permaculture

["Bart Anderson" <bart@cwo.com>]

Lawrence brings up the subject of guinea pigs -- a fascinating topic.  

Guinea pig = Cavia porcellus; cavy; "cuy" or "cui" in Spanish, 

One of my friends wrote a paper for an archaeology class on the subject.  
According to him, guinea pigs traditionally were allowed to live in the 
house, scurrying out to capture greens dropped on the kitchen floor.   They 
are still popular in Andean countries.  A Peruvian restaurant nearby has them 
on the menu, but I've never tried them.  Some Bolivian frends gave us a 
blanket made of guinea pig hides.  

The guinea pigs we kept as children were likable and innocuous, if not very 
bright.  Their only shortcoming was the loud whistling noises they made when 
excited.  

There is a complete paper on the raising guinea pigs on a small-scale at 
http://www.echotech.org/network/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=589

A login (free) is required to access the ECHO site.
http://www.echotech.org/network/

The site has much information that may be of interest to permaculturalists. 
ECHO provides technical support to missionaries and development workers in 
the area of agriculture.  

Bart