities, I transfer the grains to the other containers, and tape them up.
Would that work? Or would the eggs be unnafected?
Finaly what about neem leaves, should they be dry or fresh. I cant get
enough oil right now.
I'm almost out of time Y2K is on the threshold, I can almost feel its icy
breath on the back of my neck, and I hate to think of all those bugs
munching away at my grains, in their new, shiny, stainless steel homes!
Help someone!
Even if the Y2K bug is a dud, I still want those grains next year, and not a
pile of weavil doo.
YS Samba das
From: Carol
DGilsen@aol.com
Sent: 15 December 1999 04:15
Subject: Re: Dry Ice and bugs
[Text 2858913 from COM]
Haribol Samba
I have heard that you can get Diatomaceous earth in Bombay. Dry Ice can some
times be found in ice cream vendors supply houses. The Ice cream that some
street vendors sell is kept cold with dry Ice.
To kill the little beasties in your grains place a sheet on the ground and
pour the rice on the sheet. The rice should be spread very thinly the
sunlight will make the little varmints run for shade. ( I used to watch them
do that in India on the roofs) You then scoop up your cleaner rice, and
place in your steel containers. CO2 gas is heavier than air so put a hose to
the bottom of the container and slowly leak about fifteen minutes of CO2 gas
then pop on the lid and tape it up. That is the best I can offer. If you can
keep the gas in the container it will suffocate the bugs and by driving the
air out of the container thetas why you fill the container from the bottom
with the Co2 gas. It will let your grains age more slowly as air oxidizes
the grains. When the eggs hatch, if there is no air they die, or never
hatch. If you know any one in Bombay. I was told by a devotee in India that
he got diatomaceous earth in Bombay. Diatomaceous earth is used as a
swimming pool filter material it is also used as a scouring power, as a non
toxic flea power, it is added to paint to make a reflective paint for
highways and signs it is used in tooth paste also. Neem is a bug repellent
not insecticide! If you place some Neem oil or fresh Neem leaves (they seem
like they would be the most powerful) in your grain and seal up the
containers the bugs won't like it at all but sense they can't get away well
they just hold their noises and eat away. I believe that after you have
gassed the grains if you add fresh Neem leaves and your containers are not
air tight then Neem might also be a deterrent to reinfestion. The lady who
has been burning up cyber space with smoking emails about my comments on
castor oil, Tulasipriya dasa, apparently is a really good herbalist perhaps
she will have a cure for your woes.
Carol
From: ISCOWP (Balabhadra Dasa & Chaya Dasi - USA)
ISCOWP@bbt.se
Sent: 06 February 2000 21:48
Subject: Fw: Rachel #685: TROUBLE IN THE GARDEN
[Text 2993658 from COM]
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Thursday, February 03, 2000 6:37 PM
Subject: Rachel #685: TROUBLE IN THE GARDEN
=======================Electronic Edition========================
RACHEL'S ENVIRONMENT & HEALTH WEEKLY #685 .
---February 3, 2000--- .
HEADLINES: .
TROUBLE IN THE GARDEN .
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TROUBLE IN THE GARDEN
Wall Street investors lost confidence in agricultural biotechnology during
1999.[1,2,3] Agricultural biotechnology is by no means dead, but investors
drove down stock prices of ag biotech companies during 1999 in a stunning
reversal for the industry. The WALL STREET JOURNAL said Jan. 7, 2000, "With
the controversy over genetically modified foods spreading across the globe
and taking a toll on the stocks of companies with agricultural-biotechnology
businesses, it's hard to see those companies as a good investment, even in
the long term."[2]
Hardest hit was Monsanto, the St. Louis chemical giant that had spent 5
years and billions of dollars morphing itself into a "life sciences"
company, betting its future on biotechnology in pharmaceutical drugs and
agricultural crops. As the WALL STREET JOURNAL wrote December 21, 1999,
"Billions of dollars later, that concept of a unified 'life sciences'
company -- using technology to improve both medicines and foods -- has
become an affliction itself for Monsanto. The crop-biotechnology half of the
program has grown so controversial that Monsanto has agreed to a deal that
is likely not only to push biotech to the back burner, but also to cost
Monsanto its independence. And investors are reacting harshly."[3]
Monsanto agreed late in 1999 to merge with Pharmacia & Upjohn, Inc. and the
combined company will be run not from St. Louis but from Pharmacia
headquarters in Peapack, New Jersey. Monsanto's ag biotech business will be
spun off into a separate company and as much as 19.9% of it will be sold.
Two other leaders in ag biotech, the Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis AG,
and the Anglo-Swiss drug firm AstroZeneca PLC, announced during 1999 that
they will combine their ag biotech divisions into one and sell it off,
"effectively washing their hands of crop biotechnology," the WALL STREET
JOURNAL said.[3]
Thus by the end of 1999, ag biotech companies found themselves in trouble,
worldwide, for the first time. Here is a short list of reasons why:
** A lawsuit against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) forced the
release of government documents showing that FDA scientists had expressed
grave doubts about the safety of genetically modified foods even as the
agency was publicly declaring such foods "substantially equivalent" to
traditional crops.[4] It seems clear from these documents that the
scientific integrity of the U.S. regulatory system has been compromised for
political purposes, to provide a "fast track" for the rapid, large-scale
introduction of genetically modified foods.
** The insurance industry has consistently refused to write policies
covering liability for harm caused by genetically modified organisms. Steven
Suppan, research director at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy
(IATP) in Minneapolis, said last June, "It is worth asking what kind of
regulatory system approves for commercialization a technology whose risks
are so undetermined that the products developed from the technology have not
been insur- ed? An intuitive response is that the U.S. rejection of
liability suggests that U.S. agribusiness and the U.S. government have less
confidence than is proclaimed publicly in the safety of the products
approved and in the integrity of the product review process," Dr. Suppan
said.[5]
** A growing body of literature has begun to show that genetically modified
crops are creating new kinds of environmental problems for farmers, and that
genetically modified crops are exacerbating already-severe economic problems
on American farms.[6]
** Europeans and others overseas have continued to insist that the safety of
genetically modified foods has not been sufficiently documented and that
import of such foods must be prohibited, or they must be labeled. The doubts
expressed by FDA scientists, and the growing list of economic and
environmental problems are likely to stiffen European resistance to
genetically-modified seeds, crops, and foods.
** It became apparent in 1999 that the public rationale for promoting
genetically modified foods -- that such foods would "feed the world" -- was
based on wishful thinking, not economics. It is now clear that U.S.
genetically modified crops are too expensive to "feed the world."[6]
** The rationale for refusing to label genetically modified foods came
unraveled in 1999 as biotechnology companies began to announce new crops
with special traits (rice with increased vitamin A, for example). For years,
biotech companies, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and FDA have argued that labeling
genetically modified foods was impossible because it would require food
companies to segregate genetically modified crops from conventional crops
and it simply couldn't be done. All the crops were mixed together in the
grain elevator, so labeling would be impossible, they said.
This silly and disingenuous argument evaporated in 1999. As soon as biotech
firms announced specialty foods created by genetic engineering, the labeling
problem miraculously disappeared. Labeling is suddenly easy -- indeed,
required -- because consumer's can't be expected to pay premium prices for
specialty foods if those foods aren't clearly identifiable on the grocery
shelf.
Polls have shown that more than 80% of American consumers want genetically
modified foods labeled as such. Now that labeling is acknowledged as
feasible, will the biotech industry, USDA, EPA, and FDA bend to the public
will and start labeling ALL genetically modified foods? Not on your life.
Government and industry argue with one voice that labeling is not necessary
because genetically modified foods are "substantially equivalent" to the
conventional foods they have replaced. They even say labeling would be
"misleading" because it would imply that there are differences between
biotech foods and conventional foods.
Federal regulations governing biotech foods are founded on the premise that
there are no "material differences" between genetically modified crops and
conventional crops. This argument, it turns out, was thoroughly discredited
by FDA scientists before the regulations were issued.
The FDA spent 1989-1992 developing regulations governing genetically
modified foods for humans and feed for animals. This was back when President
Bush and Vice-President Quayle were advocating "regulatory relief" for
industry.
FDA's rules -- which were announced by Mr. Quayle in 1992 -- allow a biotech
company like Monsanto or DuPont to decide for itself whether its food
products are "generally recognized as safe" (GRAS). If a company decides
that its new genetically modified corn or soybean or potato or wheat is
"generally recognized as safe" then no safety testing is required before the
products are introduced into the food supply. FDA said these rules -- like
all their rules -- are based on "sound science."
However, during 1999 a lawsuit filed by the Alliance for Bio-Integrity in
Fairfield, Iowa, forced the FDA to release some 44,000 pages of internal
documents for the first time.[4] Among them was a series of memos from FDA
scientists commenting on the FDA's proposed "substantially equivalent"
policy for biotech
foods.
A key issue is whether "pleiotropic effects" will occur when new genes are
inserted into plants to give the plants desirable new traits. Pleiotropy
means that more than one change occurs in a plant as a result of the new
gene. For example, a gene that allows a plant to grow better under drought
conditions might also make the entire plant grow smaller. The smaller size
would be an unexpected "pleiotropic" effect.
FDA regulations assume that pleiotropic effects will not occur when new
genes are inserted into conventional foods such as corn or potatoes or wheat
or soybeans. Therefore, FDA says, genetically modified crops are
"substantially equivalent" to conventional crops.
Internal memos make it abundantly clear that FDA's scientific staff believes
pleiotropic effects will occur when new genes are inserted into food crops.
[In the following quotations, words inside square brackets have been added
for clarity but words inside normal parentheses were in the original
memos.--P.M.]
Commenting on the FDA's proposed biotech regulations in early 1992, Louis
Pribyl, an FDA microbiologist, wrote March 6, 1992, "It reads very
pro-industry, especially in the area of unintended effects.... This is
industry's pet idea, namely that there are no unintended effects that will
raise the FDA's level of concern. But time and time again, there is no data
to backup their contention, while the scientific literature does contain
many examples of naturally occurring pleiotropic effects. When the
introduction of genes into [a] plant's genome randomly occurs, as is the
case with the current [genetic modification] technology (but not traditional
breeding), it seems apparent that many pleiotropic effects will occur," Dr.
Pribyl wrote. "Many of these effects might not be seen by the breeder
[meaning Monsanto or DuPont or other biotech firm] because of the more or
less similar growing conditions in the limited trials that are performed.
Until more of these experimental plants have a wider environmental
distribution, it would be premature for FDA to summarily dismiss pleiotropy
as is done here," Dr. Pribyl wrote.
On the same subject, a memo from the Division of Contaminants Chemistry
within FDA's Division of Food Chemistry and Technology said November 1,
1991, "Pleiotropic effects occur in genetically engineered plants... at
frequencies up to 30%. Most of these effects can be managed by the
subsequent breeding and selection procedures. Nevertheless, some undesirable
effects such as increased levels of known naturally occurring toxicants,
appearance of new, not previously identified toxicants, increased capability
of concentrating toxic substances from the environment (e.g., pesticides or
heavy metals), and undesirable alterations in the levels of nutrients may
escape breeders' attention unless genetically engineered plants are
evaluated specifically for these changes. Such evaluations should be
performed on a case-by-case basis, i.e., every transformant should be
evaluated before it enters the marketplace."
Instead of heeding the concerns of its scientific staff, FDA issued biotech
food rules that assume no pleiotropic effects will occur, therefore no
safety testing is required. All biotech foods are assumed to be safe. The
stage was thus set for confidence in biotech foods to plummet as soon as
word leaked out that the scientific underpinnings of the regulatory system
had been compromised.
To be continued next week.
==============
[1] I am indebted to Steven Suppan, research director at the Institute for
Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) in Minneapolis, who provided me with
several brief, thoughtful summaries of the state of agricultural
biotechnology. Contact: ssuppan@iatp.org.
Telephone (612) 870-3413.
[2] Christina Cheddar, "Tales of the Tape: Seed Co. May Yet Reap What They
Sow," WALL STREET JOURNAL January 7, 2000, pg. unknown.
[3] Scott Kilman and Thomas M. Burton, "Biotech Backlash is Battering Plan
Shapiro Thought Was Enlightened," WALL STREET JOURNAL December 21, 1999,
pg.A1.
[4] The FDA documents are available at
http://www.bio-integrity.org/list.html. And see Marian Burros,
"Documents Show Officials Disagreed on Altered Foods," NEW YORK TIMES
December 1, 1999, pg. A15.
[5] Steven Suppan, unpublished paper, "National Summit on the Hazards of
Genetically Engineered Foods, June 17, 1999, Capitol Hilton Hotel,
Washington, D.C. 2 pgs.
[6] Some of this literature is summarized in Charles M. Benbrook, "World
Food System Challenges and Opportunities: GMOs, Biodiversity, and Lessons
From America's Heartland," unpublished paper presented January 27, 1999, at
University of Illinois. Available in PDF format at
http://www.pmac.net/ IWFS.pdf .
Descriptor terms: biotechnology; monsanto; dupont; novartis; pharmacia;
astrozeneca; agriculture; hunger; fda; regulation; labeling; alliance for
biointegrity; pleiotropy;
################################################################
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################################################################
From: Hare Krsna dasi (Brunswick, Maine - USA)
Hare.Krsna.dasi@bbt.se
Sent: 22 February 2000 22:34
Subject: Greenhouses - Dressing in layers
[Text 3034710 from COM]
"COM: (Bhakta) Dirk Vansant (Geel - B)" wrote:
Dear Carol
In extreme climates where cold is the issue I
would suggest a cold frame
and a small green house.
cold frames meaning low glass boxes ? I'm sorry
but i'm not always that
familiar with american terms, and then I'm not sure...
The green house is for personal comfort and as
a place where you can get an early start on the season.
I do my winter growing in the greenhouse aswell.
It was good you mention the low CO2 available in greenhouses. I never
really though about it. What we do here is just open the greenhouse during
the day (especially when there's sunshine) and have it closed at night. It
must help a bit, no ?
You can use sheep manure in a thick pile on the
green house floor to keep the place warm and use the warmth to get a
jump on a short season.
Just read a tidbit on greenhouses by Elliot Coleman in
the latest Mother Earth News.
He says that -- just like when you go outdoors to work and dress in layers
-- he "dresses his greenhouse in layers."
That is to say, within his greenhouse, he will put an additional small box
covered with ramai (sp??) or plastic. That way, on very cold nights, there
are two layers to protect the plants.
Seems like a good idea.
I put together a small cold frame (2x4s covered with heavy plastic) to put
over my carrots for this winter. I keep wishing I had put another smaller
box inside that to keep them even warmer.
Anyway, right now the whole thing is covered with about 8 inches of snow.
Yippee!! I can't help loving the snow, it's so cheerful.
Didn't Prabhupada say that Krsna has snow in the Vaikuntha, and that it is
different colors? Sounds great.
your servant,
Hare Krsna dasi
From: Madhava Gosh (das) ACBSP (New Vrindavan - USA)
Madhava.Gosh.ACBSP@bbt.se
Sent: 23 February 2000 04:07
Subject: Re: Greenhouses - Dressing in layers
[Text 3035147 from COM]
That is to say, within his greenhouse, he will
put an additional small box covered with ramai (sp??) or plastic. That
way, on very cold nights, there are two layers to protect the plants.
Remay. I use remay to protect plants outdoors from
unexpected late frosts, or unseasonable early ones. It is better than
plastic , because you can lay it right on the plants themselves. Plastic
attracts frost, so although it does protect plants underneath it, any leaves
touching it will get burned.
Seems like a good idea.
I put together a small cold frame (2x4s covered with heavy plastic) to put
over my carrots for this winter. I keep wishing I had put another smaller
box inside that to keep them even warmer.
You can keep kale all winter that way. You can throw
old blankets over the cold frame, or bags of leaves even, as insulation for
really cold periods.
Anyway, right now the whole thing is covered with
about 8 inches of snow. Yippee!! I can't help loving the snow, it's so
cheerful.
Didn't Prabhupada say that Krsna has snow in the Vaikuntha, and that it is
different colors? Sounds great.
Well, different colored snows may be nice in Vaikuntha,
but in the material world, don't eat yellow snow :-)
From: Dirk Vansant (Geel - B)
Dirk.Vansant@bbt.se
Sent: 24 February 2000 20:01
Subject: Re: Greenhouses - Dressing in layers
[Text 3040420 from COM]
Remay. I use remay to protect plants outdoors
from unexpected late frosts,or unseasonable early ones. It is better than
plastic , because you can lay it right on the plants themselves. Plastic
attracts frost, so although it does protect plants underneath it, any
leaves touching it will get burned.
Can't find it in my dictionary, so could you explain a
little what is remay
You can keep kale all winter that way.
I heard that kale is at its best like that (when it
has been frozen and covered with snow)
Well, different colored snows may be nice in
Vaikuntha, but in the material world, don't eat yellow snow :-)
Unless you have a serious sulfur diffeciency, ofcourse
:-)
From: Dirk Vansant (Geel - B)
Dirk.Vansant@bbt.se
Sent: 24 February 2000 20:01
Subject: Greenhouses - Dressing in layers
[Text 3040419 from COM]
just read a tidbit on greenhouses by Elliot
Coleman in the latest Mother Earth News.
I don't have .
He says that -- just like when you go outdoors to
work and dress in layers
That's a good idea. I guess Carols' idea of putting
reflective material on the ground already helps quite a bit with insulation.
Above that you'd need to protect the plant above groundlevel aswell i guess
?
That is to say, within his greenhouse, he will
put an additional small box covered with ramai (sp??) or plastic. That
way, on very cold nights, there are two layers to protect the plants.
You just use them at nights, right ? I can't see any
good in covering a plant all the time.
Anyway, right now the whole thing is covered with
about 8 inches of snow. Yippee!! I can't help loving the snow, it's so
cheerful.
Snow ! Why ooh Lord did you forget Belgium this year
:-)
Didn't Prabhupada say that Krsna has snow in the
Vaikuntha, and that it is different colors? Sounds great.
Whatever. Any snow will do to satisfy this conditioned
soul for now :-)
From: Dirk Vansant (Geel - B)
Dirk.Vansant@bbt.se
Sent: 24 February 2000 20:01
Subject: Re:Cold weather crops and greenhouses
[Text 3040421 from COM]
Dear Carol
Thanx for the extensive effort...
At twenty eight I had a job five kids, husband
and a garden you blossom where you are planted.
Well, you can't change the past, but that is
defenitely not yet my future. Need to do some more growing up before I would
choke in it.
Yes, opening the doors during the day helps. But
the pressurized gas is sorta like an extra side dressing of manure tea. It
will make up for extremely short days and if the green house gets full sun
all the time you can really get a great crop it encourages your plants to
grow very quickly and become very healthy. Your crops will be growing
under extreme circumstances, so you give them all the love and advantage
they can get. In extreme cold it is usually also very dry. So you keep the
floor damp to add humidity. CO2 is like another kind of fertilizer it
really works!
That seems a good idea, if you consider the amount of
sunshine or just plain daylight we get in the summer (upto 24 hours a day).
It would really boost them with some extra nutrients and co2. But still you
have to keep a balance, right ? I can imagine they would appriciate more co2
in the summer, but not so much in the winter (when they hardly get
sunlight). They won't get overloaded ?
The pile of manure can be outside the green house
with a pipe coiled up inside it and then run into the green house.
So, your system is based on hot air then... You'd need
a vent or just let it flow from the pipe into your greenhouse at one point ?
From the floor or accross the ceiling ?
If you run water through the pipe you will have a
manure heater
But you get less heat in your greenhouse then you
would with hot air, right?
or you could use a solar heater same thing only
you use an insulated black box with pipe coiled inside and a glass cover
over the top the water will be heated and can be used for showers and or
to heat the green house.
But that won't work in winter when we need the heating
most in the greenhouse...
If you need to feed ten people then you must have
a green house. Green houses properly done can produce three times the food
you could on a regular space with half the work. You also have less bugs
and disease.....
You're sure ? I had a terrible time this summer in the
green house. A lot of damage...
but because of the climate you will need to place
spacers and then add a second sheet of plastic film to create an air
space. That will keep your inexpensive green house much warmer than a
single sheet of plastic.
Good.
You can pry the lid up with a stick if it gets
too hot and cover it with cardboard or Styrofoam when it starts to get too
cold.
What about humidity in cold frames ? It shouldn't be
too high, right ? At least if you look at the limited and crowded space and
it being so low to the ground (less aeration) I can imagine problems with
mould. I even have problems in my big greenhouse with crowdy plants
developping mold.
You can get lots more potatoes by planting three
sets (plants) in a small circle and placing a car tire around the three
little plants as they get tall
yes, i have been able to follow up these texts on the
conference. Thanx for spending time again...
The new leaves will quickly turn into roots when
you cover them with straw, sense you only get potatoes from the rootlets
you are giving yourself six more sets of roots than you ever would have
had before.
But a consideration: you don't add sand in the tires ?
Then how do the plants root in the tires ? just from the little straw you
add ?
The plastic bag I use is a dry-cleaning bag on a
coat hanger,( I have a friend who gets all her stuff dry-cleaned) I just
pull the bag down to about the floor.
About the floor, so you leave space for aeration...
Yes, it is a special cloth like stuff, it lasts
about five years. Lets sun light in keeps bugs out and acts like a wind
break and will hold in some heat. It will let rain in also. You can leave
the fabric on all the time also. Rabbits don't seem to bother the plants
so much also.
I haven't seen it around here yet and i'm sure it is
not the 'mesh' we used on the apple trees at Balabhadras either I guess ( at
least Gosh was charging us more :-) We'll see what we can get a hold of when
i'm there...
We ran it (exhaust) Straight into the green house
no pipes.
Woo, I wouldn't want to be in your greenhouse... All
this is supposed to be good for the plants ? At least we're advised here not
to eat things that are close to the roads or factories.
it got down to eighty below zero F at point
barrow quite often, cold enough that if you spit it froze before it hit
the ground. I threw out a cup of boiling water and it froze on the way
down but it was 100 degrees below zero F. The coldest day we ever had.
I'm sure it won't get that bad in Iceland...
All day, sixteen hours. The lamps were grow lamps
they have all spectrum oflight in them regular tube lights white light
will not give the plants all the correct kind of light it must be a GROW
LIGHT. If you are in the dark too long it makes you depressed and tired
but is you have a grow light it won't effect you very much, human bodies
need sunlight also but a grow light may be the next best thing.
Good you mentioned, cause I was too stupid to think of
that. Maybe it will also be good to have one in my room for winter. I'm
annualy suffering from a 'winter down'. I'm always so happy when the spring
vibes arrive... immediately feel energy flowing again.
Actually if you just paint wood panels a bright
white and place on the North side of the green house it alone will reflect
a lot of light.
Good.
also if you paint a light blue strip about half a
meter wide (18") every five feet on the South side of the green house that
helps the plant growth also. Something to do with blue spectrum of light.
It does work I can tell you that. Why, I do not know!
That i never heard of... thanx
Yes, I grew the plants vertically The plants used
the Styrofoam beads to hold on the roots got the compost tea I fed them by
me pouring the tea mixture into the top of the pipe and caught it in a
bucket in the bottom.
You do that how many times a day/week ?
Now I use 4 liter plastic milk bottles and fill
it up with manure tea, I polk a small hole in one corner and hang over the
container so it slowly drips into the pipe. Drip irrigation at it's
simplest.
Yes, that is lazy intelligence, but it does save time
so you concentrate on other usefull activities. You can get so much more
done... not unlike me whose always wasting so much time due to lack of
creativity... good to have someone like you around.
Smart man that is a good Idea.
Hum... ideas enough, but they hardly ever manifest...
"Bunny berries" can be placed directly on your
crops. (straight from the rabbit to the tomatoes).
You can dry them and crush to have a powder ? Or is
that too hard to do ? Talking of rabbits: you have experience with them.
Anything you want to share or important things to mention ? I'll also have
to take care of them...
See you are already thinking.
Buh... always figuring out how to make money I am...
could do more usefull things with my thinking...
dirk
From: Madhava Gosh (das) ACBSP (New Vrindavan - USA)
Madhava.Gosh.ACBSP@bbt.se
Sent: 25 February 2000 00:57
Subject: Re: Cold weather crops and greenhouses
You're sure ? I had a terrible time this summer
in the green house. A lot of damage...
We have found it best not to use a green house year
around if you are trying to be organic. Either empty it in the winter and
let it freeze for about a month, or empty it in the summer, close it up
tight and let it cook for a couple of weeks. Thus you either freeze out or
cook out a lot of pesty living entities. It breaks their cycles.
oflight in them regular tube lights white light
will not give the plants all the correct kind of light it must be a GROW
LIGHT. If you are in the dark too long it makes you depressed and tired
but is you have a grow light it won't effect you very much, human bodies
need sunlight also but a grow light may be the next best thing.
A cheaper alternative for a grow light is to put one
warm white bulb and one cool white bulb in each fixture. This gives a
broader spectrum of light that is closer to natural then either one alone.
From: Madhava Gosh (das) ACBSP (New Vrindavan - USA)
Madhava.Gosh.ACBSP@bbt.se
Sent: 25 February 2000 00:50
Subject: Re: Greenhouses - Dressing in layers
Can't find it in my dictionary, so could you explain a little what is
remay
Wasn't it you who covered Balabhadra's young fruit
trees to protect them from the 17 year locusts? That was remay you used.
From: Carol
DGilsen@aol.com
Sent: 25 February 2000 05:51
Subject: Re: Cold weather crops and greenhouses
That seems a good idea, if you consider the
amount of sunshine or just plain daylight we get in the summer (up to 24
hours a day). It would really boost them with some extra nutrients and
co2. But still you have to keep a balance, right? I can imagine they would
appreciate more Co2 in the summer, but not so much in the winter (when
they hardly get sunlight). They won't get overloaded?
Humans can be in 100% oxygen (for a short while before
it becomes toxic) and they at sea level can only absorb 16% no matter how
much they have in their surroundings. I believe that is true with plants
also but I don't know the percentage they can "load" in their systems. If
you are growing in a green house in the winter. You must add the CO2 to
increase your productivity. Plants go dormant in low sun light the CO2 sorta
wakes the plants and gets them growing again. A bunch of growlights would
also help. In the summer if you use CO2 your plants will need a lot more of
compost and manure tea as they go into hyper drive growing and become
extremely heavy feeders. I grew a ton of carrots in five gallon (twenty
liter buckets) I poke several small holes in the of the bucket and fill the
bucket with small gravel (well cleaned and renced) put in about 4 mm of sand
and then plant the carrots in the fine sand I then place a board or small
stone under the edge of the bucket farther away from the holes so there is a
natural gravity flow. I run my manure tea from a suspended 4 liter milk jug
through a small hole poled in one corner. There is a pan under the carrot
bucket that catches the manure tea and it can be recycled again and again
for about one to two weeks the "tea can be freshened from time to time.
Place a sock full of bunny berries in a gallon or 4 liters of warm water
till it turns "tea colored" and water away.
The pile of manure can be outside the green house with a pipe coiled
up inside it and then run into the green house.
So, your system is based on hot air then... You'd
need a vent or just let it flow from the pipe into your greenhouse at one
point? From the floor or across the ceiling?
Heat rises! start your heat low and let it rise
naturally. No, I don't use hot air. I just recycle hot water under the beds
to keep the plants warm. A small recirclating pump will do the job. (yes
electric) Most green houses have a series of small windows at floor level
and several larger near the roof to let out excessive heat or humidity.
If you run water through the pipe you will have
a manure heater
But you get less heat in your greenhouse then you
would with hot air, right? No not necessarily. If you just recycle the hot
water again and again.
You would want to heat as much as posable and store it
in a heavily insulated
drum or container. To recycle at night when the plants really need it.
or you could use a solar heater same thing only
you use an insulated black box with pipe coiled inside and a glass cover
over the top the water will be heated and can be used for showers and or
to heat the green house.
But that won't work in winter when we need the
heating most in the greenhouse...
Really? Why not? The sun shines in the winter also
does it not? If the sun won't heat your water then use a huge pile of sheep
berries or bunny berries or cow plops. Green manure is notorious for getting
hot. Pile the manure up and stand the pipes vertically in the manure and let
it rip.
If you need to feed ten people then you must
have a green house. Green houses properly done can produce three times
the food you could on a regular space with half the work. You also have
less bugs and disease.....
You're sure? I had a terrible time this summer in
the green house. A lot of damage...
but because of the climate you will need to
place spacers and then add a second sheet of plastic film to create an
air space. That will keep your inexpensive green house much warmer than
a single sheet of plastic.
Good.
You can pry the lid up with a stick if it gets
too hot and cover it with cardboard or Styrofoam when it starts to get
too cold.
What about humidity in cold frames? It shouldn't
be too high, right? At least if you look at the limited and crowded space
and it being so low to the ground (less aeration) I can imagine problems
with mold. I even have problems in my big greenhouse with crowdy plants
developing mold.
the cold frames if they get too hot or too humid you
open the lid and let the humidity waft away. You do not over water in a cold
frame. If the humidity is still too high place a towel or burlap sac on the
edge so it is half in and half out of the cold frame that will wick out the
extra humidity without loosing too much precious heat. If you had a mold
problem in your big green house you should have had several big fans one in
one end and the other at the other end blasting the humidity out. The fans
blow the stale air out and bring fresh air in. Do you remember how stuffy it
gets in a room full of people if the windows aren't opened it happens fast.
The same happens to plants and they become starved for CO2 and become
weakened and are targets for disease. So they need enough humidity and CO2,
but ... not too much.
You can get lots more potatoes by planting
three sets (plants) in a small circle and placing a car tire around the
three little plants as they get tall
yes, I have been able to follow up these texts on
the conference. Thanx for spending time again...
The new leaves will quickly turn into roots
when you cover them with straw, sense you only get potatoes from the
rootlets you are giving yourself six more sets of roots than you ever
would have had before.
But a consideration: you don't add sand in the
tires? Then how do the plants root in the tires? just from the little
straw you add?
Yes, just from the straw, no sand. and you can harvest new potatoes from
the bottom by just lifting a tire and snagging a few. ( I always feel like I
am stealing when i sneaking a few new potatoes from the tires) You must
always add lots of manure tea each time as potatoes are heavy feeders.
The plastic bag I use is a dry-cleaning bag on
a coat hanger,( I have a friend who gets all her stuff dry-cleaned) I
just pull the bag down to about the floor.
About the floor, so you leave space for
aeration...
Yes but not much the CO2 is what the plants breath any
way. This should always be done at noon when the plants are
photosynthesizing the most. Around noon is when the plants need the extra
"kick start" Don't do this at night the plant has gone to bed and is dormant
it will get the least good if done at night or early in the morning.
Yes, it is a special cloth like stuff, it lasts
about five years. Lets sun light in keeps bugs out and acts like a wind
break and will hold in some heat. It will let rain in also. You can
leave the fabric on all the time also. Rabbits don't seem to bother the
plants so much also.
I haven't seen it around here yet and I'm sure it
is not the 'mesh' we used on the apple trees at Balabhadras either I guess
( at least Gosh was charging us more :-) We'll see what we can get a hold
of when i'm there...
We ran it (exhaust) Straight into the green
house no pipes.
Woo, I wouldn't want to be in your greenhouse...
All this is supposed to be good for the plants ? At least we're advised
here not to eat things that are close to the roads or factories. The
generator did not use Gasoline and
was not leaded. It burned propane we got as a by product from the oil
processing and drilling.
All day, sixteen hours. The lamps were grow
lamps they have all spectrum of light in them regular tube lights white
light will not give the plants all the correct kind of light it must be
a GROW LIGHT. If you are in the dark too long it makes you depressed and
tired but is you have a grow light it won't effect you very much, human
bodies need sunlight also but a grow light may be the next best thing.
You can stretch the use of the grow light if you put it on a timer and
turn if off ten minutes each hour. The plants seem to fairly explode
with growth and energy.
Good you mentioned, cause I was too stupid to
think of that. Maybe it will also be good to have one in my room for
winter. I'm annually suffering from a 'winter down.' I'm always so happy
when the spring vibes arrive... immediately feel energy flowing again
Would you stop defficating on your self. There are
enough people to do it for you! Yes, in Norway they did a study on depressed
people and found if you let them sit in a room with a grow light just two
hours a day the suicide rate fate dropped dramatically and the people did
not fight as much and were happier I was told.
Actually if you just paint wood panels a bright
white and place on the North side of the green house it alone will
reflect a lot of light.
Good.
also if you paint a light blue strip about half
a meter wide (18") every five feet on the South side of the green house
that helps the plant growth also. Something to do with blue spectrum of
light. It does work I can tell you that. Why, I do not know!
That i never heard of... thanx
Yes, I grew the plants vertically The plants
used the Styrofoam beads to hold on the roots got the compost tea I fed
them by me pouring the tea mixture into the top of the pipe and caught
it in a bucket in the bottom.
You do that how many times a day/week ?
I watered them two times a day. Morning and night.
Now I use 4 liter plastic milk bottle and fill
it up with manure tea, I polka a small hole in one corner and hang over
the container so it slowly drips into the pipe. Drip irrigation at it's
simplest.
Yes, that is lazy intelligence, but it does save
time so you concentrate on other useful activities. You can get so much
more done... not unlike me whose always wasting so much time due to lack
of creativity... good to have someone like you around.
"Bunny berries" can be placed directly on your
crops. (straight from the rabbit to the tomatoes).
You can dry them and crush to have a powder ? Or
is that too hard to do ? Talking of rabbits: you have experience with
them. Anything you want to share or important things to mention ? I'll
also have to take care of them...
Why do you want to crush them to power. I guess you
could spread them out on a rock and roll a log over them when they have
dried out. Or drivea truck over them or run the sheep over them to mash them
flat. That is easy. What are you going to do with the rabbits? If you give
them a good wind brake they can stand very cold weather. I had a friend who
rases rabbits and he builds a 4 meter square pen. Digs a hole about 1/2
meter deep places chicken wire on the bottom of the hole and then fills the
hole to the top with bales of hay. The rabbits dig in and eat the hay and
stay warm at the same time. Rabbits have a 60 day gestation period and
produce eight young at a time. If you don't keep the boys and girls
separated You will be up to your ears in rabbits. That is standard geometric
progression. I used to have a rabbit pen in my garden I placed a sheet of
galvanised metal on an angle under the cage and the bunny berrys fell out of
the cage and rolled down the metal to the need plants. The cage was on
wheels and i just pushed it around to where I thought it was needed As I
watered I would wash the metal as I watered and would fertilize and wash at
the same time. I fed the weeds to the rabbits who processed them and dropped
them back as pre processed bunny berries. You must not have just wire on the
floor of the rabbit pen. The mesh hurts their feet. So give them a board to
stand on about 1/3 meter square. the cage should be at least 2/3 meter tall
so they can stand up on their back feet and not hit the top with their ears.
Each cage should be five rabbits long so they can hop around and do an
occasional back flip. And should be about a meter wide. Rabbits love lots of
cool fresh water they drink tons of water. You should clean each cage at
least once a week water and a brush, scrubbing hard. Rabbits make great
house pets they paper train about as easily as a cat. But they are not as
smart. The only bad habit They have as a house pet is that they love to chew
on the telephone cords when they are plugged in. That is how copper hopper
my new Zealand red died. He ate through the cord when I was on the phone. He
went back to God head that second
I really like Goth's Idea about using the sheep to heat the green house and
be one side of the green house. It might be too humid for the sheep. Boy it
sure sounds good..!
Buh... always figuring out how to make money I
am... could do more usefull things with my thinking...The compost idea is
a good idea sense you have so many sheep. bunny berries are great compost
and great for indoor plants also!
Carol
From: Madhava Gosh (das) ACBSP (New Vrindavan - USA)
Madhava.Gosh.ACBSP@pamho.net
Sent: 27 February 2000 21:31
Subject: Re: Greenhouses - Dressing in layers
"(Bhakta) Dirk Vansant (Geel - B)" wrote:
Wasn't it you who covered Balabhadra's young
fruit trees to protect them from the 17 year locusts? That was remay you
used.
Yes, I was. Not that it impressed the locusts...
I wonder how many of the trees survived ? But, I wasn't aware that this
was remay... and I couldn't figure it out from Carols letter either.
Remay might be a particular brand name, I don't
remember off hand.
From: Carol
DGilsen@aol.com
Sent: 29 February 2000 05:52
Subject: Re: Cold weather crops and greenhouses
In a message dated 2/28/00 4:41:48 PM US Mountain Standard Time,
Dirk.Vansant@pamho.net writes:
E need the heating most in the greenhouse...
Really? Why not? The sun shines in the winter
also does it not?
true, but in winter we only get 5 hours a day and
the intensity of the light being low.
It should be! It is just below the arctic circle! The
Manure can still heat the green house. I don't believe the sheep will be out
in the arctic wind and cold all the time. They will be in a shed part of the
time. Their breath will provide extra Co2 for the plants and the plants
provide O2 for them. Cows in the USA live below huge piles of hay in lofts
it doesn't seem to drive them mad. The sheep will be fine. You just need a
stout wall or wire wall to keep the sheep out of the green house area.
Would you stop defecating on your self. There
are enough people to do it for you!
Well, then I don't really notice it. Come on
folks give it your best! I'm desperate :-)
Or drive a truck over them or run the sheep
over them to mash them flat.
The truck or the berries ? :-) Berries
dummy!:-))) LOL
What are you going to do with the rabbits?
Don't ask me, it's not my farm...
Rabbits have a 60 day gestation period and
produce eight young at a time. If you don't keep the boys and girls
separated You will be up to your ears in rabbits.
At what point do you separate them? And how do
you identify boy/girl? We used to have sheep here, but I forgot...
Dirk old boy ..... turn the rabbits over boy rabbits
have testicles and they are the same with cats humans and rabbits..... look
for bumps at the bottom of their belly. Boy bunnies have bumps girl bunnies
do not. Separate the bunnies when you can tell the difference.
That is how copper hopper my new Zealand red died. He ate through the
cord when I was on the phone. He went back to God head that second
Ooh, did he ? Then who were you phoning to ? :-)
My bookie! he bet me copper hopper would be dead. He won!
From: Samba (das) SDG (Mauritius)
Samba.SDG@pamho.net
Sent: Friday, March 17, 2000 1:09 PM
Subject: Millet & Sesame
Prabhus, can anyone give me some general information
on these two crops:
Millet:
Can it be used as a cover crop?
Is it a nitrogen fixer?
Is it a perrenial or annual?
Does it prefer cold or warm weather?
Any key characteristics I should know?
General adice to grow it.
Sesame:
Same questions as above.
Thanks
Your servant
Samba das
From: Madhava Gosh (das) ACBSP (New Vrindavan - USA)
Madhava.Gosh.ACBSP@pamho.net
Sent: Friday, March 17, 2000 4:33 PM
Subject: Re: Millet & Sesame
