To: Homestead mailing list digest <homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Subject: [Homestead] Re: How To Make A Millions Bucks From The Pronouncements Of Environmentalists
Date: Mon, 01 Nov 2004 14:09:02 -0800
Thanks for all the material on mustard seed. I fear that sources for
culinary purposes may have been dried at a high temperature, and may not
grow. For instance, coriander seed sprouts, but cardamom doesn't. I
may just try to find a plant in the wild.
There is just no doubt that environmentalists are going around and
frightening nurseries into dropping plants they've deemed invasive.
I've found every one of these species on the dreaded invasive lists, and
I've been told by local shop owners that I should not plant Acacia
dealbata, and one had the honesty to admit that this was the trend,
mainly to avoid flak. It's about the gayest plant you can think of, yet
you can't buy one in San Francisco. But you know that someone is
growing them for the cut flower market. They're probably thrilled that
work parties have been organized to remove this deadly weed in Northern
California.
The main tool of this intimidation process is no doubt Clinton's
executive order on non-native invasive species. Weed killer companies
must be planning on making a bundle off this one, since it's one of the
EOs that Bush did not rescind. I don't remember the exact text, but it
has something to do with holding entities liable for removal costs.
Red clover and Lotus uliginosus are two other common perennial cover
crops that are now extremely hard to find. Virtually all the red clover
seed in shops has been replaced by 'Kenland' Red, which is very
short-lived; real red clover lives for years. L. uliginosus grows in
wet roadside areas for hundreds of miles around here, but when I first
tried to acquire it several years ago, I could only order #50 bags from
the Netherlands for $800 plus shipping Yet I noticed that when those
who can and do needed an aggressive ground cover at a local lake, the
place was planted from end to end with L. uliginosus.
I'm really impressed by the infantile logic of it all. "Butterfly bush
becomes invasive closer to the coast, therefore it should be banned
everywhere." Maybe we should ban matches, since someone *might* do harm
with them.
Bill
S. Oregon coast
[Homestead] Re: How To Make A Millions Bucks From The Pronouncements Of Environmentalists,
Bill Jones, 11/01/2004