permaculture

["Lawrence F. London, Jr." <lfl@intrex.net>]

Ute Bohnsack wrote:
> I am looking for information on the nutritive value and composition of
> willow (Salix sp.) leaves and/or bark and/or willow leaf hay
> as I am feeding increasing amounts of this to my goats at present. They
> go mad for it so I guess it's quite nutritious, but I'd like to know how

Its great as a biofuel for generating electric power. See:

http://www.agsci.kvl.dk/~bek/cfe/wharvest/wharvest.htm
http://www.salix.org.uk/Pages/for_coppice.html
http://bioenergy.ornl.gov/99summaries/bfpd.html
http://plant-materials.nrcs.usda.gov/nypmc/research.html
         develop cover crops to protect cropland soils from erosion
         improve water quality in streams and aquifers using plants
         stabilize streambanks and shorelines to prevent soil erosion
         develop improved plants for wildlife food and cover
         utilize native plants for ecosystem diversity

As for feed, I found this reference:



FODDER SUCCESS STORY - IMPROVED FODDER CROP PRODUCTION IN THE NORTHERN AREAS 
OF PAKISTAN
Dr. Muhammad Dost, Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP), Gilgit, Pakistan 
[now with FAO in Iraq]
http://www.fao.org/ag/AGP/AGPC/doc/pasture/spectopics/FODDERSUCCESS.html
-
Lack of quality fodder, especially during winter, is a major limiting factor 
in improving
livestock production. During winter all stock has to rely on crop residues 
and fodder,
so many animals are undernourished and weak by the spring. Because of very 
limited land holdings
(Figure 2), lack of water and extreme weather conditions, fodder crop 
cultivation is practiced
on small areas. So, traditionally there is a fodder deficit from November to 
March, when the main
summer fodder crop season (for example maize) is over and the traditional 
winter fodder,
especially shaftal (Trifolium resupinatum) and lucerne (Medicago sativa), are 
still dormant
during the freezing temperatures.
-
"Multipurpose trees (willow [Salix sp.], mulberry [Morus sp.] and Russian 
olive [Elaeagnus sp.])
are planted on field edges and marginal land - their leaves and bark provide 
supplementary
fodder in winter. In some areas leaves are dried and stored for winter use."
-
There is an interesting photo in this page entitled:
Figure 6 – Improved winter-active lucerne cultivar "Sundar" in Aliabad, Hunza]

Is there still a country (region?) called Hunza. Robert Rodale wrote a book
called "The Healthy Hunzas". Legend has it that people from the region often 
live
well beyond a hundred years and are in remarkable health at that age.
-
Other interesting photos:
[Figure 8 – Forage oats production during freezing temperatures]
[Figure 9 – Lucerne intercropped with oats]
and especially this one:
[Figure 11 – Lucerne and oats mixture in an apple orchard in Aliabad, Hunza]
- talk about multipurpose living mulch!
... and more:
[Figure 12 – A mixture of oats, lucerne and brassica]
[Figure 15 – Berseem and oats mixture harvested in December in Gilgit]
[Figure 23 – Oats and vetch hay mixture in Gilgit]
-
Amazing what you can find on the Web, real photos of farming in the legendary 
land of the
Hunzas (Hunzakut?).

> it compares to other feeds in terms of dry matter, metabolizable enegry,
> protein, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium etc.
> Any leads are much appreciated.

--
L.F.London
lfl@intrex.net
http://market-farming.com
PermacultureWiki
http://www.ibiblio.org/ecolandtech/pcwiki/index.php