Hot-box, germinating, callousing box update

The first flight of cuttings were moved out four days after "sticking" them.

I pulled one of the Crack Willow cuttings this morning and the bottom half-inch was swollen with callous and there were some bumps that looked like root-initials.

I placed the cell-pack into a tray which I placed on top of another warming mat which was, in turn, on top of a 1-1/2" slab of foam. Then I added water to the tray to soak the bottom 1/2" of the cells. Willows can stand a LOT of water.

After an hour, I took a temperature reading in our 58F degree basement and the top of the cells was only 64 degrees. Not good enough.

I found a clear plastic garbage bag and put it over the tops of the cuttings like a blanket. That should help hold in the heat and humidity.

The next "flight" of cuttings are elderberries.

I took elderberry extract when I had the flu and Mrs ERJ did not. I recovered more quickly. Maybe it helped. Maybe it didn't. Elderberries, like willow, can grow in very wet places and do not require hormones to root. I plan to leave them in the box for a week. 

Bonus video

This should have gone with the last post but I have many readers who don't go back.

 One of the vloggers in Ukraine fertilizing his field with manure. 20 minutes long. You can skip ahead to the 4:35 mark and not miss much.

My thoughts on fertilizer

Fertilizer can be broken down into the following parts:

• Nitrogen
• Phosphorous
• Potassium
• Calcium/Magnesium
• Trace or micronutrients
• Biologicals 

Commercial fertilizers in the US are required to list the Nitrogen, Phosphorous and Potassium content. That is, the percent of elemental Nitrogen that is available to the plant (N2 the most common form of nitrogen is NOT available to plants). The percent Phosphorous-equivalent of the phosphate ion (H3PO4). The percent Potassium-equivalent of the potash ion (K2O). These are the Big Three of fertilizers.

Nitrogen: From the perspective of the suppliers, Nitrogen is primarily a way to turn "waste natural gas" into a salable commodity (rather than flaring it off) that is much easier to ship than compressed natural gas. It can either be turned into anhydrous ammonia which is a gas but liquifies at much lower pressures than methane. Or it can be turned into urea which is a solid. Or it can be turned into ammonium nitrate...which is very hard to purchase due to its potential as an explosive.

The United States has the capacity to make lots of "Nitrogen" fertilizers and every bushel of corn requires about one pound of Nitrogen.

Phosphorous: In North Africa, much of the natural gas is converted by way of several chemical steps into DAP, Diammonium phosphate. Morocco is the principal source of phosphorous in the world and Algeria has natural gas. DAP combines Nitrogen and Phosphorous. Shipments of DAP to Indian and China go through the Red Sea but not the Straights of Hormuz. Shipments of DAP to the US go through Straights of Gibraltar.

Potassium: Saskatchewan is notable not only for being harder to spell than Massachusetts but for have very large deposits of Potassium chloride that is economical to mine. Potassium chloride from Saskatchewan is shipped by rail to the US.

The amount of composted manure (upper-left corner of image) required to get 200 bushel/acre corn. Approximately 2-1/2 cubic yards for every 3000 square-feet or 30 cubic yards per acre

Key points: Phosphorous and Potassium are usually well retained by the soil. That is, it can be "banked". Failures due to decreasing soil levels of either of those two elements tends to be slow-motion reduction in yield. One exception to that generalization is if you seed alfalfa and have low potassium...that will be a hard-stop on establishing that crop.

Nitrogen is different. Nitrogen is highly mobile and doesn't "bank" outside of organic matter. If you stop adding Nitrogen to a corn field on a yearly basis, your next harvest will be reduced to 1/3 or 1/2 the first year and 1/3-to-1/4 thereafter. 

Cycling of nutrients

There was a time when most livestock was raised on-farm, very close to where the feed was grown. The manure and the nutrients in the manure, was returned to the fields from which those nutrients originated. Very little additional fertilizer was required to keep the farm productive because relatively small amounts were shipped off the farm.

Corn belt

That model did not scale well. Banks and economists like large farms where machines feed the animals. Grain is easier to mechanize than forage. 

Pig production

Chicken population distribution

 

Cattle per hundred acres

So you can see that the corn fed to hogs and cattle often turns into manure that falls to the ground far from where the nutrients were sucked out of the ground.

At this time, those orphaned nutrients are treated as pollution rather than as a resource. It is not economical, in most cases, to return them to the field they came from. 

This is not an issue of technology. It is an issue of economics: Cost of labor, cost of borrowed money, cost of fuel, cost of fertilizer, cost of building materials, cost of regulatory compliance (EPA). 

God bless this woman for her courage

Representative Whitsett on left side of photo

State of Michigan Representative (not US House Representative) State Rep. Karen Whitsett announced that she is not running for re-election.

"...I can no longer compromise it to fit a party platform or to please people,” Whitsett said." 

"Whitsett said she “cannot reconcile” the Democrat Party’s platform with scripture. " 

“For me, it is impossible to be a faithful follower of Jesus Christ while remaining a member of the Democratic Party as it exists today,” she said.

“I have compromised my relationship with Jesus for too long, and I’m grateful God did not give up on me. He gave me time to repent, turn, and be fully devoted to Him,” she added. 

Whitsett specifically cited the party’s position on abortion, LGBTQ+, and “the push to redefine gender.” 

"She said abortion in particular has been a scourge in the black community, and called it “black-on-black crime.” 

“My allegiance is to Jesus Christ, and I’m choosing God’s business over man’s approval,” she said.  

Source

Hat tip to Coyote Ken

The only time you can have too much ammo is when you are swimming or on fire

 

Probably an 8mm Mauser (BRNO 98/29 or Yugo M48a). Source of image

I wonder how many Iranian families have some kind of a firearm squirreled away "just in case".

Sure would be nice if they had a supply of ammo. A gun without ammo is just a club. And a STEN, Owen or M3 (Grease-gun) and most handguns aren't even good clubs.

In rough order of the types of ammo that will be useful:

• 7.62X39mm Ruski
• 9mm Luger
• 7.62mm NATO/.308 Win
• 5.56mm NATO 
• 8mm Mauser
• 12 gauge 
• .45 ACP 
• 30.-06 Springfield
• 7.62X54mmR
• .303 British 

The Persian army used many different firearms from many different sources. Plus, the borders are incredibly porous. There is probably a lot of ancient ammo out there but it has not always been stored under the best of conditions.

8mm Mauser ammo from the former Yugoslavia

 

Same ammo on stripper clips

1974 and 1975 Lake City 7.62mm NATO cases

Introducing young children to fishing

It is Mrs ERJ's expert opinion that kids need to try strange foods 8 times before you can trust their opinion that they "hate" it.

Most kids are naturally cautious when confronted with experiences that are outside of what they have experienced in the past. Even if they saw the experience in a video it does not capture the sun, insects, smells, mud and slime.

Short, little bits

Consider introducing a child to Brussel's Sprouts.

You might cook them for one meal and only the "big people" eat them. You might even do that twice because the smell of cooking B.S. is distinctive.

Then you might put a half or a quarter of a "monkey-brain" on the child's plate after dipping it in butter or cheesy-sauce. Two points: Very low exposure and you sweetened the deal. The first time you might not even require Junior to taste the monkey-brain. The second time you might make dessert contingent on one bite.

And so on and so forth.

Introducing a child to fishing is the same sort of thing. Start them when the bluegills (bream) are spawning (that is, start then on a "sure thing"). Give them very simple equipment (cane poles with lines  1/2 to 3/4 as long as the pole) let them bring their bestie (friend) and outfit him/her as well. You keep the hooks baited and take the fish off the hooks. Keep all the fish to show Mom (you can freeze the little ones and use them to bait raccoon traps).

The first session you might only have a line in the water for five minutes. Then next time for ten minutes. The next time you might fish for ten minutes, take a short break for a snack and then fish for another ten minutes. Remember, a five-year-old's perspective of time is different than ours. Five minutes is nothing to you but (roughly) the equivalent of 30 minutes to a five-year-old. 

Eventually, your student will want to put the bait on the hook. Eventually, after you coach them how to not get stabbed by the fins, they will want to take the fish off the hook (consider barbless hooks when they graduate to that point). 

Any tips from my readers will be greatly appreciated. 

Looking in obvious places

Yesterday was the day I went to see our tax preparer.

I used to do it but my financial affairs became more complicated and tax season filled me with dread. Mrs ERJ suggested that it would be money well-spent if we hired a professional.

I got out at 4:00 p.m. and there was still daylight. I decided to make a visit to my local farm supply store.

Source of image

The cashier was obviously new as she struggled while checking out the customer ahead of me. She was also quite young and didn't have that "farm girl" vibe. Every hair was in place. Perfect makeup. Professionally done nails. There is nothing wrong with that, just like there is nothing wrong with a row of zinnas, cleome or cosmos in a vegetable garden. She was cheerful and eager to help.

When it was my turn she noticed that I didn't have a cart.

"How can I help you?" she asked in a professional tone.

"I want to buy 20 bags of composted cow manure" I replied.

She started tapping on the keys of the register. That is when I noticed the nails because she was turning her finger so her nails did not touch the keys.

"Hmmm!" she said. "I can's seem to find them in the system. Are you sure we sell that?" she asked.

I assured her that I had parked the truck right next to a pallet load of them outside.

She tried  couple more queries but was not successful.

"I am new here" she informed me, something I had already deduced.

She picked up her radio and broadcast to her coworkers "I am having a problem up here. Where can I find cow poop?"

Quick as lightning, a male voice helpfully responded "Did you try looking behind a cow?" 

Bonus image

Source

I bought these bobbers and I expect them to thrill a young girl who I plan to take fishing.

Presented without comment

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