North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Mary Yett <yettmw@gmail.com>]

Check out this link to a permaculture discussion of traditional Austrian
"bone sauce"  - used for generations to keep deer off of fruit trees. The
Austrian grandfather of permaculture, Sepp Holzer, describes this technique
in his book," Desert or Paradise" and I had the opportunity to study with
him and watch it being made.

 Basically, large marrow bones are placed in large cast iron kettle, the
top of which is covered by a screen. This filled kettle is inverted over
the top of another matching, but empty kettle. The crack between them is
sealed w/ clay mud and then they are placed in a hole dug so that the
bottom kettle is underground and the top one is above ground. A slow fire
is built over them and after several hours, they are allowed to cool and
the contraption is opened. At the bottom of the lower kettle will be a
smallish quantity of a tarry, greasy, foul smelling substance. This stuff
is then diluted w/ linseed or other oil to a paint consistency. A brush or
rag is used to flick small amounts of this stinky stuff onto the trunks of
fruit trees.

Deer or other varmits will not go near a tree with this stuff on the trunk
for many YEARS, the smell lasts that long. The human nose can't smell it
shortly after application, but critters sure can. Sepp tells stories of "
training" deer by baiting a few leaves of trees that deer have really been
munching on with a little of this stuff ( it is not normally applied
directly to the leaves, as it is too strong ). The first time they try
nibbling it, they run off frantically, rolling over and over on the grass,
trying to scrape the bone sauce off of their tongues - and never go near
that orchard again.

Takes a bit of work to make your own, but it is very cheap, safe for the
environment ( and humans and pets) and lasts for years. Check it out.


http://www.permies.com/forums/posts/list/120/1805#297037






On Sun, Jul 13, 2014 at 10:33 PM, Jim Fruth <jimfruth@charter.net> wrote:

> A heavy sprinkling of Milorganite around the garden works rather well.
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