Earthworms
We enjoy your valuable magazine and share the practical information among our farmer friends. Recently I have started rearing earthworms (Udrilus eugeniae) brought from Bangalore Agri University. They are doing well and multiply very fast. I keep the earthworms in large wooden boxes or plastic tubs kept under cover outside. They feed on damp waste agricultural materials (sawdust, crop stalks, kitchen waste, manure etc). The worm casts are collected regularly from the surface and make a rich fertiliser. These should be sieved with a 3 mm sieve to separate out the cocoons and smalls worms which can then be placed in new beds (or given to friends).
Every three months the beds can be harvested and the worms dried and used as a valuable animal feed.
R S Patil, Shiva, Gadag - 582 101, India
I make earthworm-produced vermi-compost which has proved to be excellent humus, providing good quality crops of all kinds. I have studied the micro-biology and micro-chemistry of this compost. In addition, the earthworms devour all kinds of household waste to produce this excellent fertiliser.
Professor Bhiday, 100 Kalpana Apartments off Dr Ketkar Road
Erandwan, Pune 411 004, India
Termite Trapping
I am a member of the committee of ADAP which is trying to assist the community to improve living standards through agricultural self-help projects. New ideas, and how to pass them on are abundant in Footsteps - we’re grateful.
In line with the suggestions on extra feeding for village poultry production (Footsteps 10), I have observed that termites can be trapped by deliberately placing some woody material (timber, fire-wood, shavings etc) on top of damp soil. This wood bait attracts the termites to the surface and they can be regularly ‘harvested’.
Revd W N O Ezeilo, St James Church, Ifite-Nanka
Orumba LGA, Anambra State, Nigeria
Knotty distinction
Roger Sharland’s reply to the Knotty Problem (Issue 16) brings up some useful points and important challenges. In such a small space it is not possible to develop the ideas thoroughly, but he has certainly been thought-provoking.
In general I feel unhappy about making a clear distinction between ‘subsistence’ and ‘commercial’ production. Can people avoid using money? School fees, drugs, bus fares... the cash economy is all around.
I also wonder whether people really make such a clear distinction between agricultural knowledge and their environment? In the end I think an appropriate mix of ‘indigenous knowledge’ and ‘new knowledge’ will lead to agricultural development.
Nigel Poole, 7 Orchard Drive,Wye, TN25 5AU, UK
Container Gardens
In cities and shanty towns, there is often little space for growing fresh vegetables. Old tyres and plastic bottles can be used to make useful plant containers. Tyres can be stacked in piles of 2 - 4, filled with gravel or sand at the base, manure and soil. If possible, paint them white to keep the soil cooler. A hole can be drilled in the side of the top tyre to fit a hosepipe for easy watering.
Plastic bottles should be cut as shown in the diagram. The top end is pushed upside down into the base and a strip of cloth placed through the neck of the bottle. This will act like a wick and draw up water. Fill the bottle with soil and plant. Children will enjoy seeing the roots develop. It is also easy to see when water is needed.
Adapted from an article in Spore