Farm News 05-15-05
Sunday morning, after chores, 46° and clear
Swallows Return
Sunday morning after sending Farm News, I took a cup of tea and wandered back to the barn. As I got there a Barn Swallow flew in and checked out last year's nest. I hope they have better luck this year. The problem is that they build their nests as close up under the metal roof as possible. Their babies tend to bake on hot days. I have placed several nesting ledges in likely spots, but they insist on going just under the roof.
It's nice to have them in the barn. It takes them a few days to get used to my coming and going, but then they settle down and speak nicely to me when I enter. They have kindly moved their nest site to a location where they are slightly less likely to poop on the mower seat.
Honey Locust
There are two kinds of Locust trees around here, the Honey Locust, Gleditsia triacanthos, and the Black Locust, Robinia pseudoacacia. The Honey Locust is the one with the long, branching thorns. If one wished to make a crown of thorns, the Honey Locust would be the only tree around here with the right kinds of thorns. The Black Locust has small pairs of thorns on the younger branches, similar to Rose thorns. Both bloom with white pea blossoms on drooping stems; the Honey Locust blooms first and then the Black Locust, generally. The Honey Locust smells good, the Black Locust smells like Heaven.
Monday evening seemed to be the peak of the Black Locust flowering. It was warm and humid and there was little breeze. A sweet fragrance drifted around the place, sometimes intense, sometimes delicate, but always there. Even alcoholism has it's rewards.
Locust trees were planted in groves and lines by the early land developers for the purpose of feeding bees. The bees would then create honey, which could be harvested. The honey could then be fermented to make mead, which could then be spiced to produce metheglin, one of the favorite beverages of the frontier, when the 'frontier' was east of the High Plains. Somebody still produces it, Metheglin for California Wannabes.
It's a miracle that our ancestors survived. Many of them drank great quantities of alcoholic beverages. In the towns, the water was probably unsafe, so fermented beverages became the norm. And, if a little bit makes you feel good, a little bit more will make you feel better. That rule of human nature has been around since before we learned to stand on two legs, probably.
Planting Flowers
The geese took a liking to Bronze Fennel, a fern-like plant that smells and tastes like licorice, grows about four feet high, and helps increase the number of Anise Swallowtail butterflies. In the winter, on a sunny day, one can sit near a Fennel plant and enjoy a rich licorice fragrance. In the summer they usually have quite a few caterpillars of the Anise Swallowtail, an interesting caterpillar with an ultra-cool defense mechanism. The blasted geese completely killed out the stand of Fennel.
After looking in half a dozen different seed and plant stores I gave up and went online to order some Fennel seed. I couldn't find it there, either! This year there is definitely some sort of war against Fennel. Paula finally found a pill bottle with seed I had collected from plants two years ago. Today I planted five six-packs with Fennel and crossed my fingers.
While I was at it I planted some Moonflower, they smell really good at night, and ten seeds of Royal Purple Millet. For some reason Royal Purple Millet seed is outrageously expensive. I bought two packets of seed for about $3 per packet, and each packet contained exactly five seeds.
By Saturday evening six Royal Purple Millet seeds had germinated, as had two Moonflower seeds. I think a couple of Fennel seeds are germinating, but it is too early to know for certain.
Ayte's Dozen Bailing Out
Monday morning I found two of Ayte's twelve bunnies out of the nest. Their eyes are not fully opened yet but the bunnies were ready to start exploring. Actually, they were probably pushed out, with twelve bunnies in there it is becoming crowded. By Wednesday eight of them had left the nest, so I took the nest box out. The bunnies are still young enough to enjoy sleeping on their backs. A pile of twelve sleeping bunnies, about a fourth of them with their legs sticking up, is a delightful sight.
E-mail Subscribers: To subscribe, unsubscribe, contribute stories, complain or send a gift subscription, send an email to FarmNews@GeezerNet.com . The editor reserves the right to steal ideas submitted, rewrite submissions, and sign false names to them whenever it strikes his fancy to do so.
Swallows Return
Sunday morning after sending Farm News, I took a cup of tea and wandered back to the barn. As I got there a Barn Swallow flew in and checked out last year's nest. I hope they have better luck this year. The problem is that they build their nests as close up under the metal roof as possible. Their babies tend to bake on hot days. I have placed several nesting ledges in likely spots, but they insist on going just under the roof.
It's nice to have them in the barn. It takes them a few days to get used to my coming and going, but then they settle down and speak nicely to me when I enter. They have kindly moved their nest site to a location where they are slightly less likely to poop on the mower seat.
Honey Locust
There are two kinds of Locust trees around here, the Honey Locust, Gleditsia triacanthos, and the Black Locust, Robinia pseudoacacia. The Honey Locust is the one with the long, branching thorns. If one wished to make a crown of thorns, the Honey Locust would be the only tree around here with the right kinds of thorns. The Black Locust has small pairs of thorns on the younger branches, similar to Rose thorns. Both bloom with white pea blossoms on drooping stems; the Honey Locust blooms first and then the Black Locust, generally. The Honey Locust smells good, the Black Locust smells like Heaven.
Monday evening seemed to be the peak of the Black Locust flowering. It was warm and humid and there was little breeze. A sweet fragrance drifted around the place, sometimes intense, sometimes delicate, but always there. Even alcoholism has it's rewards.
Locust trees were planted in groves and lines by the early land developers for the purpose of feeding bees. The bees would then create honey, which could be harvested. The honey could then be fermented to make mead, which could then be spiced to produce metheglin, one of the favorite beverages of the frontier, when the 'frontier' was east of the High Plains. Somebody still produces it, Metheglin for California Wannabes.
It's a miracle that our ancestors survived. Many of them drank great quantities of alcoholic beverages. In the towns, the water was probably unsafe, so fermented beverages became the norm. And, if a little bit makes you feel good, a little bit more will make you feel better. That rule of human nature has been around since before we learned to stand on two legs, probably.
Planting Flowers
The geese took a liking to Bronze Fennel, a fern-like plant that smells and tastes like licorice, grows about four feet high, and helps increase the number of Anise Swallowtail butterflies. In the winter, on a sunny day, one can sit near a Fennel plant and enjoy a rich licorice fragrance. In the summer they usually have quite a few caterpillars of the Anise Swallowtail, an interesting caterpillar with an ultra-cool defense mechanism. The blasted geese completely killed out the stand of Fennel.
After looking in half a dozen different seed and plant stores I gave up and went online to order some Fennel seed. I couldn't find it there, either! This year there is definitely some sort of war against Fennel. Paula finally found a pill bottle with seed I had collected from plants two years ago. Today I planted five six-packs with Fennel and crossed my fingers.
While I was at it I planted some Moonflower, they smell really good at night, and ten seeds of Royal Purple Millet. For some reason Royal Purple Millet seed is outrageously expensive. I bought two packets of seed for about $3 per packet, and each packet contained exactly five seeds.
By Saturday evening six Royal Purple Millet seeds had germinated, as had two Moonflower seeds. I think a couple of Fennel seeds are germinating, but it is too early to know for certain.
Ayte's Dozen Bailing Out
Monday morning I found two of Ayte's twelve bunnies out of the nest. Their eyes are not fully opened yet but the bunnies were ready to start exploring. Actually, they were probably pushed out, with twelve bunnies in there it is becoming crowded. By Wednesday eight of them had left the nest, so I took the nest box out. The bunnies are still young enough to enjoy sleeping on their backs. A pile of twelve sleeping bunnies, about a fourth of them with their legs sticking up, is a delightful sight.
E-mail Subscribers: To subscribe, unsubscribe, contribute stories, complain or send a gift subscription, send an email to FarmNews@GeezerNet.com . The editor reserves the right to steal ideas submitted, rewrite submissions, and sign false names to them whenever it strikes his fancy to do so.
posted by The Geezer at 8:07 AM
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