Is Recession Preparing a New Breed of Survivalist? [Survival Today

http://www.sharingsustainablesolutions.org/?p=802

Garden Food Pond

You can easily create a food supply in your back yard, even in the city. First, dig as large a pond as you think you can have in your location. For a smaller pond, use a plastic liner, and for a larger one, go to a supplier and ask for damaged bags of concrete at a discount. If the cement bags have gotten damp have started to harden up, you can get them for next to nothing. Throw them in the pond you dug, and break up the bags & clumps with a hoe. Spread aggregate over the concrete, spray it a little with a hose, and mix it right in with the dirt, making dirt-mix concrete, and smooth it out and let it dry.

Fill the pond, and add water plants in pots, especially edible ones like cattails. Pot them in plastic nursery pots with soilless mix, and cover the top with heavy gravel to keep the soil in the pot, then just place them in the pond. Some large smooth rocks, piled up together to make islands will be good places for small fry to hide and the frogs to sun themselves. Put in a decorative waterfall or fountain to aereate the water.

Stock the pond with catfish. They’re tasty, they grow fast, and they’re darn near impossible to kill. Add water snails and crawdads to help keep the water clean. Also, get bullfrogs for frog legs. Fence in the pond with chicken wire and get ducks and/or geese, if zoning allows it. Keep in mind geese are very noisy, which is bad in a city backyard, but good in a rural area. Geese can take on many predators themselves, and will sound the alarm better than a dog if intruders approach. Also, duck or geese cr*p will permanently seal the bottom of the pond.

Now, for the real heart of the system. You have to run power out to the pond anyways for the water feature pump (make sure it’s a ground fault interruper-protected {GFI} circuit). Get a couple heavy-duty bug zappers and remove the water pan that catches the bugs on the bottom. Hang the zappers out over the water on poles. Tie a scrap of bacon dangling just underneath the zapper with dental floss to draw flies during the day. This is your feeder system. Every time a bug gets zapped, it drops into the water, and the ducks, frogs or catfish will get it. You will never buy food for these animals or fish, it’s free. Also, your bug problems will be greatly diminished. If you place the pond near your veggie garden, many of the bad bugs will be drawn to the pond, to become food instead of eating yours. If you arrainge it artistically, you can even make a nice piece of frontyard landscaping out of the project. Just make sure your fence is good enough to keep out neghborhood dogs.

A couple tips. First, when the ducks begin nesting, run a net through the pond and harvest all the catfish. Call your buddies and tell them to bring beer and their fillet knives over, and have a catfish fry. Save some of your catfish in a seperate container (a barrel or horse trough will work fine) for breeding stock. Large catfish will eat young ducklings, and thus must be harvested before the ducklings hatch. Second, muck out your pond once a year with buckets and plastic scoops, being very careful not to damage the pond liner. This must be done, or the pond will eventually fill in. This muck is rich liquid compost, black gold for your vegetable garden.

So once you set this up, you will get protein from fish, duck and/or geese, eggs, down, feathers, frog legs, crawdads, edible water plants and compost for your garden, as well as insect pest control, and maybe even an extra intruder alarm. The maintenece is very low, the costs are only the tiny amount of electricity to run the pump & zappers, and you have an attractive water feature that will raise the value of your property.

Is that cool, or what ?!?

http://www.sharingsustainablesolutions.org/?p=806

Vertical Aquaponics

DIRECTIONS FOR VERTICAL AQUAPONICS

Each system will vary as to which works best and its best for you to experiment for yourself. This whole thing is at the experimental stage. We are the pioneers in the field. If we can create good models we may be effective in helping many individuals and communities to feed themselves excellent organic vegetables and fish, increase their autonomy, and self-sustainability, and lay the groundwork for a future world that is decentralized, democratic, autonomous, non-sovereign, and mutually cooperative.

In the meantime, make the greenhouse and the water containment for the eco-system (fish, local water plants, and any other creatures that might live there, i.e. turtles, frogs, clams, crayfish).

For a large, substantial greenhouse, you might use large old windows from a used building supples source and build a frame for them to attach to.

The water containment for the fish can be a box lined with 2 layers of 6ml plastic or pond liner(pond liner is much more substantial), or a hole (depending on the size, the hole should be at least about 2feet deep) lined with pondliner, or whatever, but it should fit under the greenhouse.

Now, the unique aspects of this aquaponics is the use of 2 liter plastic pop bottles for plant holders and their alignment in columns hanging from the top of the greenhouse support poles to just above the water.

So while the seedlings are growing or you can plant seeds directly into the growing medium (sphagnum, shredded bark) you will need to find a source for 2 liter plastic pop bottles In my 22 foot long aquaponics, there is 30 bottles in a row, each with about 7 bottles in a column hanging over the water. There are 4 rows, so that’s 840 bottles. In the small 3 x3 x7 foot high version there are 4 rows with 5 bottles in each and 5 hanging down, a total of 100 bottles. Green ones are just fine. The 2 liter plastic pop bottle is the best holder we have found for its strength, size, and light weight, perhaps you can find something better.

Towards the bottom (about 2 inches from the end) of each bottle is an indentation that goes all around the bottle, cut on that line. Take the end piece, it has five indentations at the end, drill a hole about 1/4 inch in diameter in each indentation.

Now stuff the whole end piece back into the bottle upside down as far towards the front of the bottle as you can. On some, I placed a piece of screen, then a handful of clay balls or stones to facilitate water passage, and above that fill the bottle with shredded bark for the roots to grow in. Either the seedling or just the seeds can then be placed in the growing medium (at least 4 or more).

We leave the paper on the outside to block the sun, to help prevent algae growth in the bottle.

You need to buy a small, submersible pump (approx. $60), timer ($80), 1/2 inch tubing (in the large version, needed just about 100 , in the small, about 20 , at the hardware, garden supply, or pet store. The small version needs only one pump, the larger version has 2 pumps, each for 2 rows of 30 columns each. The tubing goes to the center of the two rows and is divided by T’s so that the water will pump evenly to each half. A T in the middle and another T on each side ( a total of 3 T’s for each set of 2 rows).

We fastened the tubing to the 2×4’s at the top of the greenhouse with wire, and closed off the end by bending it over and holding with wire.

The bottles are then hung in place, pretty close together, but not too close, also using a wire that circles the 2×4 over head, an s hook and thru the wire going thru the 2 holes drilled about an inch below the edge where the end was cut off. We drilled 2 holes thru the neck of the bottle to pass a wire thru there, and hang another s hook to attach the next bottle, and so on.

The way it works:
The water plants (duckweed, azolla, water hyacinth, local plants that float on ponds and streams, weeds) that you place on the water both clean the water and feed the fish. The water is pumped up the tubing which is attached overhead to the greenhouse. You poke holes into the tubing and place a plastic doohickey into the hole so that the water will squirt down into the 2 liter plastic pop bottles arranged in columns under each plastic doohickey. The doohickeys ($.25) and hole puncher ($1) can be bought at the garden store or hydroponic store along with the 1/2 inch tubing and maybe the pump and timer too.

The fishpoo in the water supplies the plants with nutrients. The bacteria in the roots of the plants cleans the water, the action of the water falling down thru the bottles aerates the water. The whole thing is synergistic like permaculture. Once its set up, monitoring and harvesting is all that is necessary.

A few more tips:
1. I used a milk crate, covered each side with screen, attached it with thin wire, and wired the pump to the top of it and placed it under the water. This protected the pump from getting gummed up with whatevers in the water.

2. Algae gunks up everything. It grows where there is still water and sunlight. To prevent the algae from growing in the water containment area, I have found that hay in a mesh bag, floating in the water, somehow stops the algae. Also, if you set the timer to about one minute for every 10 hours, the roots in the bottles should be damp, but not saturated, and never fully dry. If there is not too much water in there, algae may not form. In the water containment area, it may be necessary to have a pump moving the water because algae can form down there as well, depending on the size, but not necessarily, a biofilter to help keep the ammonium and nitrite levels down, air being pumped into the water may be necessary for the fish’s sake, The small version doesn’t need all of this.

3. Timing and intuition are important. Once you are ready to place your columns of 2 liter plastic bottles with the seedlings, you are ready to add the fish. How many, what size, and what kind you may wonder. The amount depends on the amount of space the water containment is and the size of the fish. Start off with a few, carp and catfish perhaps, they are hardy, tasty fish. Tilapia are very popular elsewhere, they need at least 60 degree water to survive. If its a real small containment area, goldfish will do, you don’t have to eat them. They need to mainly supply the nutrient for the plants.

4. All vegetables and herbs should be growable, some work better than others. Small root vegetables can be grown. You can figure ways to support vegetables that have weight like tomatoes, cabbages, etc. using mesh bags, wire, whatever.

5. Depending on how big a system you create, you may eventually want to spawn your own fish. There are aquaponics list-serves on the net where people will be happy to discuss in detail further questions. Aquaponics or aquaculture has been growing at a rate of about 15% for the last 30 years. It is used commercially throughout the world. China does it the most.

6. I have probably left off somethings you would like to know, please feel free to ask me whatever you like. I hope to have detailed photos very soon on the website, to make it clearer.

7. In temperate zones, like Israel, you may need to shade the greenhouses or whitewash the glass, and/or provide for adaquate ventilation (thermosiphon, fans).

8. The biofilter needs about 2 months to kick in. Let the plants get going a little so that bacteria may start on the roots. Enter the fish gradually, a few at a time, to avoid massive fish death. Check ph, ammonium, and nitrite levels. If you can it would be good to analyze for mineral content in the water, to see what your plants are getting or not getting.

9. Adding other creatures, turtles, frogs, crayfish, etc. add to the diversity of the ecosystem that the water containment area is and thereby gives it more strength.

Most Organically,
Tom
www.bagelhole.org

http://www.sharingsustainablesolutions.org/?p=810

Simplified Hydroponics in Urban Agriculture

by Peggy Bradley

Peggy@carbon.org
Bradley Hydroponics
111 NW 26th Suite 1
Corvallis, Oregon 97330
www.hydrogarden.com

See Carbon Quest International for other hydroponics projects in developing countries.

Peggy Bradley and Cesar Marulanda have just published Home Hydroponic Gardens.

Peggy Bradley is published most recently in GrowingEdge, The Hydroponics Magazine - Notes and Information for Indoor and Outdoor growers, Jan/Feb/2000 issue: Introducing Popular Hydroponic Gardens in Senegal

“A U.N. consultant brings hydroponics back-yard systems, developed in Latin America, to home gardens near Dakar.”
Peggy is also the author of Growing Hydroponic Food “Instructions for building hydroponic systems and growing food hydroponically.” Corvallis, Oregon 1999

Simplified Hydroponics

Simplified hydroponics is a vegetable production method that utilizes modern day hydroponic technology adapted for areas with limited resources. This technology is based on minimal inputs, requiring no pumps, energy, or expensive equipment. The gardens are built with recycled or discarded containers, hand watered once a day with a commercial hydroponic nutrient. Recipes also exist for making an organic nutrient at home. The technology is explained in a new book by Peggy Bradley and Cesar Marulanda , “Home Hydroponic Gardens”.

Jerusalen, Bogota, Colombia

In 1985, a hydroponic project supported by the United Nations Development Project (UNDP) was established in Jerusalen, a community on the outskirts of Bogota, Columbia. Designed by Colombian mechanical engineer, Jorge Zapp, the project used hydroponic growers, made of small containers and discarded wood pallets, placed on rooftops, balconies, stairs, and any available space in the sun.

Participants in the project included 130 urban poor families, with 90% of the participants mothers and homemakers. The women earned as much as three times more than their husbands earned in semi-skilled jobs, and provided food from the families from overripe or less than perfect crops. They produced 30 types of vegetables in their hydroponic gardens.

The gardens were built of donated or recycled materials including rice bran from a mill, wooden crates from an auto parts shop and recycled polyethylene from commercial flower growers. The costs of setting up each square meter plot was less than $5.00.

Pallets were set flat on the roof and the top slats were removed. Plastic sheeting was placed inside and the rice bran was used as media. Hydroponic nutrients were supplied by the funding agency at a cost of about $9.00 per year, or about 2.4 cents a day.

Families sold surplus produce to a supermarket cooperative under a contract established by the funding agency. Once week produce was brought in, weighed, and pay was given in cash.

The Jerusalen Project used local materials inexpensive to construct and built of recycled materials. The growing media used was rice bran producing very low weight per growing area. The gardens also obtained excellent production with minimal inputs and no routine analysis of the hydroponic system.

The Jerusalen project serves as highly successful hydroponic garden for developing countries. It shows that hydroponics can be a viable solution to extreme poverty. The fact that the project appeared to fail when nutrient and sales organization was withdrawn does not make the project a failure. One only has to speculate what would happen to existing US agriculture if all funding, subsidy and marketing support were withdrawn, suddenly, with very little warning.

Cesar Marulanda, the United Nations Director who supervised the hydroponics projects explains, “The problems that there are with popular hydroponics in Colombia and in the other 15 countries where we have initiated under my direction, are not of agricultural or technical nature.

“It is that the attitude of the people who accept themselves as beneficiaries. The process should be a matter of business, with business principles taught, so the recipients see the project as a productive company rather than a donation. It is very important to give precise information on the fundamental objectives of a hydroponics company.

“In the technical part the most frequent problem is the distribution of the inorganic nutrient so that all the beneficiaries can buy it in all the places. Presently these nutrients are not sold by the traditional retailers. Also there must be constant technical consultant’s office in the first phases of the project.”

“Even though hydroponic culture is easy to learn, the people are often timid to make decisions and need support when the first problems appear to them that are of easy solution.”

La Molina, Lima, Peru

A hydroponics project for high school students had been developed by Biologist Alfredo Rodr?quez Delf?n, a professor at Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina in Peru.

Each school builds a hydroponic garden, built of wood pallets, boards, black plastic and garden hose. The garden occupies 10 to 12 square meters of surface space and costs about $100.00 to build. The costs per grower are about $10.00 and built of recycled or discarded materials.
The La Molina garden utilizes discarded wooden pallets as a base for the garden containers. The pallets come in either 1m2 or 1 by 1.5m2. The 1m2 pallet is about 15 cm deep and costs about $2.50.

A deeper grower is used for root crops. Alfredo points out that the shallow 15cm grower can be used for root crops, “but you get small roots.” Root grower use rectangular 1 by 1.5m2 pallets, with 30cm wide top boards. Alfredo has found that a 30cm deep trough is sufficient for adequate sized root crops.

Once constructed the growers are filled with a growing media. The growing media used in the Lima area is sand gathered from a waterway or collected from sandy soils. In areas outside Lima, rice hulls are also used. Both sand and pebbles can be used through several rotations of crops without being replaced.

After the seeds have been planted, growers are watered every day except Sunday. A two-liter plastic pop bottle with holes punctured in the bottom is used to sprinkle nutrient water over the grower. During the summer, six or eight bottles of water (6-8 liters) are usually required, and in the winter, one or two bottles (2-4 liters).

Alfredo disagrees with the idea that expensive testing and monitoring equipment is required for little hydroponic gardens. “We do not teach the students or community members about pH. They have no equipment to check pH or electroconductivity of the nutrient solution. The teachers understand pH, but it is not a part of the hydroponics instruction for the garden owner.”

Alfredo sees real promise for home hydroponic gardens in Peru. “We hope to continue our work to improve the lives of the people. We also wish to continue commercial projects and social projects. Our small home hydroponic gardens help people produce their own vegetables or to produce vegetables for sale to improve their incomes.”

St. Werburg’s, Mutare, Zimbabwe

St. Werburg’s Elementary School

A hydroponic curriculum has been established at an elementary school in a rural African village. The village has no running water or electricity. The project was funded by Carbon Quest, a US non-profit organization and Japan’s Council of Governments. Established as an educational project for the community, teachers and students at St. Werburg’s school, the project has become a model for villages in the surrounding area.

In the fall of 1996, Teachers’ Kits manufactured by Bradley Hydroponics were donated to third and fourth grade teachers of St. Werburg’s Elementary school. The teachers attended a training workshop, learned about hydroponics, and then completed the experiments in the teachers kit curriculum.

The teachers kit is shipped in a plastic tub, which serves as a small hydroponic grower. The tub has a hole cut in the side, about 1.5 inches from the bottom, and a drainpipe is placed in the hole to allow overflow water to be collected in a container below. The tub is filled with propagation grade perlite.

Teacher’s Kit introduces basic hydroponic principles

Teachers Kit
Class Online

The teachers kit includes both organic and inorganic nutrients. The inorganic nutrients include a Grow nutrient, Calcium Nitrate and Magnesium Sulfate. The kit normally includes an organic nutrient and seeds, but these cannot be shipped internationally, so an organic nutrient preparation in part of the teachers instruction in the daylong workshop. This includes the building of a worm farm, for worm castings are used as an organic nutrient.

The first experiment grows beans in a tub grower filled with perlite using inorganic nutrient water, and a bean plant grown in soil in the ground. The soil-based beans usually grow much slower than the hydroponic plants and use much more water, sometimes 20 times as much. For a people that often have to carry water for long distances, this is a real revelation.

In the next experiments, the students change one part of the system at a time. After testing four types of growing media, the students are encouraged to try other things. They can ask for help from anyone in the community. With from 90 or more students using a variety of media, usually a few media are discovered that are optimal and locally available. The next experiments test different types of containers and inorganic nutrients.

By having early success with an optimal hydroponic system, the students use a scientific approach of doing experiments changing only one thing at a time. With so many students trying different things, usually suitable materials are found. At the completion of the curriculum, a technology should be established that is built of local materials.

The success of the St. Werburg’s project is probably dependent upon utilizing organic nutrients. The average wage of the agricultural worker in St. Werburg’s ranges from $10.00 to $20.00 per month. Also, fertilizers, when available, are very expensive. Wages barely cover the cost of corn meal with little extra money to buy an inorganic hydroponic nutrient.

“Because of the experiences in Jerusalen, we knew that inorganic nutrients would not be possible to sustain home hydroponic gardens. Therefore, we only use inorganic nutrients as a starting point, to convince the third grade children that hydroponics works. Then we change to organic.”

Although each garden design evolved independently, there are many similarities. All three gardens are hand watered, and do not require water pressure or mechanical devices. Each garden is built of inexpensive materials, and can be constructed in a matter of hours.

Both gardens are managed in similar ways, hand pouring nutrient water in the morning every day (with a weekend break), mixing fresh nutrient water every day, and recycling all excess nutrient. The vegetables used in the garden are similar, and both gardens are used for vegetable crops, rather than grains or fats.

References and addresses

Cesar Marulanda
C/o Carbon Quest
111 Nw 26th Ave
Corvallis, Oregon 97330
Alfredo Rodriquez Delfin
Dir of Centro de Investigaecion de Hirdoponica y nitrition mineral (CIHNM)
Universidad La Moline
Lima Peru
delfin@lamolina.edu.pe

Peggy Bradley
Peggy@carbon.org
Bradley Hydroponics
111 NW 26th Suite 1
Corvallis, Oregon 97330
www.hydrogarden.com

Published by City Farmer
Canada’s Office of Urban Agriculture
cityfarm@interchange.ubc.ca

http://www.sharingsustainablesolutions.org/?p=818

Tips For Aquaponics

By Myles Harston
As Seen in Aquaponics Journal April/May 1998
Aquaculture, the culturing of fish and aquatic plants, is currently the fastest growing segment of the agricultural industry. Indoor aquaculture has become increasingly popular for many reasons. Some of those include:

1. It allows farmers to raise fish closer to the marketplace reducing transportation costs.
2. Aquaculture enables farmers to fill niche markets with specialty items.
3. Fish farming helps to fill the need for products that are free of pollutants and are an effective solution to over-fishing. (See National Geographic November 1995).

In all recirculating aquaculture systems there are five basic components:

1. The culture tank where the aquatic animals are kept.
2. Temperature regulation.
3. Dissolved oxygen supplementation.
4. Fecal/particle filtration.
5. Bio-filtration where the ammonia produced by the fish is broken down, with the help of useful aerobic bacteria, into nitrites and then nitrates.

Although there are many variations of these five components, the elimination of any one of these would be impractical.

Prior to beginning your aquaculture enterprise you should check with your state agriculture agencies to find out what permits are required. Some states are more restrictive than others, particularly with regard to certain non-native species.

Water Quality

For your operation you should consider not only the amount of water you have available but the quality of the water itself. The water should be free from chemicals that are harmful to the species you plan to raise. I have found naturally existing amounts of ammonia in some areas high enough to kill almost any kind of aquatic life.

Waste water management and the disposal is a very important consideration. Since waste water from aquaculture is ideally suited for feeding a wide variety of leafy plants, aquaponics is an excellent option for getting rid of it. If it is not used in aquaponics you will need to have some other means of disposal.

You should also reasearch the tolerances of your selected species as to the critical water quality parameters. These upper limits are often debated and may vary depending on your water and the management of your system, but should serve as a guide when starting out.

The most common water quality parameters which should be monitored are: dissolved oxygen, ammonia, nitrites, pH, hardness, alkalinity, and carbon dioxide.

Feed

Fish feed is one of the most important considerations because feed costs will be about 1/3 of your total operating expenses. There are many different types of commercial feeds available.

Floating pellets of various sizes are usually preferred for juvenile and adult fish. When you have new born fry, they will thrive on brine shrimp and ground up commercial food prepared in gelatin.

Food should be stored in a cool, dry place for no more than 3 months in advance of using, because crucial vitamins (especially vitamin C) are lost with age. Refrigeration or freezing can extend the shelf life of the feed.

Optimum feeding rates should be about 3% of the fishes body weight per day (fry may exceed this ratio). You should catch random specimens periodically to help calculate the percentage of feed to be fed daily.

Care should be taken not to over feed more than the fish can consume at ony one time. Excessive feeding will quickly foul the water and can cause unbalances in your bio-filter’s stability.

Bio-Filtration

Bio-filters utilize two kinds of beneficial bacteria: Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter. The bacteria are living organisms which utilize oxygen and consume food, ammonia, and nitrites. Ammonia production is proportional to the feeding rate, therefore, the capacity of a bio-filter should be sized-based on the maximum weight of the fish and the highest rate you will fee.

In your initial setup of the bio-filter, it is wise to use a commercially available bacteria seed culture. When we begin to seed our system, we trickle in the recommended amount over several days rather than all at once. We continue to trickle small amounts into the water until the ammonia and the nitrites come down to acceptable levels. Let your test kits be your guide.

pH

As the poundage of fish in your tank increases and the bio-filter becomes more efficient, the pH will start to drop. This is caused by the bacteria producing acid and is normal.

When we are just raising fish we try to maintain our culture water at a pH of about 7.4. To raise the pH we simply use sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), which can be found in a local feed store in 50 pound bags for about $15.00.

If you need to lower your pH, sulfuric acid can be used. You should monitor your pH regularly. When adjustments need to be made, do it in small increments so as not to shock the fish.

When we combine fish culture with growing plants (aquaponics), we must compromise with the needs of both the plants and the fish and maintain a pH of about 6.8. To raise the pH when doing Aquaponics, unless it is an emergency don’t add sodium bicarbonate to the water, it will harm the plants. You can use either potasium carbonate or calcium carbonate.

We have found that when we allow the pH to drop much lower than 6.7 denitrification is less efficient.

Summary

If you are just now looking to get your feet wet in aquaculture, it’s always a good idea to start with a smaller system (under 2,000 gallons) so you can learn how to monitor and control your water parameters.

I recommend investing in quality test kits and using them regularly. Happy Fishing!

AquaRanch Industries, LLC
PO Box 40 - 320 West Gridley Rd, Gridley, IL?? 61744
phone (309)747-2152, fax (309)747-2243
email myles@ringgerfoods.com
www.aquaranch.com
copyright 2000 - all rights reserved
(permission given to bagelhole)

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Natural Pest Control

Here are some of the kitchen-cabinet remedies we’ve tested over the years and found just as good as many chemicals and sold in garden centers.

FRUIT COCKTAIL.You can buy Japanese-beetle traps of all sorts, but most are no more effective in trapping these pests than a can of fruit cocktail. Open the can and let it sit in the sun
for about a week to ferment. Then stand it on bricks or wood blocks in a
light-colored pail. Fill the pail with water to just below the top of the can and
put it about 25 feet from the plants you want to protect. The beetles,attracted
to the sweet and potent bail, will fall into the water and drown. (If rain
dilutes the fruit cocktail, you’ll have to start anew.)

BUTTERMILK -The scrourge of many outdoor ornamental plants, and indoor ones, too, is the mite, so tiny it would take 50 of them to cover the head of a pin. The most common one, the red
spider mite, causes yellowing and stippling of foliage and twisting of leaf tips.

There is a simple home cure that works on the ornamental plants and fruit trees. Mix 1/2 cup o buttermilk, 4 cups of wheat flour and 5 gallons of water and strain through cheesecloth. Sprayed a plant, the mixture destroys a high-percentage of mites as well as their eggs.

EPSOM SALTS AND BORAX -If you raise muskmelons that taste flat, the trouble could be a lack of magnesium in sandy soil. University of Maryland tests show that muskmellons can be sweetened
by spraying the vines with a solution of borax, Epsom salts and water. Use 3-1/3 tablespoons of household borax, plus 6-1/2 tablespoons of Epsom salts, in 5 gallons of water. Spray foliage when the vines begin to “run” and again when fruits are about two inches in diameter.

SOAP, DETERGENT, TOBACCO. -Soap effectively controls fungus gnats, tiny black flies that may thrive in the soil of your house plants. Make suds of laundry soap, and pour 1/2 cup to 1 cup
around the top of the pots. Any bar laundry soap will work, but naphtha soap works best. (my note, good old Fels Naphtha again to the rescue!) Soapsuds also make a fine killer of soft-bodies pests such as aphids. And nothing beats liquid dishwashing detergent for getting rid of whiteflies, one of the worst pests gardeners have to contend with. Also called “flying dandruff,” these snow-white insects, each about 1/16 inch long, congregate on the underside of leaves and suck
sap. They also secrete a sticky substance that attracts a black mold and kills foliage.

Mix 1 teaspoon of liquid dishwashing detergent in a gallon of water and spray the undersides of leaves every five days for 15 days. Repeat once a week thereafter, until the insects are eradicated. If you’re a smoker or use tobacco in any form, be sure to wash your hands with laundry soap before handling plants.

TOMATOES, PEPPERS,EGGPLANTS, petunias and other members of the Solanaceae family. The soap deactivates tobacco-mosaic virus which may be present on your hands and helps prevent it from spreading to plants. A plant that already has this virus must be removed and destroyed immediately.

On the other hand, for garden plants and house plants (except those ofthe Solanaceeae family), you can’t find a better aphid killer than nicotine. Soak two or three cigarette butts in a cup of water to get a brown “tea”.

Mix in a little soapsuds and dip infected parts of house plants in the solution or use it as a spray. Tobacco juice also is highly effective in killing such pests in the soil of house plants as symphilids, fungus gnats and springtails. Pour a cupful around the base of the plant. (Caution: nicotine is toxic: keep the mixture our of the reach of children and pets.)

BLEACH
-To protect ripening tomatoes from fungal diseases, wash them with a solution of 1 tablespoon of bleach to a quart of water, and dry with a paper towel. Wrap each tomato in newspaper, and store in a basket or tray in a cool place (any area with a temperature around 55 degrees).

To sterilize your garden tools and old clay or plastic flowerpots, scrub them with a brush. Then soak them for a few minutes in a solution of one part bleach to nine parts water.

TALCUM POWDER -It you’re plagued by rabbits, try dusting your plants with ordinary talcum powder. It also works like a charm in repelling flea beetles on tomatoes, potatoes, peppers and other plants.

GARLIC -If you’re looking for ammunition to keep cats and dogs away, chop up abulb of garlic or a large onion, add a tablespoon of cayenne pepper, and steep in a quart of water for an hour. Add 1 teaspoon of liquid dishwashing detergent to help the mixture stick to the plant. Strain what you need into a sprayer or watering can and sprinkle it on plant leaves. The rest will remain potent for several weeks if refrigerated in a tightly covered jar. (Do not spray outdoors on
windy days as solution may burn you reyes. Indoors, be careful not to breathe the
fumes.)

VINEGAR -Azaleas and gardenias need an acid soil. If you live in a
hard-water area, your plants may suffer from too much lime, causing leaves to
turn yellow.

Add 2 tablespoons of vinegar to a quart of water and pour a cupful or
so around the base of a plant every two or three weeks until the yellow
disappears.

Vinegar is also useful in making a preservative for cut flowers.

Mix 2 tablespoons of white vinegar and 2 teaspoons of cane sugar in a quart of water.
Use in vase instead of plain water.

BEER -Placed in shallow pans flush with the ground, beer is a safe, inexpensive killer of snails and slugs. The pests crawl into the pans and drown. In a report to the Entomological Society of America a few years ago, Floyd F. Smith of the U.S. Dept. ofAgriculture said that in a series
of four-day greenhouse tests, beer attracted more than 300 slugs, while metaldhyde, a standard bait,attracted only 28!!!!!!Very likely at this date in time, there may be other stuff on the market that “updates”all this, but I for one, am surely going to get a LARGE can of talcum powder for my tomatoes!!!!!

Everyone stay safe,

Dar in Tucson

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Country Lore: Foil Slugs with Eggshells

By Anita Baxley

I’ve been gardening organically for many years in our Zone 6b region. I note that people are always asking and writing about getting rid of slugs. The general response is beer, copper, diatomaceous earth, bait and traps.

I’ve been practicing a method with eggshells and have found it to be 100 percent effective. My chickens provide me with the best eggs ever and after using the eggs, I rinse out the shells, let them dry and store them in a coffee can. After the can is full, I put them in an old food processor and grind them up. I sprinkle them around my flowers, veggies, etc. Slugs will not crawl across them. Also, the eggshells provide the mineral benefit of calcium for my garden!

I realize that some people compost or crush eggshells by hand, but with the food processor, they’re quite manageable and don’t nick and cut your hands. Also, it makes it easier to distribute the shells around plants.

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clever ways to grow

Let all be fine and well,

The sun and moon shine brightly on us all, let them be our guides for unity! This is site

is dedicated to improving the environment by showing you how to use sustainable techniques

such as reusing (recylcing) empty bottles and converting them into containers to be used

for plant nurseries.

- These designs can be used for home, garden, school, community centers, or farm.

- This type of nursery is designed to use the earth’s natural energies for promoting plant

growth.

-made from 100% reused materials

- Nearly maintenance free

- Easy enough for a child to use

- Fast and efficient

- does not require much water (you can use “grey water”

Please contact dannybowers@gmail.com for more information..

Aquaponic terrariums

This type of gardening system employs both water and soil, and uses the process of

vaporization to keep the plants hydrated. Each plant is grown individually in its own

terrarium. Using a reused (recylced) soda bottles and plastic totes the system can grow

lettuce or produce clones in a week to two weeks.

How to build a system:

the materials are:

soda bottles (cut to become terrariums)

1 10 gallon plastic tote

rocks a little larger than the soda bottle hole

coconut fiber (called coco coir)

the procedure:

cut holes into the top of the plastic tote with a 1 drill bit. then
insert the plastic bottles. next, cut the bottles in half and slice
two quarter inch slits into the top one on each side(so that its

easier to put the two halves back together). now put the top of the tote back onto

the plastic tote and add water to the bottles (the extra water will

drain into the tote), fill until there is a gallon of water in the

tote. then add coconut fiber and place a cutting into each bottle. put

the top of the bottles back on making terrariums. its that easy!

cut in half, fill the top half with soil (sand,coco,compost,minerals) and insert a wick

(nylon or hemp) into the spout. Now insert the top into the bottom (spout side down), the

wick should touch the base. Next pour water on the soil, it should seep through to the

bottom. The water will be sucked up and evaporate every few days, refill.

How to start a garden.

Starting seeds

* seeds like clean environments. use castile soap to prepare materials.

* place seeds on a moist cheese cloth, on a plate.
* add water, and change water everyday.

* cover with another cheese cloth, and an upside plate on top, give room for air.

* soon you’ll see life and roots growing.

* plant the embrios when mature and healthy.

* don’t forget to water and transplant into a bigger pot, you’re a parent!

Maintaining your garden

1. collect organic seeds (from friends, garden, organic, non gmo produce from stores)

2. start a seed library. people can check seeds out and back in from seeds they collect at

harvest.

3. prepare the soil by stirring the ground (add humus, peat moss, vermiculite, perlite,

worms, sand, minerals, and other nutrients.

4. plant seeds according to zone season,sun. make sure seeds are properly cared for.

5. plant flowers in the first quarter of the new moon.

6. know your zones.

7. know many varieties and uses for plants

8. use weeds.

9. seeds like to hibernate in clean, cool dark places.

10. safe space for storing seeds (sterility, clean and healthy, no chemicals)

11. use castile soaps to clean spaces and for pest deterent.

12. use chili, garlic, and mint for pest deterent (mix a few grains with water, and spray)

13. become familiar with plant families.

14. remember that the ground is a living organism, a hole is a womb.

15. check your soil for toxins.

16. learn many ways to make the most life.

17. plants need nutrition, good soil, light, dark, love, and water.

18. use companion planting, plants with lots of friends attract more flying friendlies to

pollinate.

19. when you sow seeds yourself you know what they look like as they grow. this way

tendying to them is easier.

20. don’t pull any plant that you don’t know the name and use for.

21. weeds feed insects and pests. if there are no weeds, they’ll eat your garden.

22. arrange your seedlings according to type and how much space you’ll need.
23. if you grow vertically with fanciful hills and trellisses you’ll get a better yield.

Container Gardening

To grow healthy container plants, you need to do a little research about your plants. For

example, how far apart should they be? How tall will they grow? This is particularly

important if you are planting a window box with a variety of plants. For example, if

sunflowers need constant sun, don’t plant them with a flower that cannot endure full sun.

companion planting is helpful for maximum potential. In container gardening, you also need

to ensure that plants have effective drainage and good soil. Place small rocks at the

bottom of your containers so water will drain, and dampen potting soil before placing it

in the pot.

Harvesting the garden

Take plants and seeds for harvest just before or at their peak (some seeds can be

harvested long after their peak when they are dry. e.g. corn, amaranth, onion, garlic,

greens). Prepare an area for drying by cleaning it with castile soap and allowing to

completely dry. Like young seedlings harvests should be done in a clean environment. If

you are collecting tomatoes remember they ripen quickest in darness rather than light.

potatoes, pumpkins and squash can be stored in a cool, clean basement.You can save your

vegetable seeds by drying them (you can use a plate, or the top of a plastic container,

piece of wood, metal, etc.) . If You are hanging plants don’t forget to make sure there is

good airflow, or there will be mold.

How to start a seed library

- first collect enough seeds to share.

- dry and store seeds.

A good seed library starts with good gardeners. Before you start handing out seeds you

should provide courses in gardening (and free seeds) to individuals interested in seed

sharing. Next, each individual checks out an appropriate number of seeds for their garden,

after harvesting participants can check-in seeds from their harvest. These individuals

might also be willing to help teach the next generation of seed library gardeners.

How to pick and prepare produce for sale and presentation;

1). Produce must be free from insects.

2). Grocers want produce in small, medium, and large size bunches.

3). Bunches (of each size), must be equal.

4).When removing produce, pick largest first.

5). One does not need to kill plants to pick produce

How is a garden a symbol of the anarchical freedom we are intended to possess?

Everywhere you look things are commodified. many things don’t come free, even if you can

get them that way. Governments, regardless of leaning, still require people to pay money

for food. No one can live without food, therefore, people become dependent upon the

systems created by the government, often to their detriment, in order to get food and

live. In cases where altruistic communities arise it is often those with the biggest

bounty who give away the most freely. why can’t we all live like this? In many communities

resources are fought over, tooth and nail. The people who give the most are often forced,

by an agressor who wishes to sell the product. This is a viscious cycle of life that does

not enable a person to become successful at their highest potential. It requires males and

females to compete, and often forced into harmful situations. Our creators did not intend

for us to live life like this, but they did give us the freedom to choose for ourselves.
A garden is a revolutionary act of defiance and anarchy on one side, and a simple means of

creating your own sustinance on the other. It does not require; an army,genius, schooling

, or a lot of money (for the resourceful, it requires none). It does require

space,time,compost,soil,seeds,water,and love. These may seem like strange items for a

revolution, but like most shifts in consciousness these items can become very important.

Many gardens are popping up in formerly abandoned areas. With too much money spent on war,

the despotic powers don’t have concern yet for quiet gardeners. Somewhere a weed slowly

grows through cement. Many vacant lots are owned by people who don’t even live in your

town, or by banks that use your money to make more money. When you see the pleased faces

of your neighbors, you’ll know gardening is a way to overthrow the government, when people

become collectivized, we notice that the more we meet a community’s needs the less hassle

we get from police. Food not Bombs collectives around the country have experienced a level

of tolerance from police, because their are too many starving in Amercian streets for

churches to handle. The derilect has become the scapegoat of the New World Order, but they

create and maintain homelessness, and poverty. When a garden is created, a pillar of the

empire is crushed. If the world relied on its own ingenuity and once again fed itself, and

shared the wealth we would see the rise of agrarian societies. Even the governments would

crumble as soldiers returned home to forge plowshares from their weapons. there would be

no one to bully another in a world where a hole in the ground is respected as a womb. Why

bomb another, when you can look forward to one of their exotic and tasty crops? Why

endeavor to have a standardized world or nation, when their are so many juicy differences?

why have just apples, when there is so much fruit? with so many benefits. Our bodies were

designed to function best when we have a varied diet of healthy fruits and vegetables.

Myspace.com/dannybowers

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Shiitake Mushroom Production: Obtaining Spawn, Obtaining and Preparing Logs, and Inoculation F-40

Stephen M. Bratkovich, formerly of Ohio State University Extension.

In nature, the shiitake fungus propagates and spreads from spores produced by the mushroom. However, for cultivation, spore germination is too unreliable. Instead, logs are inoculated with actively growing fungus. The fungus is first adapted to wood by growing it directly on small pieces of wood. Active fungal cultures intended as inoculum for mushroom cultivation are called spawn. Because the quality of the crop can be no better than the spawn, growers must use viable shiitake spawn of a good variety in pure culture, free of weed fungi and bacteria.
Spawn Strain Characteristics

Different cultivars or strains of shiitake may perform differently under different conditions. Initially, growers should try more than one strain to ensure success. Also, growers can extend the growing season by using strains that fruit under different environmental conditions. For example, a grower in southern Ohio could use a cold-weather strain for spring and fall production, and a heat-tolerant strain for summer production.

The following strain characteristics need to be considered when ordering spawn from commercial suppliers:

* Preference for type of wood
* Resistance to weed fungi
* Speed of colonization (time of first fruiting)
* Ease of fruiting
* Season of fruiting
* Ability to stimulate (force) fruiting
* Required temperature for fruiting
* Size, shape, color and flavor of mushrooms
* Mushroom storage characteristics

The individual grower will need to experiment with different strains and decide which work best in a particular situation.
Sources of Spawn

There are numerous spawn suppliers throughout the United States and Canada. In addition to experimenting with different strains, growers are encouraged to purchase spawn from more than one spawn supplier. Many spawn suppliers also sell equipment and supplies related to mushroom growing; product catalogs are often available from them upon request. Fact Sheet F-39 Shiitake Mushroom Production: Introduction and Sources of Information and Supplies, includes an up-to-date list of spawn suppliers. It is available from your county office of Ohio State University Extension.
Forms of Spawn

Shiitake spawn can be purchased on two mediums: sawdust and wood dowels. It is usually supplied in either sealed plastic or glass containers. The spawn should be moist, white (sometimes with a brown crust) and appear rather fuzzy. Good quality spawn smells mushroom-like, not mildewy or mold-like. Weed fungi and bacteria are controlled by not damaging or opening the spawn container until use of the entire contents.
Spawn Storage

Spawn must be kept away from direct sunlight and temperature extremes. Storage for a month or more should be in a cool (34-38 F) location away from direct sunlight. Spawn must not be frozen. Prior to inoculation spawn should be warmed to room temperature (70 F) for two to five days.
Obtaining and Preparing the Logs

Trees cut for shiitake mushroom production should be harvested as part of an overall forest management plan. Individuals interested in producing shiitake mushrooms from their woodlot should contact a forester for assistance in selecting the appropriate trees.
Suitable Tree Species

The hardwood tree family most recommended in the United States for shiitake cultivation is the beech family (Fagaceae). The particular genus most successful in this family is Quercus (oak). All oak trees can be used with the possible exception of live oak. The thicker bark oaks such as white and chestnut oak are often preferred over the thinner bark red, scarlet and pin oak.

Beech, birch, chestnut, chinkapin, alder, maple, cottonwood, willow, aspen, poplar, elm and hophornbeam are suitable species but may have commercial limitations. As a rule, the thin-barked low-density species provide relatively quick mushroom production but only for a short time period. Locust, walnut and all conifers are not suitable for shiitake cultivation.

Sweet gum (Liquidambar styraciflua) and sycamore (Platanus occidentalis) have outperformed oak species in selected trials in North Carolina. Other species may prove to be excellent for shiitake cultivation once testing is completed.
Tree Quality

Logs used for shiitake production must be cut from live, healthy trees. Living trees with obvious insect or disease damage should not be used.

Optimum log size is 4-8 inches in diameter and 3-4 feet in length; standard lengths make operations much more convenient. Logs with a thick sapwood layer and small heartwood area are preferred. Logs can be cut from young hardwood trees or branches of older trees.

Logs should be straight for ease in handling but crooked logs can be used. A smooth bark will make the inoculation (seeding) process easier but thin bark tends to crack and peel sooner than thick bark. Regardless of thickness, the bark must be intact on the log.
Tree Felling

Some authors suggest the optimum felling time is when 30 to 80 percent of the tree leaves on the chosen species have changed color. Others suggest tree felling during the coldest time of winter. One reason for the different opinions on tree felling is due to the different theories on the best time to inoculate (seed the logs). Most shiitake growers and researchers agree, however, that trees should be felled sometime during the dormant season (mid-autumn to late winter), before spring sap movement and bud swell.

Logs should not be used for shiitake production if they were cut from felled trees that seasoned during the summer months. For example, trees cut prior to the summer months (even if cut while dormant) should not be used after being exposed to the warm weather conditions of summer.
Log Preparation

After tree felling, logs need to be prepared for inoculation. Regardless of the method of log preparation, two areas need careful attention: the moisture content of the log needs to be maintained above 35 percent and potential log contaminants must be minimized.

One method of reducing moisture loss is to keep logs in whole tree lengths and cut to final log size prior to inoculation. Rain and snowfall can be permitted to wet the logs. If trees must be immediately cut to final log length, logs should be protected from drying winds and direct sunlight by covering with burlap, shade cloth or plastic. If possible, logs should be stacked firewood-style in full shade under conifers. Watering or soaking logs is recommended several days before inoculation if the moisture content drops below 35 percent. Log surfaces should be allowed to dry prior to inoculation.

Log contaminants (insects, diseases, etc.) can be reduced by storing the logs off the ground. Tree length logs can have the butt supported on the stump. Logs cut to length can be placed on pipe, concrete blocks or other suitable material that will keep them off the ground. If stacking logs in contact with the ground, select a well-drained site with good air circulation and use cull logs as supports.

When logs are cut to final length, plan all cuts to give the most good logs. All diseased and wounded sections, forks, crotches and major kinks should be cut out. Small branches should be removed from logs, leaving a stump of approximately two inches. A wire brush can be used to remove lichens and moss from the bark prior to inoculation.
Inoculation

Inoculation is the introduction of the live shiitake fungus into the log. A one-time inoculation will produce mushrooms after 6-18 months and will continue to produce for 3-6 years.

In the past, logs were normally cured after felling for at least two weeks before inoculation. However, many researchers and spawn suppliers are now recommending inoculation as soon as possible after felling. Also, early spring inoculation is now being replaced by fall and spring inoculation. Inoculation should always be done in a shaded area to avoid direct exposure of the spawn to sunlight.

Logs should be watered if the internal log moisture content drops below 35 percent prior to inoculation. Occasional thorough waterings are better than frequent light waterings. The former will increase the internal log moisture content while the latter often just wets the bark surface.
Personnel, Equipment and Supplies Needed

While the entire inoculation process can be done by one person, a minimum of three is suggested: one person to drill holes, one to place the spawn in the holes and one to seal the inoculation sites. A fourth person can be useful in moving logs from one work station to the next.

In addition to the spawn, equipment and supplies needed for inoculation are: drill (preferably high speed if many logs are to be inoculated), bits, work table or saw buck, yard stick or measuring tape, hammer (for dowel spawn), inoculation tool (optional, for sawdust spawn), paraffin/cheese wax/plastic foam (for sealing inoculation sites), heat source (for melting wax), wax dropper or brush (for applying wax), and rubbing alcohol.
Inoculation Procedure

Logs to be drilled should be secured in a saw buck or similar arrangement to prevent the logs from moving (Figure 1). The log bark should be free of dirt and other possible contaminants. Dip the drill bit in rubbing alcohol after finishing each log as a precaution.

The hole-drilling pattern will vary from grower to grower. A general recommendation is to space holes 6-16 inches within rows and 2-4 inches between rows since the shiitake mycelium runs well with the grain but poorly across the grain. Adjacent rows should be offset from one another to create a diamond pattern on the log (Figure 2).

Depth and diameter of the holes will depend on the source as well as the form of spawn. Hole depth generally ranges between 3/4 and 11/4 inches with hole diameter between 1/4 and 1/2 inch. Most spawn suppliers will recommend dimensions for hole size. After a log has been drilled, holes should be filled immediately so as not to lose moisture or permit entry of airborne spores.

Hands should be washed and then wiped with rubbing alcohol before handling spawn. On a work table or second saw buck, dowel spawn can be placed into the holes and then gently pounded in with a hammer. A convenient method is to initially hold the dowels with forceps. Sawdust spawn can either be inserted manually or with an inoculation tool available from many spawn suppliers. Disagreement exists as to whether the sawdust spawn should be packed tightly in the hole or just lightly tamped in. Growers are advised to follow the spawn supplier’s recommendations.

The final step in the inoculation process is to seal the spawn-filled hole with either a paraffin or cheese wax or styrofoam plug. Holes are sealed to prevent loss of moisture, to prevent contamination by undesirable microorganisms and to allow the spawn to grow within the confines of the log. Hot wax also tends to disinfect the inoculation surface. Melted wax can be applied by brush or wax dropper (similar to a turkey baster). Styrofoam plugs are placed on top of the spawn, flush with the surface of the bark.
Suggested Practices After Inoculation

All inoculated logs should be coded to record important information such as spawn strain, tree species, etc. Small aluminum tags fastened to log ends with a staple work well for this purpose. Good record keeping will enable growers to duplicate successful practices by learning from past experiences.

Inoculated logs may be dead piled (firewood style) and shaded with plastic immediately following inoculation. If the log moisture content is low, burlap or similar material should be used to allow rain to reach the logs. If surface molds develop, logs should be moved from temporary to a permanent laying position.
References

Cotter, V. T., et al. (1987). Shiitake farming in Virginia (Pub. 438-012). Blacksburg, VA: Virginia Tech and Virginia State University, Virginia Cooperative Extension Service.

Haney, A. (1989). Mushrooming forest profits. In Shiitake Mushrooms: Proceedings of a National Symposium and Trade Show (pp. 57-61). St. Paul, MN: University of Minnesota, Educational Development System, 405 Coffey Hall.

Harris, B. (1986). Growing shiitake commercially. Madison, WI: Science Tech Publishers.

Kerrigan, R. (1982). Is shiitake farming for you? South San Francisco, CA: Far West Fungi.

Kuo, D., and Kuo, M. (1983). How to grow forest mushroom (shiitake). Naperville, IL: Mushroom Technology Corp.

Leatham, G. F. (1982). Cultivation of shiitake, the Japanese forest mushroom, on logs: A potential industry for the United States. Forest Products Journal, 32(8), 29-35.

Figure 1. Log drilling in a saw buck. Ohio State University Extension

Figure 2. Pattern to guide the placement of holes (inoculation sites) across the log surface.

All educational programs conducted by Ohio State University Extension are available to clientele on a nondiscriminatory basis without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, gender, age, disability or Vietnam-era veteran status.

Keith L. Smith, Associate Vice President for Ag. Adm. and Director, OSU Extension.

TDD No. 800-589-8292 (Ohio only) or 614-292-1868

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Raceway Production of Warm-Water Fish

Michael McGee and Charles Cichra

Many who are interested in commercial fish farming strike upon the idea of raising catfish or other warm-water species in raceways. This idea seems appealing because yields per unit of growing area may be theoretically increased and the need for large ponds eliminated or reduced. While the thought process that leads one to this conclusion is sound, there are other factors which make the raceway culture of warm-water fish a rather risky, and as yet an economically unproven venture. Nevertheless, interest in the use of raceways or other similar intensive systems remains high and those who are trying to evaluate the pros and cons often find a scarcity of information on which to base their decisions. There are sometimes unique situations where raceway systems may be practical and profitable. The general operating characteristics of raceways and related intensive systems are described below.

Facilities

Raceways are generally constructed in a ratio of 5 to 1 (or greater) length to width, and with a depth of 3 to 5 feet. Water should flow evenly through the system to eliminate areas of poor water circulation where waste materials or sediment may accumulate. Raceways may be constructed above ground or in the ground from cement or fiberglass, and even wood has been used. Fish culture in raceways requires a large quantity of good quality water, preferably supplied by gravity flow from artesian wells or higher elevations. If pumping is required, operating cost may be high and risks increased due to possible failure of pumps or power supply.

Water Requirements

One should consider raceways only if an abundance of good quality water is available. On the average, 1 to 3 gallons per minute of flow should be available for each cubic foot of raceway volume at densities of 3 pounds of fish per cubic foot. If supplemental aeration is used, the water requirement may be somewhat reduced. Water flow should be sufficient to keep solid waste material from accumulating in the raceway and to dilute liquid waste (primarily ammonia) excreted by fish.

Water Quality

To achieve good production and minimize problems of stress and disease, water quality should be sustained within desirable ranges at all times. Oxygen should be maintained above 60% of saturation. Ammonia levels should remain below 0.1 mg/l in the discharge. Alkalinity, hardness, pH and temperature should remain within the optimum range for the cultured species. Water quality should be monitored frequently, especially oxygen and ammonia, to ensure that conditions remain suitable. This enables the producer to learn more about the production system and its operating characteristics. Water quality test kits, which are available from aquaculture supply catalogs, are suitable for most routine analyses.

Water Management and Recirculation

Traditionally, raceways are considered to be single pass, flow-through systems. Some fish farmers have developed raceways which are joined with ponds, and use the ponds to clean the water prior to reuse. If such a system is designed, the pond(s) should have a volume of at least 7 times the total daily discharge volume of the raceway. This allows sufficient time for water quality improvement. Since pond culture is a successful and traditional way of growing catfish and most warm-water species, it is not practical to build ponds so one can use a raceway system. If existing ponds are available, but not suitable for traditional fish culture due to excessive depth, uneven bottom or debris, a raceway system of this type may be considered.
Recirculating systems are often proposed as a type of closed or semi-closed raceway. The water is reconditioned by clarification, biological filtration, and reaeration so that most of the water is re-used and only a fraction of the total daily flow is made up of new water. The productive capacity of this system is dependent on the ability of the filtration system to remove wastes and on the volume of replacement water used to improve water quality. Fish production in systems of this sort may reach levels similar to that achieved in raceways. Water quality should be monitored frequently in such a system since without high rates of water exchange, toxic metabolites may accumulate rapidly if the biological filtration system is not sufficient to handle the wastes.

Stocking Rates

The quantity of fish which can be grown intensively in a raceway is more dependent on the quantity and quality of the water than on the size of the facility. Small fish consume proportionally more oxygen per unit of body weight than larger fish, and therefore are normally stocked at lower densities. Densities of fish stocked in raceways may range from 1 to 10 pounds per cubic foot of water, depending on the capacity of the system to support the population. In practice, stocking densities can be calculated based on expected harvest weight of fish to be produced, or based on the carrying capacity of the system. With the latter method, the number of fish is reduced as their size increases.

Feeds and Feeding

Fish produced in ponds derive part of their nutrition from natural foods. In raceway culture, fish are dependent on a prepared diet for all of their nutritional needs. Therefore, feeds for intensive fish culture need to be of a better quality and the fish farmer must pay a higher price. Higher protein content and more complete vitamin and mineral supplements are usually the two major improvements in the feeds for intensive fish culture systems. Since raceways are flowing water systems, feeds not directly used by the fish are lost from the system. Growers should strive to ensure that fish are not overfed, and adjust feeding rates accurately to ensure efficient production. Poor feed conversion rates typically indicate improper feeding practices, inadequate diet composition, or adverse environmental conditions. Feeding rings, backwash areas, or temporarily stopping water exchange may be considered if flow rates are such that feed is too quickly flushed from the system.

Constraints and Risks

This discussion has considered general aspects of the design, operation and management of raceways and similar intensive systems. The information presented is not a guide to developing such a system since the engineering and management involved are complicated. Anyone considering such a venture is strongly urged to thoroughly evaluate the economic costs and management requirements of the operation prior to proceeding ( Table 1 ). There are a number of raceway systems that have been tried in the past for warm-water fish without a great deal of success. Some of the reasons why these systems are still considered high risk or economically unfeasible should be emphasized.
It is premature to discard raceways systems as unworkable. The knowledge and skill of aquaculturists is continually increasing as they strive to achieve better and more intensive ways of raising fish. To date, however, the pond system of production has worked better for warm-water species. Little sponsored research is being conducted on raceway culture and at present it remains for the entrepreneur to develop and test their potential. There is no question that fish can be raised intensively in raceways and recirculating systems, but the bottom line remains that in the majority of circumstances, it has not been proven to be competitive with existing production methods.

Tables

Table 1.

Table 1. Constraints and Risks of Raceways.

Constraints

Large water requirement

High costs of construction

High operating costs

Require more expensive feeds

Discharge permit required

Require more management skill

More stress on fish

Vulnerable to catastrophe

Price competition from pond raised fish

Risks

Insufficient water supply

Poor water quality

Mechanical failure

Power failure

Massive fish kill

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Footnotes

1. This document is Fact Sheet FA-4, one of a series of the Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. June, 1991. Please visit the FAIRS Web site at http://hammock.ifas.ufl.edu.
2. Michael McGee, former assistant professor, extension aquaculture; Charles Cichra, associate professor, Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, 32611.

————————————————————————
The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function without regard to race color, sex, age, handicap, or national origin. For information on obtaining other extension publications, contact your county Cooperative Extension Service office.

Florida Cooperative Extension Service / Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences / University of Florida / Christine Taylor Waddill, Dean

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Cheap ‘N Easy Wine
Cheap ‘N Easy Wine

In the DEAR MOTHER section of TMEN NO. 3, Gary Dunford asked if it’s possible to make wine at home without buying $40 worth of equipment. The answer is yes.

I started making wine with stuff I could scrounge while living in a one room apartment in the city. Following are my own Super Simple directions. They’re guaranteed to drive dedicated winemakers up a wall but they do produce results. Anyway, they’re a beginning and beginnings are the most important part.

You can make wine out of almost any fruit. In fact, you can make it from just about anything that grows. I have used grapes, pears, peaches, plums, blackberries, strawberries, cherries and—my favorite—honey. Honey wine is called Mead. The so-called wine of the gods. It’s cheap, easy and good. Here’s how:

Get a gallon jug, preferably glass but plastic will do. Clean it out good. Smell it. Someone may have kept gasoline in it. Wash the jug with soap (NOT detergent), rinse with baking soda in water and—finally—rinse with clear water.

Put a pint and a half to two pints of honey in the jug (the more honey, the stronger the wine), fill with warm water and shake.

Add a pack or cake of yeast—the same stuff you use for bread—and leave the jug uncapped and sitting in a sink overnight. It will foam at the mouth and the whole thing gets pretty sticky at this point.

After the mess quiets down a bit, you’re ready to put a top on it. NOT, I say NOT, a solid top. That would make you a bomb maker instead of a wine maker.

What you have to do is come up with a device that will allow gas to escape from the jug without letting air get in. Air getting in is what turns wine mixtures into vinegar.

One way to do the job is to run a plastic or rubber hose from the otherwise-sealed mouth of the jug, thread the free end through a hole in a cork and let the hose hang in a glass or bowl of water. Or you can make a loop in the hose, pour in a little water and trap the water in the loop to act as a seal.

Now put your jug of brew away about two weeks until it’s finished doing its thing. It’s ready to bottle when the bubbles stop coming to the top.

Old wine bottles are best. You must use corks (not too tight!) to seal the wine as they will allow small amounts of gas to escape. The wine is ready to drink just about any time.

You can use the same process with fruits or whatever, except that you’ll have to extract the juice and, maybe, add some sugar. You’ll also find that most natural fruit will start to ferment without the yeast and will be better that way.

Once you’ve made and enjoyed your first glass of wine, no matter how crude, you’ll be hooked.

http://www.optimalhealthnetwork.com/Does-Food-Heal-s/406.htm

Does Food Heal?

(This article is an excerpt from Kristina Amelong’s book, Ten Days to Optimal Health.)
“You’ve heard it before, but it bears repeating: nothing in life is more precious than your health. If you take care of your body, not only do you prevent disease and illness and prolong your life, but you also vastly improve the quality of your life.”
— Dr. Joseph Mercola

It is human nature to want to be healthy, vibrant, and energetic. It is human nature to love life from the moment we are born until the moment we die. This innate desire to live well doesn’t change as we age. It is clear that people do not want to lose their health, ever. Why, then, are so many people struggling with illness?
The Role of Genetics

To begin our exploration of what influences our health, let us look at what role our genes play. Many people think that our genes fully determine our health, or at least determine the risk of such diseases as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. What we are certain of is that our genes do have an effect on our aging process. However, the extent to which our health status is inherited is not fully determined.

Certainly genetics play a role in how we age, as well as the diseases that we struggle with. However, our focus on hereditary as the reason for our health woes needs to be examined in the light of our environment.
Linus PaulingLinus Pauling’s Thoughts on Genetics

In 1949, Linus Pauling, the founding father of molecular biology and author of Vitamin C and the Common Cold, Cancer and Vitamin C, and How to Live Longer and Feel Better, made public his theory that the origin of disease is based on specific changes in genetic materials due to environmental influences, which in turn modify physiological function. In other words, Pauling’s theory states that disease is not solely caused by genetics, but rather due to the interaction between an individual’s genes and his/her surroundings. Bishop and Waldolz point out in their book, Genome, that “aberrant genes do not, in and of themselves, cause disease. By and large their impact on an individual’s health is minimal until the person is plunged into a harmful environment” (Simon and Schuster, New York, 1990). To clarify, it seems that each person’s gene pool has the flexibility to express itself with health and longevity, or with illness and degenerative disease, depending on environmental conditions. Unfortunately, we take for granted that when a person’s genes do express sickness, or even early death, these diseases are genetic, or destined to occur.
Environmental and Political Factors

It is oppressive the way in which all people are systematically hurt by the belief structures and behaviors of their society. People are forced into decisions that cause their bodies to express disease. We are lied to and made to believe that things that are harmful to health are actually good for us. Why? Because our culture is fixated on profits. In his book, Natural Cures “They” Don’t Want You To Know About, Kevin Trudeau explains why the United States government, the major food companies, and the drug companies systematically promote ideas that may cause people harm.

Our current societal structure prioritizes profit above health. Health is created or destroyed by the way we set up our lives. If we eat well, we tend to be healthier. If we rest deeply and daily, we tend to be healthier. If we are close to other people, we tend to be healthier. If we exercise and spend time outdoors, we tend to be healthier. If we have a rich spiritual life, we tend to be healthier. If we nourish our emotional selves, we tend to be healthier. When all of these activities are combined, most people are going to express health genetically and not disease. Unfortunately, most of us aren’t able to pull all of those elements together.
Profitability Before Health

For example, most people don’t eat foods that support their optimal health. Most of us don’t even know what it means to eat well. Foods and all other ingestible products are produced to have long shelf lives, be conveniently transported, and to be produced with the lowest overhead and the highest profitability. Very few producers of foods, supplements, pharmaceuticals, and other bodily products place health above profitability. Most foods are available primarily for the purpose of the suppliers to make a profit and not for their high nutrient content. Diet ought never be based primarily on the needs of the economy and the way in which the economy encourages people to eat. For example, one in four people in the developed world eat at McDonald’s every day.
Limited Access to Quality Food

The average person has very little incentive or education that would lead them to seek out and to choose optimally nutritious food. Most people have limited opportunities to choose the best possible nutrition for their body. How many people have access to organically grown food, high-quality meats, and raw milk from pasture-raised animals? Not many. In our family, we have had to go to great expense to obtain the foods that have assisted my healing, like raw milk and butter and grass-fed meats, even though we live in one of the finest metropolitan areas for organically grown and local food. By understanding how environmental and political factors influence our lives and our cultures, and by healing those scars of oppression, we will be more fully able to eradicate degenerative disease and be optimally healthy.
Nutritional Content of Food

What are the nutritional resources that your body needs in order to be optimally healthy? What is optimal nutrition? Is it possible to practice an optimal diet within a culture that values food for profit over food for health? Through my experiences with healing and working with clients, I have come to believe that we can identify nutritional resources and head ourselves toward optimal nutrition.

Nutritional researchers have studied cultures whose entire population was much healthier than ours is today. Dr. Weston A. Price analyzed the nutritional content of the diets of our healthiest ancestors to decisively identify foods that create environmental conditions for their bodies to genetically express health and not illness. Looking at our healthiest ancestor’s food to determine what foods are therapeutic is turning out to be enormously successful. Well-known nutritional experts Sally Fallon, Dr. Robert Atkins, Donna Gates, Dr. Joseph Mercola, Dr. Andrew Weil, and Dr. Jordan Rubin all share a common theoretical premise: many of the foods our healthiest ancestors ate are now so vital to the wellbeing of our bodies due to their nutrient content, that they can be considered healing to the body, or medicines.
Weston A. PricePrinciples of Healthy Diets and the Work of Dr. Weston A. Price

What scientific evidence supports the argument that the diets of our ancestors were therapeutic and could assist us to optimal health? To answer this question, I will cite the work of Dr. Weston A. Price. Dr. Price was a prominent dentist and researcher who conducted studies during the 1930s and the 1940s regarding the prevention of tooth decay, gum disease, and orthodontic troubles. Within this context, he sought to understand what makes humans healthy and what allows humans to have perfect teeth — not what pushes people toward illness. His determination to study what makes humans healthy and not what makes humans ill makes his works an excellent source of insight. He details his research methods in his book, Nutrition and Physical Degeneration:

“Primitive man* did not have the same disease pattern as modern man. Primitive man suffered from infectious disease but was almost free of degenerative diseases. Modern man has almost eliminated infectious disease but is suffering from an epidemic of degenerative diseases.”

* Weston A. Price first published Nutrition and Physical Degeneration in 1939. At that time in history, European writers commonly used the term “primitive racial stocks” to denote indigenous peoples, which I see as offensive and dated. Price uses the term “primitive racial stocks” to mean people, whether European or indigenous, whose diets were untouched by the “foods of commerce.” Foods of commerce are foods whose value is seen in terms of profit and not health.

“In my search for the cause of degeneration of the human face and the dental organs I have been unable to find an approach to the problem through the study of affected individuals and diseased tissues. In my two volume work, Dental Infections, Oral and Systemic and Dental Infection, and the Degenerative Diseases, I reviewed at length the researches that I had conducted to throw light on this problem. The evidence seemed to indicate clearly that the forces that were at work were not to be found in the diseased tissues, but that the undesirable conditions were the result of the absence of something. This strongly indicated the need for finding groups of individuals so physically perfect that they could be used as controls. In order to discover them, I determined to search out primitive racial stocks that were free from the degenerative processes with which we are concerned.”

He continued, “To accomplish this it became necessary to locate immune groups which were found readily as isolated remnants of primitive racial stock in different parts of the world. A critical examination of theses groups revealed a high immunity to many of our serious affections so long as they were sufficiently isolated from our modern civilization and living in accordance with the nutritional programs which were directed by the accumulated wisdom of the group.”
The Traditional Diet

Once Dr. Price determined that he needed to study isolated people who appeared to be the healthiest of the peoples on this planet, he spent several years conducting research in his Iowa laboratory before he went into the field. He analyzed the nutrient content of different foods to communicate to the world what nutrients gave health to whole populations of people. As soon as he established his laboratory support, he and his wife set off to learn from the diets of these isolated groups. Every summer, they traveled to remote places and in the end, visited over fourteen tribes, clans, and villages whose members all displayed remarkable freedom from mental, physical, and emotional imbalances. Whether they were investigating the Maori of New Zealand, Irish fishermen, Native Eskimos, the Swiss, Australian Aborigines, African tribes, or Pacific Islanders, they came upon vibrantly healthy people, as long as they were eating traditional diets. This most important discovery was duplicated in all cultures: If the people were eating their traditional foods, they had very little or no tooth decay or physical degeneration elsewhere in the body. Through his continuous research, Dr. Price concluded that tooth decay and degenerative diseases were irretrievably linked and stemmed from the same cause — one’s diet. When people cease to eat the traditional, nutrient- rich diet of their native culture and choose instead the “displacing diets of commerce”*, there is a high correlation with illness and disease. It is by eating the simple, basic, nourishing foods indigenous to native culture that individual populations thrive and live long, disease-free lives.

* The “displacing diets of commerce” are diets that are driven by commerce. These foods are available primarily for the purposes of the suppliers to make a profit and not for their high nutrient content. Diet ought never to be based primarily on the needs of the economy. The fact that this has happened is a flaw in our current capitalistic social structure. Dr. Price had the wisdom to strengthen his argument that the body does indeed have requirements for certain nutrients by examining the health status of the same races of people who had changed their dietary ways away from the traditional foods to the foods offered by modern commerce. This gives his work the true gauge of scientific validity. He writes, “In every instance where individuals of the same racial stocks who had lost this isolation and who had adopted the foods and food habits of our modern civilizations were examined, there was an early loss of the high immunity characteristic of the isolated group.”
Price’s Dietary Principles

Fortunately for us, Dr. Price left detailed records of his research in his landmark work, Nutrition and Physical Degeneration. From these records, health professionals and scientists have identified particular foods and particular methods of preparation that are common to each culture. The dietary principles of the fourteen cultures that Weston A. Price studied serve as a guide today in whatever diet we choose. Listed below are eight universal dietary principles that Dr. Price witnessed in every society that he studied. Some aspects of the following principles may not be familiar to you; please know that I will go into further detail on each principle later in the book. The principles that each culture followed are:

1) Ate up to ten times the amount of natural, non-synthetic, vitamin A, vitamin D, and Activator X in the diet as did most people of Dr. Price’s day.

2) Never consumed refined or denatured foods including: protein powders, high-fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, white flour, or fruit juice.

3) Used both cooked and raw foods in their meals, especially animal foods.

4) Ate raw foods high in enzyme content: dairy, meat, honey, cultured vegetables and tropical fruits like papaya. Furthermore, consumed lacto-fermented foods and drinks such as kvass, yogurt, and kefir.

5) Always fermented, soaked, sprouted, or naturally leavened their seeds, grains, and nuts.

6) Ate significant quantities (30%-80%) of their total diet in fat. In every case, polyunsaturated fats comprised only 4% or less of the fat in the diet. Omega 6 and omega 3 fats were in a ratio of 1:1, and generous amounts of saturated fats were also eaten.

7) Included unrefined salt in their diets.

8) Used bones for broth.

Now, with the principles of traditional diets in mind, let’s explore my basic program, the Optimal Health Center (OHC) plan. The OHC plan is an easy-to-follow, clinically proven, traditionally based, and solidly researched dietary program. Enjoy. And feel free to contact me if you need support. I want you to be successful! And, most importantly, I want you to be able to intelligently choose a healthy diet for yourself.

You ask, “What if I descended from people with very different cultures and eating habits? Do I eat the foods indigenous to where I live now or where my ancestors lived?” I propose that instead of thinking rigidly about the foods your ancestors ate, you take the common dietary factors from each of the healthy cultures that Dr. Price studied to determine your optimal foods. The foremost point to keep in mind is that no matter what ‘diet’ you choose, you need to eat foods that are rich in specific nutrients in order to be optimally healthy. I will highlight these nutrients as I explain my OHC plan.
Kristina Amelong

(This article is an excerpt from Kristina Amelong’s book, Ten Days to Optimal Health.)

*NOTE: Any statements contained within on this website are for informational purposes only and have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. If pregnant or lactating, consult your physician before taking any products or using any procedure.

http://www.drbass.com/sequential.html

Sequential eating and food combining
Excerpts from “Ideal Health through Sequential Eating”

INTRODUCTION
..... In my opinion and experience as a nutritional consultant in Natural Hygiene (I began studying nutrition in 1936), sequential eating represents the most advanced approach to understanding proper food combining.
After testing and retesting the concept on myself thousands of times, as well as on others, including the experience of Dr. Cursio, his family, his patients, as well as other Hygienic doctors - Dr. John Mega, Dr. Marvin Telmar, Dr. Anthony Penepent, etc.
......

Continued.

and articles on food and how they affect the body....

http://journeytoforever.org/farm_library/medtest/medtest_howard.html

‘Medical Testament’

Food and Health
Soil Fertility and Health
by Sir Albert Howard, C.I.E.

— From “Feeding the Family in War-time, Based on the New Knowledge of Nutrition” by Doris Grant, Harrap, London, 1942.

THE earth is the mother of all living things — plants, animals, and man. All natural processes, which include growth and decay, are consummated in her. She is the beginning and the end of every cell in existence.

The earth produces most of the food of mankind, and this food to be nutritious must come from a healthy and fertile soil — one rich in humus.

Soil-sickness, however, afflicts the land in many countries, and almost everywhere soil fertility is declining. The ‘medicine cupboard’ of poison sprays and dope of all kinds which are now necessary to produce a saleable potato, an attractive tomato, and a bunch of grapes without blemish tells its own tale, which finds confirmation in the frequent and unaccountable epidemics of foot-and-mouth disease which sweep across Europe, in the many and fantastic sicknesses of poultry, and in the complexity of present-day veterinary work. That man also (who feeds upon such unnatural plants and animals) does not escape is proved by the widespread and alarming occurrence of malnutrition, of little-understood mental and physical ailments and of increasing susceptibility to disease.

On the other hand, evidence for the view that a fertile soil means healthy crops, healthy animals, and healthy human beings is rapidly accumulating. At least half of the millions spent every year in trying to protect all three from disease in every form would be unnecessary the moment our soils are restored and our population is fed on the fresh produce of fertile land.

Once the first principle in Nature’s farming is recognized and applied, all goes well. This principle can be stated in a few words — the processes of growth and the processes of decay must always balance one another. If we speed up growth we must accelerate decay, otherwise farming becomes unbalanced and unstable, as does the population nourished, as it is today, on its products. One of the outward and visible signs of this instability is malnutrition followed by disease.

The fundamental cause of the many maladies which now afflict the people of Great Britain is beginning to be recognized by the medical profession. The local Medical and Panel Committee of Cheshire, who are in touch with some six hundred family doctors of the county, affirmed in their “ Medical Testament,” which was accepted at a public meeting held at Crewe in March 1939, that most of the ills they were called upon to attend were the result not only of wrong nutrition, but also of inferior foods grown on exhausted land.

It follows, therefore, that there can be no satisfactory response to the ‘Dig for Victory’ campaign unless we first restore soil fertility. Obviously there is nothing to be got out of worn-out land beyond disappointment and the inevitable onslaught of disease in plant, animal, and mankind.

Until such time as the governments of tomorrow assume their chief duty — the restoration and maintenance of the fertility of the soil — it is incumbent on the holder of every garden and every allotment to grow not only more food but more and better food.

There is only one way to accomplish this — to use natural methods of manuring instead of artificial ones. This brings us back again to humus, which is the material necessary for creating and maintaining a fertile soil and which alone can cure soil-sickness once it has occurred. Humus, by the agency of food, is the key to health and fitness.

What is this humus, how is it prepared, and what is it for?

If we watch how Nature — the supreme farmer and gardener — prepares humus we shall learn much about its nature, its manufacture for the garden, and its purpose in the soil.

With her usual thoroughness Nature provides us with examples to copy (in our woods and forests) and also to avoid (in the peat bog) in the correct treatment of wastes. Let us consider what we must copy when preparing humus. If we examine the floor of any piece of mixed woodland we can see for ourselves how to make humus. All kinds of vegetable and animal wastes form a loose litter under the trees, but this litter does not accumulate beyond a certain point. It is constantly undergoing transformation, first becoming mouldy, then rotten, and finally passing into dark-coloured leaf mould. The mixed carpet has been changed into humus. The agents which bring this about are alive — fungi and bacteria. These organisms live on the mixed vegetable and animal matter, rapidly multiply in number, and in the process reduce the total carbon content of the mass, releasing this carbon as carbon dioxide. Besides the wastes these organisms need air and water, both of which are supplied from the atmosphere. Soon the intense activity of these fungi and bacteria slows down, when their dead bodies and the undecomposed portions of the wastes amalgamate to form leaf mould or humus. Humus is therefore a residue. But it is only a temporary residue as it were. When mixed with the soil it undergoes a further slow but complete oxidation by micro-organisms into carbon dioxide, water, and the chemical salts needed in the green leaf.

If we examine the ground under the trees still further we shall find that the humus layer under the loose litter is constantly being mingled with the upper soil by means of earthworms and other animals. In this rich soil we shall discover how the roots of the trees and undergrowth make use of the humus. The upper soil layers are permeated by a network of fine roots which are provided with root hairs and a structure known as the mycorrhizal association. It is by means of these two agencies that the soil and the roots of the trees come into gear. Let us first consider the root hairs which are merely prolongations of the epidermis of the young roots. These absorb water and dilute salts (obtained as we have seen by the complete oxidation of some of the humus) which are carried up to the green leaves by the sap current. The mycorrhizal association is a composite structure made up of threads of fungous tissue (mycelium) which feed on the soil humus and surround or invade the young cells of the root, where fungus and plant cell live together in partnership (symbiosis). Eventually the fungous threads, which are rich in protein, are digested, the products of digestion passing up to the leaves in the sap current. The roots of the trees and undergrowth therefore feed in two ways simultaneously — by means of the chemical salts absorbed by the root hairs and by means of the proteins of the mycorrhizal association.

Such a double contact between soil and plant is practically universal — in our gardens, in our arable land, and in our meadows and pastures. It has a profound significance. The quality and nutritive value of our food depend to a very large extent on the efficiency of the mycorrhizal association and therefore on humus. This explains why soil fertility is so important. We can provide a substitute in the shape of artificial manures for the chemical salts absorbed by the root hairs, but there is no substitute for the mycorrhizal association and for the proteins supplied by humus; crops so raised are, therefore, deficient in real food value — they are artificial crops. Unfortunately much of our food is grown by the help of chemical manures, which partly explains why malnutrition and ill-health are so common in this country.
Most of these troubles can be avoided by making the soils of our gardens and allotments fertile. This involves regular applications of freshly prepared humus. How is this to be obtained? By converting all available vegetable and animal wastes into leaf mould.

http://journeytoforever.org/farm_library/medtest/medtest_mccarrison2.html

Studies in Deficiency Disease
By Sir Robert McCarrison

Oxford Medical Publications, Henry Frowde and Hodder & Stoughton, London, 1921
Introduction

CUSTOM has sanctioned the application of the term ‘deficiency disease’ to a group of maladies the chief causal factor of which is deficiency in the food of certain substances, named ‘accessory food factors’ by Gowland Hopkins, their discoverer. These substances are also spoken of as ‘growth determinants’, ‘food hormones’, ‘exogenous hormones’, ‘advitants’, or more commonly ‘vitamines’: the last term was applied to them by Casimir Funk (1910).

Neither the term ‘deficiency disease’ nor ‘vitamine’ is free from objection. The former is too restricted in its application, and should embrace disorders due to faulty and ill-balanced food deficient, either in quantity or quality, in any essential food requisite; the term is here used in this sense. ‘Vitamine’ is a misnomer, since there is no evidence that accessory food factors are amines. Following a suggestion made by Drummond (1920), that ‘the final “e” of “vitamine” be dropped, so that the resulting word “Vitamin” may conform with the standard scheme of nomenclature adopted by the Chemical Society, which permits a neutral substance of undefined chemical composition to bear a name ending in “in”’, accessory food factors will here be referred to as ‘vitamins’; the word meaning ‘substances essential to life’.

The object of my studies has been twofold: first, to find out how the animal body goes sick in consequence of deficient and ill-balanced food; and, secondly, to deduce therefrom what forms of sickness in the human subject may reasonably be attributed to, or connected in their origin with, such foods. It was recognized early in the course of these studies that deficient foods are in practice usually ill-balanced foods, and that the effects of avitaminosis are bound up with maladjustments both in quality and quantity of other essential requisites of the food. The method of investigation adopted was, therefore, to study the effects of vitamin-deficiency in association with other food faults which may accompany it.

It is rare that the food of human beings is totally devoid of any one vitamin; it is more usual for the deficiency to be partial, and for more than one vitamin to be partially deficient; it is more usual still for partial deficiency of vitamins to be associated with deficiency of suitable protein and inorganic salts and with an excessive richness of the food in carbohydrates. Consequently, the manifestations of disease resulting from the faulty food are compounded of the several effects of varying degrees of avitaminosis on the one hand, and of ill-balance of the food on the other.

Nor is this all, for pathogenic organisms present in the body, during the period of its subjection to the faulty food, contribute their share to the general morbid result. For instance, a diet deficient in vitamins and disproportionately rich in starch leads to depression of digestive and gastro-intestinal function. If, then, these organs are exposed at the same time to the action of pathogenic micro-organisms, their depression, which is at first functional, may become accentuated or fixed by organic changes due to the pathogenic agent. Further, under conditions of food deficiency, the presence in the bowel — let us say — of such agents may determine the character of the morbid states initiated by the food deficiency, and even impart to them endemic or epidemic characters. In these circumstances the etiological significance of the underlying food defects, which have permitted the unhampered action of the pathogenic agent, may be obscured.

Experiences illustrating these points are given in succeeding pages, but it can not be too strongly emphasized that many of the infectious scourges to which human beings are subject — such, for example, as infantile diarrhoea and tuberculosis — require consideration as much from this point of view as from that of the pathogenic organism to which they are due.

Other factors also, such as age, sex, individual idiosyncrasy, rate of metabolism, fatigue, cold, insanitary surroundings, overcrowding, the varying susceptibilities of different individuals, of different organs and of the same organs in different individuals, all play a determining part in the production of the morbid result of food deficiency.

So it is that in practice the manifestations of deficiency disease are influenced by a number of factors apart from the actual food-fault. It may be expected, therefore, that wide variations in the incidence, the time of onset, and the character of the symptoms will occur in human beings in whom the dietetic fault has been to all appearances the same.

My investigations have so far been concerned with this wider aspect of food deficiency. For I have thought it well to make a general survey of this largely unexplored territory of disease before attempting more detailed studies. Indeed, however important it is to be in a position to compare the effects of different food deficiencies in order to learn what is peculiar to any one, it is, in the present state of knowledge, of still greater importance to be aware of the extent and variety of the morbid change to which food deficiency in general may give rise, since this knowledge can at once be applied in practice. For whether these changes are the result of a single deficiency or of several, they are amenable to the same remedy: the provision of a well-balanced diet of good biological value and rich in vitamins of every class.

It is to this variety of morbid change that I desire to draw attention, since it seems to me to impart to the term ‘deficiency disease’ a wider significance than has been attached to it hitherto. It is a curious fact that the nomenclature of vitamins has been responsible, in considerable measure, for the narrowness of outlook with regard to diseases which are either favoured in their origin or initiated by an insufficient supply of these substances. We speak, for instance, of ‘anti-neuritic’ or ‘anti-beri-beri’ vitamin, thus directing attention to one system of the body and to one disease syndrome while ignoring others. The effects on the nervous system of a dietary deficient in anti-neuritic vitamin and disproportionately rich in starch, as observed in animals, have thus often been emphasized to the almost complete exclusion of other equally important, if less prominent, symptoms.

Long before nervous symptoms supervene, others, such as loss of appetite, impaired digestion, diarrhoea, colitis, unhealthy skin, low temperature, slow respiration, cardio-vascular depression, progressive anaemia, and asthenia result from the deficient and ill-balanced food. Do not these form a disease syndrome which is, in children especially, as familiar as its cause is unrecognized? It is to my mind with these earlier evidences of disease — with these beginnings of morbidity — that we as physicians are mainly concerned in practice.

It will be shown in the course of this book that such evidences of disease as those I have just recounted manifest themselves as certainly when partial deficiency is protracted over long periods as when more extreme deficiency is experienced over shorter periods. It is no doubt of great importance to be aware that food deficient in certain vitamins will ultimately cause nervous symptoms of a definite order. But since these are end-results, it is of still greater importance to realize that the same faulty food will give rise more early to gastrointestinal disturbance and other forms of vague ill health, and that these, like the nervous symptoms, can be prevented by supplying the necessary vitamins and adjusting the balance of the food.

Another matter of importance concerns us here: it is often stated that vitamins are so widely distributed amongst naturally occurring foodstuffs that the variety of foods consumed by European peoples — in times of peace — protects them from risk of any deficiency in these essential substances. If vitamins be considered solely from the point of view of the grosser manifestations of disease — beri-beri, keratomalacia, scurvy, etc. — to which their want gives rise, then this statement is to a great extent true.

But is it wholly true? Is not scurvy a common disorder of infants, and is it always recognized as such (Comby, 1918)? Is rickets rare? Are the forms of peripheral neuritis of undetermined cause so uncommon that without their study the food factor can be excluded as a possible cause of some of them? May it not be that, because we do not seek for alimentary neuritis, we do not find it? Pellagra has seemed to spread rapidly in America since 1902 (Roberts, 1920). But is this due to comparatively sudden alterations in the dietetic habits of the people, or to more accurate diagnosis and the recognition of minor manifestations of this malady consequent on increasing knowledge of the nutritional factor in its production? Is this disease, in its varying manifestations, as uncommon in the British Isles as is generally assumed? We know nothing of its true incidence, since the health of the people has not been considered in regard to it. But, apart from the incompleteness of knowledge as to the prevalence of the grosser evidences of deficiency disease in this country, are there no lesser manifestations due to the supply of vitamins and of suitable protein and salts in quantities insufficient for the needs of the body?

The statement above referred to might be true, also, were it a fact that Europeans invariably used naturally occurring foodstuffs in quantities sufficient for their needs. But do they? Is it not common knowledge that, disregarding nature’s plan, the modern tendency is to rear infants artificially on boiled or pasteurized milk and proprietary foods, which are all of them inferior to mother’s milk in substances essential to the well-being of the child; inferior not only in vitamins, but in thyroid derivatives and other essentials?

Again, is not cow’s milk — an important dietary constituent for young and old alike — gradually becoming a luxury reserved for the few? Vegetable margarines are replacing butter even among the richer classes. Fresh fruit is a comparative rarity, even on the tables of the rich. Green vegetables are scanty, and such as there are are often cooked to the point of almost complete extraction of their vitamin-content and salts. White bread has largely replaced wholemeal bread, and it is notorious that bread form’s a high proportion of the dietaries of persons of limited means.

It is notable that, despite the food restrictions imposed upon the people of Belgium during the late war (1914-18), the infant mortality and infantile diarrhoea decreased greatly — a circumstance which was due to the organized propaganda encouraging mothers to nurse their infants, and to the establishment of national canteens which provided prospective mothers from the fifth month of pregnancy onwards with eggs, meat, milk, and vegetables (Demoor and Slosse, 1920).

Again, fresh eggs are so expensive as to debar the struggling masses from their use. Meat is at best but poor in vitamins, and its value in these essentials is not enhanced by freezing and thawing. Sugar is consumed in quantities unheard of a century ago, and sugar is devoid of vitamins which the cane juice originally contained (Osborne, 1920). The use of stale foods, involving the introduction of factors incidental to oxidation and putrefaction, is the rule, that of fresh foods the exception.

Can it, then, truly be said that the variety of natural foodstuffs consumed by Europeans protects them from any deficiency of vitamins? My own clinical experience justifies no such belief; rather does it point in the contrary direction. Nor does it appear to be the experience of the compiler of the 38th Report of the Medical Research Council (1919), who writes: ‘From a consideration of dietaries consumed by the poorer classes in the towns of this country, one is led to suggest that no inconsiderable proportion of the population is existing on a food supply more or less deficient in fat-soluble factor’ — deficient, that is to say, in a vitamin one of whose cardinal functions is to maintain the natural resistance of the subject against infections. Neither is it the experience of Osborne (1920), who asserts that a large part of the food eaten by civilized people has been deprived of vitamin B by ‘improvements’ in manufacture; nor of Hess (1920), who emphasizes that latent and sub-acute forms of scurvy are common disorders of infancy.

But the frequency with which deficient and ill-balanced foods are used is most apparent when the dietetic habits of persons in subnormal health are considered. It will surprise those who study them to find how many there are, of capricious appetite, who habitually make use of foods sometimes deficient in calories — for it is not the food presented to the subject that counts, but the food eaten and assimilated — and often dangerously deficient in one or more vitamins, in protein of good biological value, and disproportionately rich in starch or sugar or fats, or in all three. Infants fed on many of the proprietary foods in common use come within the category of the deficiently-fed, unless deficiencies are made good. The food of young children is commonly low in vitamin-content, in salts, and suitable protein, while it is frequently disproportionately rich in starch and sugar — a circumstance which enhances the danger of vitamin-deficiency. It may, indeed, be accepted as an axiom that the vitamin-value of a child’s food is reduced in proportion to its excessive richness in carbohydrates.

But the ranks of the deficiently-fed do not include only infants and young children; they include also those whose food is composed mainly of white bread, margarine, tea, sugar and jam, with a minimum of meat, milk, eggs, and fresh vegetables. Even amongst those whose diet is more perfectly balanced, the commoner articles of food, as they are prepared for the table, are so low in vitamin-value that, unless they are enriched with a sufficiency of natural foods in the raw state, they are prone to cause ill health, and especially gastro-intestinal ill health. Such is my experience in India, where this European patient ‘cannot digest vegetables or fruit’, and never touches them ‘as they carry infection’, or that one ‘suffers so from indigestion’ that he or she lives chiefly on custards and milk-puddings; where milk is, of necessity, boiled and reboiled until as a carrier of vitamins it is almost useless; where meat is made tender by the simple device of boiling it first and roasting it afterwards; where every third or fourth European child has mucous disease, the direct outcome of bad feeding. So it is that the forms of food which such as these so commonly adopt are those most calculated to promote the very disorder from which they seek relief.

Access to abundance of food does not necessarily protect from the effect of food deficiency, since a number of factors — prejudice, penury, ignorance, habit — often prevent the proper use and choice of health-giving foods. Who in the ranks of practising physicians is not familiar, among the well-to-do classes, with the spoilt child of pale, pasty complexion and unhealthy appetite, of sluggish bowel, and often with mucous stools or enuresis, who, deprived of the wholesome ingredients of a well-balanced natural food, craves for sweetmeats, chocolates, pastries and other dainties as devoid of natural health-giving properties as their excessive use is common? Constantly one encounters the anxious mother of the ‘highly-strung’, ‘nervous’ child ‘of delicate digestion’, whose ignorance of essential principles of feeding is only excelled by her desire to do what is best for her offspring; who, guided by the child’s preferences, supplies the means to convert it into a static, constipated, unhealthy-skinned adolescent, equipped with digestive and endocrine systems wholly unfitted to sustain the continued exercise of healthy function. Here it is that overfeeding joins with underfeeding and vitamin-insufficiency in swelling the C3 ranks of the nation.

Or, again, who is not familiar with the overworked anaemic girl, static and with visceroptosis, acne or seborrhoea, and oftentimes with vague psychoses, who ekes out a paltry wage for teaching, sewing, or selling, satisfying the cravings of her tissues principally with white bread, margarine, and tea? Or with the languid lady, devoid of healthful occupation, who, living in the midst of plenty, deprives herself, for some imaginary reason, of substances essential to her well-being? Or with the harassed mother of children, oppressed with the constant struggle to make ends meet, stinting herself that others may not want, exhausted by childbearing and suckling, worry, and too little of the right food? What wonder that such a woman is dyspeptic, and that ‘every bite’ she eats ‘turns on her stomach’. Some there are, living in luxury, whom ignorance or fancy debars from choosing their food aright; others for whom poverty combines with ignorance to place an impassable barrier in the way of discriminating choice. It is for us so to instruct ourselves that we may instruct such as these, and use our newer knowledge to the end that customs and prejudices may be broken and a more adequate dietary secured for those under our care. I do not doubt that, if the practice I now follow of estimating the vitamin-value and qualitative balance of the food in every case that comes before me is followed by others, they will be impressed as I am with the vast importance of the food factor in the causation of disease.

In this connection reference may be made to the experiences of the Danes during the late war, as narrated by Hindhede (1920). When, as was the lot of other countries, the food supply of Denmark had to be conserved, and rationing was strict, it was considered that to feed cattle and swine with cereals and potatoes that might be used for human consumption was wasteful, since it meant a loss of approximately 80 per cent in the nutritional value of the foods as compared with the yield in the flesh of animals. For this reason the potatoes and grain were reserved for the use of the people, and the stock of cattle and swine was reduced. The cereals and potatoes were taken ‘from the distillers, so that they could not make brandy, and one-half of the cereals from the brewers, so that the beer output was reduced one-half.’ The people received a sufficiency of potatoes, whole rye bread — containing wheat bran and 24 per cent of barleymeal — barley porridge, grains, milk, abundance of green vegetables, and some butter.

In consequence of this enforced alteration in the dietetic habits of the Danish people, the death-rate dropped as much as 34 per cent, being as low as 10.4 per cent when the regime had been in force for one year. Hindhede, therefore, concludes that ‘the principal cause of death lies in food and drink’; and few will be disposed to doubt the justice of his contention in the face of an experiment so unequivocal.

My own experience provides an example of a race, unsurpassed in perfection of physique and in freedom from disease in general, whose sole food consists to this day of grains, vegetables, and fruits, with a certain amount of milk and butter, and meat only on feast days. I refer to the people of the State of Hunza, situated in the extreme northernmost point of India. So limited is the land available for cultivation that they can keep little livestock other than goats, which browse on the hills, while the food supply is so restricted that the people, as a rule, do not keep dogs. They have, in addition to grains — wheat, barley, and maize — an abundant crop of apricots. These they dry in the sun and use very largely in their food.

Amongst these people the span of life is extraordinarily long; and such service as I was able to render them during some seven years spent in their midst was confined chiefly to the treatment of accidental lesions, the removal of senile cataract, plastic operations for granular eyelids, or the treatment of maladies wholly unconnected with food supply. Appendicitis, so common in Europe, was unknown. When the severe nature of the winter in that part of the Himalayas is considered, and the fact that their housing accommodation and conservancy arrangements are of the most primitive, it becomes obvious that the enforced restriction to the unsophisticated foodstuffs of nature is compatible with long life, continued vigour, and perfect physique.

Although no statistics are available in this country as to the precise influence of malnutrition in contributing to the low standard of physique revealed during the later years of the war, there can be no doubt that the food factor is connected with it. In America, during the year 1917-18, Manny (1918) estimated that about 30 per cent of the schoolchildren were suffering from malnutrition. This condition was not always limited to the poor, but was found to a certain extent among all classes. Chapin (1920) remarks with regard to it that ‘the malnutrition was due to a failure in the proper selection and preparation of food materials in addition to poverty’.

With increasing knowledge of nutritional problems, it has become apparent that our dietetic habits need remodelling, and that education of the people as to what to eat and why they eat it is urgently necessary. It is clear that green vegetables, milk and eggs should form a far higher proportion of the food of the nation than is now customary. So far from curtailing the beneficent scheme whereby portions of land were made available to town-dwellers during the war for cultivation by allotment-holders, this scheme should be extended and facilities given to allotment-holders for the keeping of fowls. Municipalities and other public bodies should concentrate on the provision of an abundance of milk, eggs, and vegetables, for there is no measure that could be devised for improving the health and well-being of the people at the present time that surpasses this either in excellence or in urgency.

The results revealed in the course of these studies provide the pathological basis for attaching to food deficiencies a prominent etiological significance in regard to that great mass of ill-defined gastro-intestinal disorder and vague ill-health which throngs clinics at the present day, and concerning which we have hitherto known little or nothing.

It is necessary to emphasize that the problems of nutrition must not be viewed from a too ‘vitaminic’ outlook. Vitamins have their place in nutrition; it is that of one link in a chain of essential substances requisite for the harmonious regulation of the chemical processes of healthy cellular action.

http://journeytoforever.org/farm_library/medtest/medtest_mccarrison3.html

Diseases of Faulty Nutrition
By Sir Robert McCarrison

Transactions of the Far Eastern Association of Tropical Medicine, 1927

MORE than 2,000 years ago Hippocrates wrote as follows:

‘... it appears to me necessary to every physician to be skilled in nature, and to strive to know, if he would wish to perform his duties, what man is in relation to the articles of food and drink, and to his other occupations, and what are the effects of each of them to every one.

‘Whoever does not know what effect these things produce upon a man, cannot know the consequences which result from them.

‘Whoever pays no attention to these things, or paying attention, does not comprehend them, how can he understand the diseases which befall a man? For, by every one of these things a man is affected and changed this way and that, and the whole of his life is subjected to them, whether in health, convalescence, or disease. Nothing else, then, can be more important or more necessary to know than these things.’

It is strange that, although these words were written so long ago, it is only within the last quarter of a century that we have begun to pay attention to ‘what man is in relation to the articles of food and drink’, to ‘know what effect these things produce upon a man’, and, ‘to understand the diseases which befall a man’ in consequence of them.

In the time at my disposal I can do no more than give a very brief outline of the present state of knowledge of the nutritional or, as I prefer to call them, the malnutritional diseases. I shall not, therefore, concern myself with morbid states which result from the ingestion of food in insufficient quantity, nor with those which may be associated with over-eating, but will confine myself to ailments whose genesis is directly or indirectly dependent upon the improper quality and or the improper balance of food ingested in sufficient quantity.

Since the functions of food are to rebuild the living tissues, to supply energy and to preserve a proper medium in which the biochemical processes of the body can take place, it follows that derangements of nutrition — and, therefore, of health — must result if the food ingested fails adequately to subserve these functions. Then the architecture of the living tissues becomes imperfect; transformation of energy in the body becomes deranged; and, metabolic processes become disordered, with the consequent production of abnormal or, it may be, of toxic metabolites. The failure of food to subserve these functions may be brought about in a number of ways; but the one which chiefly concerns us here is the insufficient provision in the diet of one or other or all of three of its essential constituents: suitable protein, inorganic salts and vitamins. Foods which are unsatisfactory in these regards give rise to sub-optimal, or to subnormal states of health, or even to actual disease, the character and the severity of which depend upon the nature and degree of the food faults and the length of time the organism has been subjected to their influence.

The first effect of such unsatisfactory foods to which reference must be made is the low standard of physical efficiency which they induce both in man and his domestic animals. In no country in the world is this more clearly manifested than in India where malnutrition is so widespread and where food habits are so much controlled by custom and prejudice. No one who has travelled far in India can have failed to notice the great differences in physique of different Indian races. The poor physique, the lack of vigour and of powers of endurance of certain southern and eastern races provide a remarkable contrast to the fine physique and hardiness of certain stalwart races of the north: these differences are in the main attributable to differences in biological value of their national diets. The low standard of physical efficiency of man’s domestic animals in certain parts of India is common knowledge: it has the same malnutritional basis, and the gravity of its influence on the well-being of the people can hardly be over-estimated.

In addition to lowering the standard of physical efficiency (a matter of vast economic importance to India) food which is faulty with respect either to suitable protein, to mineral elements, to vitamins or to all three gives rise to many minor manifestations of ill health, without, it may be, the production of any morbid state to which we can attach a diagnostic label. It inevitably leads to some deviation from the normal histological structure, and to a corresponding reduction in functional efficiency, of one or other of the various organs and tissues of the body: the nervous, the osseous, the muscular, the endocrine, the gastro-intestinal, the respiratory and the circulatory systems. It leads also to some deviation of the body fluids from their normal constitution; the blood, the lymph, the digestive juices, the secretions, the excretions, even the tears, are all altered in one way or another, each alteration contributing to, or being indicative of, impaired well-being.

It is to be recognized, whether we be dealing with animals under experimental conditions or with man in his free state, that it is the gross evidences of malnutrition which force themselves upon our attention, which are recognized clinically, and for which alone our system of nomenclature provides appropriate labels. The lesser manifestations of malnutrition often escape our observation altogether, although they ‘affect the health of individuals to a degree most important to themselves’ (Hopkins, 1906).

If we closely observe animals subsisting on faulty food — even though the fault be not so great as to cause such wreckages of health as scurvy, beri-beri, pellagra, rickets or keratomalacia — we notice many signs of impaired well-being which have their counterpart in human subjects similarly situated with respect to the quality and balance of their food. Thus, we may notice sub-normal or, as I prefer to say, sub-optimal states of growth or of unbalanced growth; or we may find that the animals’ ‘condition’ is not so good as it might be, that their coats lack lustre, or that they are dull-eyed and devoid of the beauty of the well-nourished animal; we may notice, also, that their excreta are not wholly normal, that they age prematurely, that their fertility is impaired, that they have but poor success in rearing their young, that their offspring when reared are very prone to disease and that the mortality amongst them is high. We may find, too, that they are apprehensive and timid, peevish, or it may be ill-natured, and that they resent handling which the well-nourished animal rarely does: all of which is unmistakable evidence of an unstable nervous system. Yet such animals may be suffering from no nameable disease though they are obviously not well.

Similar symptoms of sub-normal health are common enough in human beings; but since they may conform to no stereotyped disease, have no ‘microbe’ nor any ‘toxin’ associated with them, nor be accounted for by any laboratory tests which we apply to them, we are apt to find nothing wrong with sufferers from them and to mistake their malnutritional meaning. Obsessed by the idea of the microbe, the protozoa, or the invisible virus as all-important excitants of disease, subservient to laboratory methods of diagnosis, and hidebound by our system of nomenclature, we often forget the most fundamental of all rules for the physician, that the right kind of food is the most important single factor in the promotion of health and the wrong kind of food the most important single factor in the promotion of disease. I emphasize these minor manifestations of malnutrition because they represent the beginnings of disease, and their recognition is, to my way of thinking, vastly more important than that of the wreckages of health, which even the man in the street can see, though his name for them may be less sonorous than our own.

Next in importance to the physical inefficiency and the minor manifestations of ill health induced by faulty food come those gross states of morbidity that are due to specific food faults: the list of these increases year by year. I shall do no more than mention them, leaving you to link each with its own food fault. They are: keratomalacia, night blindness, dental caries, polyneuritis, beri-beri, pellagra, scurvy, rickets, osteoporosis, slow healing of fractures, sterility, stone-in-the-bladder, anaemias, some types of goitre, alimentary dystrophy, gastric atony and dilatation, diarrhoea, constipation, intestinal stasis, colitis, unhealthy skin, disordered action of the adrenal glands, and vesical irritability. The results of animal experimentation have been generally accepted as demonstrating the aetiological relation of specific food faults to some of these maladies in man, while their prevention in human beings by correction of the food faults has afforded incontrovertible evidence of the truth of this relationship. But in regard to others the knowledge that they have a similar aetiology has been slow to diffuse, and, therefore, slow to be put in practice, though it has been arrived at by the same means. Nevertheless, it will ultimately be made clear in man himself that certain disorders of the gastro-intestinal tract are as readily preventable by a perfectly constituted diet as are scurvy, rickets or beri-beri.

The morbid states which are known to result from faulty nutrition in man’s domestic animals are: imperfect growth; slow development; tendency for stock to decrease in size; deterioration of imported stock and of their offspring; high mortality; low birth-rate, sterility; reduced carrying capacity; poor physique as draught animals; low milk yield; poor quality of milk; poor coats; non-parasitic skin diseases; abnormal craving for bones, earth or faeces; emaciation; pernicious anaemia; one type of goitre; cretinism; ‘hairless disease’; lamziekte; rickets; osteomalacia; ‘poor bone’; fragile bones; swelling of joints, stiffness of hind quarters and lameness (styfsickete); pining in sheep; poor egg-production in fowls and infertility of eggs.

These manifestations of malnutrition in man’s domestic animals are attributed by veterinary scientists to deficiency in the food of essential mineral elements, and with good reason. But some of them, such as low birth-rate, sterility, rickets, non-parasitic skin diseases, some types of goitre, cretinism and pernicious anaemia, can be produced by other means in laboratory animals: deficiency of certain vitamins causing some, and infectious agencies others. It would seem, therefore, that a deficiency either of certain vitamins or of certain salts may bring about the same or, apparently the same, morbid result, and that in regard to these and other essential constituents of food we have still much to learn, as Hippocrates puts it, of ‘the effects of each of them to every one’. However this may be, it is clear that the relation of malnutrition to disease-production has many aspects, and that progress in its comprehension depends on the closest co-operation between students of human, of animal, and of plant nutrition.

The mention of lamziekte in cattle, introduces us to a novel sequence of events in disease-production. This condition is due to a pathogenic agent — the Parabotulinus bovis — which has its habitat in decaying bones. The primary cause of the disease is, however, a deficiency of phosphorus in the food of cattle which induces in them so great a craving for this element that, to satisfy it, they eat the bones in which the pathogenic agent resides, thereby becoming infected. It may be that in this observation there lies a general principle which has an application to mankind.

This brings me to one of the most important means by which disease is brought about both in man and animals by faulty nutrition: namely, by increasing their susceptibility to infectious agents. During the past two-and-a-half years (1925-7) 2,463 rats, living in my laboratories under conditions of perfect hygiene, have been fed on various faulty foods, while the daily average of control or well-fed stock rats was 865. The mortality in the ill-fed animals (excluding those that were killed on the conclusion of experiments) was 31.4 per cent, while in the well-fed animals it was less than 1 per cent; the chief causes of death being lung diseases, pneumonia or broncho-pneumonia and acute gastrointestinal disease.

In the course of my own work I have seen dysentery arise in ill-fed monkeys while well-fed monkeys living in the same animal room escaped; and I have seen ill-fed pigeons become infected with Bacillus suipestifer and with the invisible virus of epithelioma contagiosum, while well-fed birds living in their immediate vicinity escaped these infections. Other workers have had like experiences; the bacillus of mouse typhoid kills, on injection, over 90 per cent of ill-fed mice while it kills less than 10 per cent of well-fed mice; the ill-fed mice are likewise less resistant to B. pestis cavide and to botulinus toxins. Birds are rendered susceptible to infection by anthrax when fed on food deficient in vitamin B and rats to septic broncho-pneumonia when fed on food deficient in vitamin A; guinea-pigs, when fed on food deficient in vitamin C, die more readily from tuberculosis, new-born calves deprived of colostrum develop interstitial nephritis due to B. coli infection; swine suffer from tuberculosis, which can be eradicated from the herds by well-balanced vitamin-rich food; stock animals develop sarcosporidia from the same malnutritional cause.

Man himself provides many examples of a like kind: I need but mention two: In Northern Melanesia, the native diet has been shown to be deficient in suitable protein, mineral elements and vitamins and the poor physique of the natives and their high death-rate from respiratory and intestinal diseases has been correlated with these deficiencies in the food; outbreaks of broncho-pneumonia in children have been definitely traced to the inadequate ingestion of fat-soluble A, and have been caused to disappear by the adequate provision of this vitamin. This list of infectious diseases, to which animals and man are rendered highly susceptible by faulty food, is comprehensive enough including, as it does, infections by such diverse organisms as protozoa, bacilli and invisible viruses. There is good reason, therefore, for the assumption that such death-dealing diseases as tuberculosis, leprosy, cholera, dysentery, plague and malaria have often in this country (India) a malnutritional element in their genesis and course.

Within recent years ‘the spectacular results which have attended the experimental study of vitamins have overshadowed much else in nutrition both in the minds of the profession and the public’ (Mendel, 1923). It may not be inappropriate, therefore, to refer to a class of disease which results under experimental conditions in animals from the lack of balance of various components of the food, each component in itself good. One example of the kind is afforded by the hyperplastic goitre which may result from an excess in the food of so homely a substance as butter. The excess of butter, or of unsaturated fatty acid, causes thyroid hyperplasia by reason of the relative deficiency of iodine brought about by this excess; similarly, enlargements of the thyroid gland of the colloid type may be induced by an excess of lime; they are preventable by increasing the iodine ingested proportionately to this excess.

Another example of much the same sort is that of stone-in-the-bladder which is brought about in rats by ill-balanced diets containing much oatmeal, or whole-wheat flour. To avoid ‘stone’ the excess of these cereals must be compensated for by the consumption of appropriate amounts of milk. Those most excellent foods, oatmeal and whole-wheat flour — the staple articles of diet of such vigorous races as the Scots and the Sikhs — may likewise prove harmful, by causing disturbance in the normal processes of calcification, when, but only when, the diets containing them are poor in vitamin D.

These cereals are not in themselves complete foods; a fact of which the races using them as staple articles of diet are not wholly in ignorance: the Sikh does not attempt to subsist on atta (whole-wheat flour) alone, nor the Scot on oatmeal. Any ill effect which these two foods may exercise is due to the failure suitably to combine them with other food materials which compensate for their defects. They are not to be condemned nor to be displaced from their prominent place in the dietaries of mankind for this reason. As well might we condemn the perfectly good fuel, petrol, for the over-heating of the engines of our cars when we fail to supply them with sufficient oil, as condemn the excellent wheat and oats when we fail to consume with them sufficient quantities of milk or other vitamin-rich foods, which are required by the human machine for its smooth and efficient running.

The same kind of misunderstanding surrounds the controversy which periodically rages over the relative values of white bread and bread made from whole-wheat flour. Both are excellent foods though neither is a complete food; and since man requires a certain amount of suitable protein, of mineral salts and of vitamins as well as of carbohydrates, the superiority of the one bread over the other, as the staple article of diet, lies in the extent to which it excels as a source of these essentials. Seeing, therefore, that white bread is notably more deficient in suitable protein, in vitamins (A, B and E) and in certain essential salts than bread made from whole-wheat flour or, indeed, than any other single food entering into the dietaries of western peoples (with the exception of sugars, starches, and fats which are marketed in the pure state) (McCollum), it is by this much the poorer foundation upon which to build a well-balanced diet. Those who can afford to build upon it, and who possess the requisite knowledge to build wisely, have little need to fear nutritional ailments, though their building is improvident, while those who cannot — and there are millions of such — are in grave danger of disease. Next, then, in importance to the quality of the various ingredients of our food is their right combination.

Of all the constituents of food on which normal health is dependent, vitamins are the most remarkable. We know neither what they are nor yet how much of them we need, though knowing that normal metabolism is impossible without them. We are accustomed to think of them in such infinitesimal terms that we have come to believe that the amounts we need of them are almost imponderable. I do not know whether they are ponderable or not, nor whether science will ultimately succeed in encompassing them all within chemical formulae; but I do know that for optimum well-being we need much more of them than is generally supposed.

At all events, races like the Sikhs, whose physical development and vigour are equal to those of any race of mankind, and superior to many, consume these substances in large quantities as compared with races whose physique is poor. I find that for rats the well-balanced, vitamin-rich diet of the Sikhs is superior to any synthetic diet I can devise and to which vitamins in the form of yeast and cod-liver oil are added. I do not believe that human beings can have too much vitamins when they are taken in the form in which Nature provides them in well-balanced combinations of unsophisticated food materials. Some individuals appear to require more vitamins than others, size being an important factor in determining their requirements; some species of animals require more of a particular kind of vitamin than do others; more are required by the lactating than by the non-lactating animal and more for longevity than for a shorter life. The amount needed varies with the composition of the food, with its balance in other essentials and with its digestibility; more of one vitamin is required when the food is very rich in another as, for instance, more vitamin C when the food is rich in vitamin D; there is for optimum nutrition an ordered balance even amongst the vitamins themselves. In short, the amount of vitamins needed varies with the metabolic requirements of the individual; the attainment and maintenance of physical perfection, reproduction, lactation, heavy work, exposure to cold, infectious and debilitating diseases are all indications for their liberal supply.

Before bringing this brief survey to an end I may, perhaps, refer to another aspect of the matter: the effect of vitamin-deficiency in increasing the susceptibility to certain poisons, which the work of Smith, McClosky and Hendrick has recently brought into prominence. It has been mentioned that deficiency of vitamin A increases the susceptibility of mice to botulinus toxin; it also increases their susceptibility to mercuric chloride. The same deficiency induces in rats an enormously increased susceptibility to morphine, to ergotoxine and, in lesser degree, to histamine. Deficiency of vitamin B likewise increases greatly the susceptibility of rats to ergotoxine and to pilocarpine. Stimulants of the central nervous system are all more toxic to rats receiving too little vitamin A than to well-fed animals.

Observations of this kind suggest forcibly that the ability of the tissues to detoxify certain poisons — both bacterial and other — is reduced by diets deficient in vitamins; while indicating that such diets increase the sensitivity of the nervous system and of its autonomic division to toxic agents. Not only may this be so, but the disturbances of metabolism which result from vitamin-insufficiency may themselves give rise to toxic metabolites which exercise specific effects on certain organs and tissues of the body. This I believe to be the case in beri-beri, about which malady we shall presently engage in argument. Most of us will probably agree that there is such a thing as a specific beri-beri-producing poison; though disagreeing as to whether it be produced in rice before this food is ingested, or in the intestine by some bacterial agent introduced with rice, or in the course of a disordered metabolism arising out of vitamin-insufficiency. Our disagreements will not greatly matter so long as we recognize the prime importance of a sufficiency of the anti-neuritic fraction of vitamin B in preventing beri-beri.

In looking through the pages I have just written, I find mention of a host of diseases and departures from health which make up an imposing array. But amongst them there are none that I have not myself seen to arise as the direct or the indirect result of faulty nutrition or which are not vouched for by investigators of repute. I know of no disease-producing agency which reaps so rich a harvest of ill health as this: though like others it has its limitations. Perfectly constituted food is not a panacea for all diseases, but it is an agent as potent in preventing a host of them as is the mosquito-net in preventing one or inoculation in preventing another; while it is no mean coadjutor even to these.

The newer knowledge of nutrition is, I am convinced, the greatest advance in medical science since the days of Lister, and the sustained success of our profession in its conquest of disease depends, in no small measure, on the extended study of this vitally important subject and on the application in practice of the results reached by that study. When physicians, medical officers of health and the lay public learn to apply the principles which the newer knowledge of nutrition has to impart, when they know what malnutrition means, when they look upon it as they now look upon sepsis and learn to avoid the one as much as they now avoid the other, then will this knowledge do for Medicine what asepsis has done for Surgery.

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Update on Situation

CDC continues to take aggressive action to respond to an expanding outbreak caused by novel H1N1 flu.

CDC’s response goals are to:

1. Reduce transmission and illness severity, and
2. Provide information to help health care providers, public health officials and the public address the challenges posed by this emergency.

CDC continues to issue and update interim guidance daily in response to the rapidly evolving situation. CDC will issue updated interim guidance for clinicians on how to identify and care for people who are sick with novel H1N1 flu illness. This guidance will provide priorities for testing and treatment for novel H1N1 flu infection. The priority use for influenza antiviral drugs during this outbreak will be to treat people with severe flu illness.

CDC has completed deployment of 25 percent of the supplies in the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) to all states in the continental United States. These supplies and medicines will help states and U.S. territories respond to the outbreak. In addition, the Federal Government and manufacturers have begun the process of developing a vaccine against the novel H1N1 flu virus.

Response actions are aggressive, but they may vary across states and communities depending on local circumstances. Communities, businesses, places of worship, schools and individuals can all take action to slow the spread of this outbreak. People who are sick are urged to stay home from work or school and to avoid contact with others, except to seek medical care. This action can avoid spreading illness further.

U.S. Human Cases of H1N1 Flu Infection

As of 11:00 AM ET on May 4, 2009, CDC has confirmed 279 human cases and 1 death in 36 states:

* Alabama: 4
* Arizona: 17
* California: 30
* Colorado: 7
* Connecticut: 2
* Delaware: 20
* Florida: 5
* Idaho: 1
* Illinois: 8
* Indiana: 3
* Iowa: 1
* Kansas: 2
* Kentucky: 1 (resident of Kentucky but currently hospitalized in Georgia)
* Louisiana: 7
* Maryland: 4
* Massachusetts: 6
* Michigan: 2
* Minnesota: 1
* Missouri: 1
* Nebraska: 1
* Nevada: 1
* New Hampshire: 1
* New Jersey: 7
* New Mexico: 1
* New York: 73
* North Carolina: 1
* Ohio: 3
* Oregon: 3
* Pennsylvania: 1
* Rhode Island: 1
* South Carolina: 15
* Tennessee: 1
* Texas: 41 (and 1 death)
* Utah: 1
* Virginia: 3
* Wisconsin: 3

For more information, see the CDC H1N1 Flu website.
http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/

International Human Cases of H1N1 Flu Infection
http://www.who.int/en/

For information about the global situation, see the World Health Organization website.

What You Can Do to Stay Healthy

* Stay informed. This website will be updated regularly as information becomes available.
* Influenza is thought to spread mainly person-to-person through coughing or sneezing of infected people.
* Take everyday actions to stay healthy.
o Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
o Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hands cleaners are also effective.
o Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way.
o Stay home if you get sick. CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.
* Follow public health advice regarding school closures, avoiding crowds and other social distancing measures.
* Call 1-800-CDC-INFO for more information.

For more information on what you can to stay safe and healthy, check the CDC H1N1 Flu website.

Additional Updates on the CDC H1N1 Flu Website

To learn about other updates made to the CDC H1N1 Flu Website in the past 24 hours, please check the “What’s New” page on the CDC H1N1 Flu website.

Jerry Kaufman pays tribute to Jac Smit at the American Planning Association Conference

Remarks about Jac Smit by Jerry Kaufman at the Minneapolis APA conference session,
April 27, 2009, on Urban Agriculture’s Future.

Jac Smit was one of the founders of the urban agriculture movement; some even consider
him to be the father of the urban agriculture movement. In his absence from this
panel today, I would like to honor him by telling you a bit about him and sharing
with you some of his thoughts about the future of urban agriculture. When I learned
he was terminally ill a few weeks ago, I spoke to him by phone. I said I wanted
to bring some of his views about the future of urban agriculture to the APA conference
audience at this session. He was pleased to have me do so.

Display tray: World War I home gardens 1914 - 1918

A collection of items related to World War One home gardens. Including a Toronto
Horticultural Society medal (1915), Farm Service Corps lapel pins, Canadian Food
Board pin, Ontario School fair prize ribbons, and Ontario Department of Education
special regulation (1917). Tray is marked with small square labels #21 in black
ink and “WWI Home Gardens” in blue ink.
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All stories here:
City Farmer News [http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102570745945&s=1304&e=001IXEBTL9-r3iQSEOvzQIAcgv_jU2-JmHy1Tus5KQz-oOkWruFsG8IW_TpZOi8VuydRQbN4tIPE5A_l_6yhLBEgtTUI0y3mieSppllylFJA9rOiuxJHJ1Low==]

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Michael Levenston
City Farmer - Canada’s Office of Urban Agriculture

Hello there! Found you, at last! <grin>

Now that I'm about to become a home owner, this is exactly the thread I want to check out!

Sis, what do you do with excess cucumbers and greens from the garden? Can you preserve cucumbers without pickling them?

Ma'am, thank you for this wonderful thread! As a new homeowner, with a huge and mostly empty back yard, I plan to make great use of the suggestions presented on this thread, and, hopefully, contribute an idea or two.

Gardening for the Million / Pink, Alfred
Author: Pink, Alfred

http://infomotions.com/etexts/gutenberg/dirs/1/1/8/9/11892/11892.htm

>>> So what do you end up using the meat for?

Just about anything you can imagine... <<<

DW has it on point! you will not believe how tender and flavorful your canned meat will taste..

here’s a tidbit on storage temperature

Temperature

Within reason, the key to prolonging the storage life of your edibles lies in lowering the temperature of the area in which they are stored.

The storage lives of most foods are cut in half by every increase of 18 F (10 degrees Celsius).

For example, if you’ve stored your food in a garage that has a temperature of 90 F then you should expect a shelf life less than half of what could be obtained at room temperature (70 F) which in turn is less than half the storage life that you could get if you kept them in your refrigerator at 40 F.

Your storage area should be located where the temperature can be kept above freezing (32 F) and, if possible, below 72 F.

Full article here including light exposure:

http://www.shelfreliance.com/library/view/65

hope this helps..