Farm News 05-28-06
Sunday morning, after chores, 79°
Flowers
The Sweet Rocket, Hesperis matronalis, has been blooming for over a month. It smells good, lasts well when cut, and comes back every year stronger than before. Give it room to spread its seeds.
Here, it is growing well in the full sun of the garden. Along the highways, though, it is usually found growing along the far ditch bank on the south side of the road. That says it is tough: it can grow where there is no winter sun and intense summer sun.
The orange Poppies, Papaver orientalis, are blooming. They will naturalize, that is, grow and prosper, in the wild here. There are lots of Poppies, but these are the ones we think of first when we think of Poppies.
The Opium Poppy, Papaver somnifera, will grow here, too, but it is an annual and has to be replanted every year. The Oriental Poppy is a tough perennial that comes up every year, year after year. Sap, or opium, from the Oriental Poppy doesn't come close to the Opium Poppy in strength, but it is potent enough to reduce the discomfort of menstrual cramps and lower back injuries.
The Catalpa trees, Catalpa bignonoides, are blooming. Catalpas make decent firewood, so-so fence posts, and nice flowers. When we moved here I planted one and now there are six or seven of its offspring, also.
Incubation
The Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis), nest in the Smoke tree (Cotinus obovatus, syn. Rhus cotinoides) still had only one baby on Monday. The next question is, “Is it a baby Cardinal or a baby Cowbird?” Cowbirds, Molothrus ater I think, lay their eggs in other birds' nests and then push out the others' eggs.
Last year, when I found the nest of a Cardinal there were four Cowbird eggs in it. Being gullible, I thought the chicks that hatched were Cardinal chicks, even though they were four days late. Two more weeks passed before I realized that the chicks were the wrong color to be Cardinals.
The nest this year has only one baby, and it is just above eye level, so I can't see it unless I use a ladder or a mirror. Laziness has prevented me from using either of those methods until now, but I was becoming curious and wanted to see this baby. On Friday I finally stood on a chair where I could see into the nest.
Surprise! There are two babies in the nest. They both look like Cowbirds to me.
Monday morning, the brown hen duck left her nest for an hour or so, the longest I have ever seen her away. I gave her some grain and fresh water, both of which she appreciated. Her eggs looked clean and healthy. I didn't touch or disturb them. This, by the way, is the duck setting under a low-growing Pine tree near the barn. Her nest, hidden by a branch that sweeps the ground at its tip, is difficult to find, even when the seeker knows where to find it.
Saturday evening I walked by the tree and spotted an egg shell near the nest. Under the tree were some more egg shells, each with the large end neatly chipped away so the baby duck could get out.
The babies will stay under their mother for a day or two before they decide to explore the world. Unlike little mammals, birds usually rest for a day or two before they start eating. When they're ready they will start hunting for food and momma will follow along. Wild baby ducks seem to follow their mothers but domestic baby ducks lead their mothers around.
Another duck, a young black duck, is also setting somewhere. She shows up for evening feeding, so I know she is still alive, but she is missing for the rest of the day.
Drusilla Westwall, the oldest and smallest of the Golden Sebright bantam hens, is now in her second week on the nest, I think. She has a big pile of eggs but she seems to be covering them, barely.
An Oriole nest hangs from the Honey Locust, Gleditsia triacanthos, above the chicken yard. It is a nice little purse woven from grass with small feathers sticking out around the top.
By the way, some readers have asked me why I use all the Latin names. Honey Locust, Gleditsia triacanthos, and Black Locust, Robinia pseudoacacia, are very different trees, although their leaves are somewhat similar. In some areas of Kansas, Honey Locust is the name given to Robinia pseudoacacia, and Black Locust is the common name of Gleditsia triacanthos. Some wise man once said, “When possible, be precise.”
Do birds sit or set on eggs? The Farm's consulting linguist provided this answer:
set (vb).
seat, sit. Verb transitive: place in a sitting posture; cause to occupy a seat; seat.
b) Put (a hen bird) to sit on eggs.
So apparently the bird sits on the eggs, but you set the bird to sit on the eggs.
That answer sits uncomfortably in the mind for quite a while before settling into a sensible rule.
Dr. M.: Gardening in a new home
Thanks, Dr. M. Wow, off to Officers' Basic. I hope you will be able to send us some reports. Imagining you going through basic training will be a lot more fun than actually doing it. Also, I'm glad to see you have been promoted to Captain, ma'am.
Dr. M., have you considered volunteering for jump school after basic? If I suddenly needed heart surgery, you could take any westbound plane and, when over Kansas, jump out, parachute to the ground, and then, with your steady, skillful hands, save my life. It would make a hell of an addition to your resume.
Ting Chronicles[3]
Ting's infatuation with Guy Noir continues unabated. She can usually be found within ten feet of Guy, standing around looking off into space. Guy, seemingly unaware of her existence, struts for an hour or so, and then masturbates. After that, he begins strutting again. Only a few creatures are of sufficient interest to interrupt his routine, humans and dogs being at the top of the very short list. If he sees a human or dog he will attempt to peck it, sink his spurs into it, hit it with his wings, and drive it from his territory. Nothing else is worth noting, for Guy.
Guy's masturbation, along with a few dozen spam mails I have received this week about ring tones, led me to think of a possible money-maker. When Guy ejaculates, or whatever it is that he does when he masturbates, a very nasty sounding squishy sort of noise emanates from his vent area, that is, his back end. Well, why not offer that for sale as a ring tone?
If we get right on it, could this result in a Thanksgiving Day event in which thousands of Americans call family members, and all of the family members, when their cell phones ring, will hear the sound of a tom turkeys in ecstasy.
Ting has completely abandoned her nest. Some of her eggs are in the incubator but if they hatch the chicks will be motherless, probably a good thing considering Ting's character. The question that was asked at the beginning of Ting's confinement is is still unanswered. Why am I trying to hatch any of Ting's eggs?
Actually, the question of why seems to be moot; Ting's eggs aren't hatching. Apparently, it is going to take a lot of beer before a rooster will find Ting desirable for mating. 'Fro, being almost as phony as Ting, will probably demand wine instead of beer. MD 20/20 would be his kind of drink, especially if I spike it with a bit of extra grain alcohol. Ting will want martinis in a stemmed glass, and several of them, before she is going to see anything sexy in a phony rooster with a large bald patch on his head.
“Ah, Ting, mon petite chou, voulez vous couchez avec moi?”
No. That is just too ridiculous. There will be no alcohol served to the poultry.
Flowers
The Sweet Rocket, Hesperis matronalis, has been blooming for over a month. It smells good, lasts well when cut, and comes back every year stronger than before. Give it room to spread its seeds.
Here, it is growing well in the full sun of the garden. Along the highways, though, it is usually found growing along the far ditch bank on the south side of the road. That says it is tough: it can grow where there is no winter sun and intense summer sun.
The orange Poppies, Papaver orientalis, are blooming. They will naturalize, that is, grow and prosper, in the wild here. There are lots of Poppies, but these are the ones we think of first when we think of Poppies.
The Opium Poppy, Papaver somnifera, will grow here, too, but it is an annual and has to be replanted every year. The Oriental Poppy is a tough perennial that comes up every year, year after year. Sap, or opium, from the Oriental Poppy doesn't come close to the Opium Poppy in strength, but it is potent enough to reduce the discomfort of menstrual cramps and lower back injuries.
The Catalpa trees, Catalpa bignonoides, are blooming. Catalpas make decent firewood, so-so fence posts, and nice flowers. When we moved here I planted one and now there are six or seven of its offspring, also.
Incubation
The Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis), nest in the Smoke tree (Cotinus obovatus, syn. Rhus cotinoides) still had only one baby on Monday. The next question is, “Is it a baby Cardinal or a baby Cowbird?” Cowbirds, Molothrus ater I think, lay their eggs in other birds' nests and then push out the others' eggs.
Last year, when I found the nest of a Cardinal there were four Cowbird eggs in it. Being gullible, I thought the chicks that hatched were Cardinal chicks, even though they were four days late. Two more weeks passed before I realized that the chicks were the wrong color to be Cardinals.
The nest this year has only one baby, and it is just above eye level, so I can't see it unless I use a ladder or a mirror. Laziness has prevented me from using either of those methods until now, but I was becoming curious and wanted to see this baby. On Friday I finally stood on a chair where I could see into the nest.
Surprise! There are two babies in the nest. They both look like Cowbirds to me.
Monday morning, the brown hen duck left her nest for an hour or so, the longest I have ever seen her away. I gave her some grain and fresh water, both of which she appreciated. Her eggs looked clean and healthy. I didn't touch or disturb them. This, by the way, is the duck setting under a low-growing Pine tree near the barn. Her nest, hidden by a branch that sweeps the ground at its tip, is difficult to find, even when the seeker knows where to find it.
Saturday evening I walked by the tree and spotted an egg shell near the nest. Under the tree were some more egg shells, each with the large end neatly chipped away so the baby duck could get out.
The babies will stay under their mother for a day or two before they decide to explore the world. Unlike little mammals, birds usually rest for a day or two before they start eating. When they're ready they will start hunting for food and momma will follow along. Wild baby ducks seem to follow their mothers but domestic baby ducks lead their mothers around.
Another duck, a young black duck, is also setting somewhere. She shows up for evening feeding, so I know she is still alive, but she is missing for the rest of the day.
Drusilla Westwall, the oldest and smallest of the Golden Sebright bantam hens, is now in her second week on the nest, I think. She has a big pile of eggs but she seems to be covering them, barely.
An Oriole nest hangs from the Honey Locust, Gleditsia triacanthos, above the chicken yard. It is a nice little purse woven from grass with small feathers sticking out around the top.
By the way, some readers have asked me why I use all the Latin names. Honey Locust, Gleditsia triacanthos, and Black Locust, Robinia pseudoacacia, are very different trees, although their leaves are somewhat similar. In some areas of Kansas, Honey Locust is the name given to Robinia pseudoacacia, and Black Locust is the common name of Gleditsia triacanthos. Some wise man once said, “When possible, be precise.”
Do birds sit or set on eggs? The Farm's consulting linguist provided this answer:
set (vb).
seat, sit. Verb transitive: place in a sitting posture; cause to occupy a seat; seat.
b) Put (a hen bird) to sit on eggs.
So apparently the bird sits on the eggs, but you set the bird to sit on the eggs.
That answer sits uncomfortably in the mind for quite a while before settling into a sensible rule.
Dr. M.: Gardening in a new home
A new home and a new yard present all sorts of possibilities to the novice gardener. To date, garden tools and lawn equipment has been bought, and plans have been laid.
First step is to weed the existing beds. It’s been raining buckets here, so weeding has been easy this week. Weeding also gives a good view of what might go where. Which beds are easily accessible? Which ones are by the road or cars? Where can the herb garden go? How can I use what is already present and beautify that?
As I burrow through the basement and unpack boxes, I find the garden drawing me. The boxes must be bad, I mow the lawn for entertainment.
As of right now, I have planted basil, cilantro and oregano in my burgeoning herb garden. The rest of the beds (all small) got wildflowers. I am going to be gone this summer, and so my husband needs something cheerful and easy to care for. However, thoughts about tulips and irises are percolating for the fall. In the northeast, the tulip population is inversely proportional to the population of the hooved overgrown rats (white-tail deer Odocoileus virginianus). I think the deer population is mostly controlled by the 4 lane highway that is the far border of my suburban neighborhood. All the plants (the people too) do better with fewer deer.
The garden will take time to develop, but I won’t see most of it this summer. In two weeks, I will go to Officer Basic Course, to start repaying Uncle Sam for my scholarship to vet school. I doubt they will teach me to tend a garden, but, I will learn to use a sidearm, also a useful skill.
Dr. M/Capt. Pfannenstiel
Thanks, Dr. M. Wow, off to Officers' Basic. I hope you will be able to send us some reports. Imagining you going through basic training will be a lot more fun than actually doing it. Also, I'm glad to see you have been promoted to Captain, ma'am.
Dr. M., have you considered volunteering for jump school after basic? If I suddenly needed heart surgery, you could take any westbound plane and, when over Kansas, jump out, parachute to the ground, and then, with your steady, skillful hands, save my life. It would make a hell of an addition to your resume.
Ting Chronicles[3]
Ting's infatuation with Guy Noir continues unabated. She can usually be found within ten feet of Guy, standing around looking off into space. Guy, seemingly unaware of her existence, struts for an hour or so, and then masturbates. After that, he begins strutting again. Only a few creatures are of sufficient interest to interrupt his routine, humans and dogs being at the top of the very short list. If he sees a human or dog he will attempt to peck it, sink his spurs into it, hit it with his wings, and drive it from his territory. Nothing else is worth noting, for Guy.
Guy's masturbation, along with a few dozen spam mails I have received this week about ring tones, led me to think of a possible money-maker. When Guy ejaculates, or whatever it is that he does when he masturbates, a very nasty sounding squishy sort of noise emanates from his vent area, that is, his back end. Well, why not offer that for sale as a ring tone?
If we get right on it, could this result in a Thanksgiving Day event in which thousands of Americans call family members, and all of the family members, when their cell phones ring, will hear the sound of a tom turkeys in ecstasy.
Ting has completely abandoned her nest. Some of her eggs are in the incubator but if they hatch the chicks will be motherless, probably a good thing considering Ting's character. The question that was asked at the beginning of Ting's confinement is is still unanswered. Why am I trying to hatch any of Ting's eggs?
Actually, the question of why seems to be moot; Ting's eggs aren't hatching. Apparently, it is going to take a lot of beer before a rooster will find Ting desirable for mating. 'Fro, being almost as phony as Ting, will probably demand wine instead of beer. MD 20/20 would be his kind of drink, especially if I spike it with a bit of extra grain alcohol. Ting will want martinis in a stemmed glass, and several of them, before she is going to see anything sexy in a phony rooster with a large bald patch on his head.
“Ah, Ting, mon petite chou, voulez vous couchez avec moi?”
No. That is just too ridiculous. There will be no alcohol served to the poultry.
posted by The Geezer at 8:31 AM
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