Page 4 RAIN Sept/Oct 1975 continued from page 3 ber export immediately after Independence. It is claimed that, since the U.S. formerly exported half as much lumber as was used in housing, much of it from the West, some surplus actually existed from the beginning of the new nation. Ecotopian foresters argue that their policies have, since then, more than doubled their per capita resources of timber. There are, however, no present plans for a resumption of export. Interestingly enough, the Ecotopians themselves have a debate in progress about the huge diesel trucks they use to haul logs. Several forest workers apologized to me that they are still dependent on these noisy, smelly, hulking diesels. Yet there are people all over them at the end of the work day, shining them up-one of the few outlets still allowed in this carless society for man's love of powerful machinery. One truck I saw has lost its bumper, and the replacement is a large, sturdy piece of wood. As they wear out, the trucks will be eliminated in favor of electric vehicles. Meanwhile, people argue hotly over the bumpers-extremist ideologues saying that the bumpers (which are actually stainless steel, not chrome plate) should all be replaced with wood, and the traditionalists maintaining that the trucks should be treated as museum relics and kept in original condition. The factions seem about equally matched, which means that the traditionalists have won so far-since a change on such a "drastic" matter is only carried out if there is a virtual consensus. Our economists would surely find the Ecotopian lumber industry a labyrinth of contradictions. An observer like myself can come only to general conclusions. Certainly Ecotopians regard trees as being alive in almost a human senseonce I saw a quite ordinary-looking young man, not visibly drugged, lean against a large oak and mutter "Brother Tree!" AGRICULTURE-FOOD continued from page 2 The Handmade Greenhouse: from windowsill to backyard, by Richard Nicholls, 128 pp., $4.95 from Running Press 38 S. 19th St. Philadelphia, PA 19103 And equally certainly, lumber in Ecotopia is cheap and plentiful, whatever the unorthodox means used to produce it. Wood therefore takes the place that aluminum, bitumino~s facings, and many other modern materials occupy with us. An important by-product of the Ecotopian forestry policies is that extensive areas, too steep or rugged to be lumbered without causing erosion, have been assigned wilderness status. There all logging and fire roads have been eradicated. Such areas are now used only for camping and as wildlife preserves, and a higher risk of forest fire is apparently accepted. It is interesting, by the way, that such Ecotopian forests are uncannily quiet compan;d to ours, since they have no trail-bikes, all-terrain vehicles, airplanes overhead, nor snowmobiles in the winter. Nor can you get around in them rapidly, since foot trails are the only way to get anywhere. Has Ecotopian livestock or agricultural production suffered because of the conversion of so much land to forest? Apparently not; vegetables, grains and meat are reasonably cheap, and beef cattle are common features of the landscape, though they are never concentrated in forced-feeding fattening lots. Thus an almost dead occupation, that of cowboy, has come back. And cattle ranches in the Sierra foothills have reverted to the old summer practice of driving their stock up to the high valleys where they pasture on ,wet mountain meadow grass. Grasslands research is said to be leading to the sowing of more native strains, which are better adapted to the climate and resist the incursion of thistles. Pasture irrigation is practiced only in a few areas, and only for milking herds. But the true love of the Ecotopians is their forests, which they tend with so much care and manage in the prescribed stable-state manner. There they can claim much success in their campaign to return nature to a natural condition. Comparative Efficiency of Energy Use in Crop Production, by G.H. Heichel, free bulletin no. 739, Nov. 73, from Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station New Haven, CT 06504 Makes you feel you could build it yourself by giving you all the information. Assumes no previous building experience, presents specific plans and detailed instructions for building different greenhouses ranging from $2 to $1500. Lists sources of tools and supplies. Emphasis on kind of greenhouse to build for certain types of plans, how to equip it properly, maintain an ecological environment for good results, the correct treatment and control of "hothouse" plants. Comprehensive, useful bibliography. We need this one in hip-pocket paperback size. The Plant Doctor, by Richard Nicholls, 1975, 108 pp. $3.95 plus postage from: Full of useful numbers, ending with suggestions for increased energy efficiency via green manure fertilizingthe manure spreader returns!-and using crop residue for fuel. Long and comprehensive bibliography. Ask for their publications list. A big union is getting into the food co-op movement, according to an article by Jack Crellin in the Detroit Free Press. The United Auto Workers' local 600the union's biggest local-has advanced $30,000 for members to buy farm produce, which will be made available on a non-profit basis to UAW members and others. It's called Workers' Market No. 1. (Environmental Action Bulletin) Running Press 38 South 19th St. Philadelphia, PA 19103 A generalized and somewhat prissy plant primer highlighting disease and pest control. Chapter 2 is handy in that it contains a simplified version of all the possible causes of dysfunction listed under each major symptom with page references to the text. There are certain omissions: the section on selection of appropriate pots makes no note of the hazards of unvarnished copper pots; there is almost no mention of recommended light levels for isolated plasticenclosed ailing plants; constant use of Latin names leaves you wondering where the glossary went. Obviously Richard is a cactus man, as his best insights pertain to this plant type. The book also covers growing seeds, wick watering and terrariums and has an intriguing bibliography. (C.E.Weinstein) The Food Co-Op Project 64 East Lake St. Chicago, IL 60601 In collaboration with the Illinois Assoc. of Community Action Agencies, has produced a good introductory guide to starting a food cooperative. $1.00. You'll need localized information, but this will help you remember the parts that keep them together. They've also just completed the 4th edition of the Food Cooperative Directory, a nationwide listing of about 2,000 food stores, warehouses, bakeries, resource organizations. ($3.00 for that and their newsletter Nooz). When I visited there this summer, I was also impressed with their on-site range of information on co-ops, rural organizations, farming, community projects.
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