By Sheryl Kleinschmidt, Master Gardener

 “The song came to me from the singing of a yarb doctor named Mayberry Thomas, a resident of Knoxville, Tennessee.  When I first knew him in 1929, he had a little stand in the unused end of the Knoxville public market where he sold roots, herbs, a liquid made from wild cherry bark, dried mullein leaves, sassafras and dozens of similar items.”  — The Ballad Book of John Jacob Niles

Yarb Doctors and Granny Women primarily treated their patients with herbs.  “Yarb” was the colloquialism of “herb” used by most in the Ozark regions of Arkansas and Missouri as well as others places like Tennessee. There are reputed to have been many more Granny Women than Yarb Doctors.  One possibility for that is that these healers were seldom paid for their services.

One well-known Granny Doctor (same as Granny Woman) who practiced her medicine in the Ozarks was Ella Dunn.  She took care of her neighbors in Taney County most of her adult life.  For two decades she practiced as a Granny Woman before studying more conventional medicine in the mid-twentieth century.

The herbs used by these early-day healers were quite varied and certainly had been proven by lots of trial and error.  “Recipes” were handed down from mother to daughter as they were sometimes the only treatment received by these back-woods folks.  Children were taught to self-diagnose and to recognize the appropriate herb or plant for healing—sometimes with disastrous results, however.

There were a number of ways that plants and herbs could be prepared for medicinal use.  One method was by boiling and is called decocted.  If an herb was steeped but not boiled, it was said to be infused.  Demulsified meant the herbs were used in an ointment.  Another method of preparation was the making of a poultice.  A poultice would be made of herbs in a mixture of cornmeal or lard and heated.  The warm poultice (heat brings blood to area for healing) would then be applied to wounds or to the chest for congestion.

Today there has been a revival in the medicinal use of herbs as people seek out alternatives to traditional medicine.   Generally speaking, the herbal approach to healing may take longer, but many find it preferable to sitting in a roomful of sick people at the doctor’s office.  Besides, healing, herbs are quite effective in the prevention of sickness and disease.

One herb certainly used by many of the early healers is Feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium) which tolerates many soil-types, is a perennial, and easy to grow.  A patient would be required to chew the leaves of the Feverfew plant to alleviate fever, headache, cramps and arthritis.  Old-timers planted it around their houses to “purify the atmosphere and ward off disease”.

Lemon Balm (Melissa officinallis) is one of my personal favorites because of its aroma.  I was given a pot of it when I lived near Little Rock, Arkansas, and put it on my patio.  It was prolific and spewed seeds as far as six feet out into the yard.  Every time I mowed the grass I was rewarded with the heavenly scent of Lemon Balm.

Lemon Balm likes to grow in a rich, moist soil and is loved by bees.  Its crushed leaves actually resemble the pheromones given off by the bees.  Medicinally, the leaves were boiled (decocted) and made into a tea which reduced anxiety, helped reduce colic and aided digestion.  In ointment form, it relieved fever blisters.

Mullein (Verbascum thapsus) is a biennial and considered a naturalized weed in the eastern states.  In the Middle Ages the plants were called hag tapers because the stalks could be dipped in melted fat and lighted as a torch.  They were thought to either be used by witches or used to drive them away.

As a medicine, the whole Mullein plant seems to possess slightly sedative and narcotic properties—another reason why the Yarb Doctors and Granny Women needed to be very careful in the preparation of and administration of herbal remedies.  Mullein was often used in the treatment of ear infections, colds and bronchitis.

Echinacea (Echinacea purpurea) was also a staple in the healer’s arsenal against disease/sickness and if it wasn’t needed, made a beautiful addition to the flower garden.  Its one-inch purple petals are strikingly attractive.  Echinacea can chase off or help speed recovery from an acute bacterial or viral infection—especially in the respiratory tract.  It is available in capsule form in today’s health food stores.

The use/knowledge of Echinacea was wide-spread before the use of modern medicine and even the Plains Indians used it topically and internally.  Because of its antiseptic and anti-inflammatory qualities, it was also used to treat wounds.

These are just a few of the herbs used by our ancestors as medicine or tonics.  For those interested in learning more about medicinal, culinary, or other uses of herbs you may want to check out a couple of these resources.

HERB SOCIETY OF AMERICAN-PIONEER UNIT      www.herbsocietypioneer.org/

NORTH TEXAS UNIT OF THE HERB SOCIETY OF AMERICA     www.herbsociety.org

THE OZARK FOLK CENTER in Mountain View, Arkansas     www.ozarkfolkcenter.com

The Ozark Folk Center has one of the most diverse herb gardens in the United States (I have personally visited there several times).  Since it is also a state park, they offer nice, clean cabins at affordable prices with an awesome restaurant that features many herbs in their food choices.  There are two upcoming herb workshops in which you may be interested:

1)       Culinary Herbs—March 17-19, 2014

2)      Medicinal Herbs—April 4-5, 2014

Understanding Fire Ants: How to Identify and Control Them        

By Christine Morgan, ND             

Master Gardener

There are six known species of fire ants in the United States. They are        called fire ants because they inflict painful, venomous stings. Four species are native, and two came from South America. The red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta) has inhabited the southern United States since the 1930’s, but in recent decades has been moving northward and across the southwest. The black imported fire ant (Solenopsis richteri) has been found in Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee since 1918, but its range is limited because of less tolerance to colder weather. Imported and native fire ants are similar in size and appearance. They are reddish-brown or black in color and measure up to a quarter inch long. They also exhibit basically the same behavior when threatened. Fire ants, when disturbed, swarm toward AND crawl onto an invader. Once in battle mode, fire ant workers bite with their mandibles and can sting multiple times with stingers attached under their abdomens at the same time.

I really want to talk about red imported fire ants. Two things make them of greater concern than their native cousins. First, they are more aggressive. Both types swarm…but imported ants charge straight up vertical surfaces such as walls, blades of grass, animal or human legs! You can tentatively check what kind of species you have, by sticking a pencil in a mound and seeing if they climb vertically. Second, imported ants are more numerous and their colony size is overall larger. Unlike native species, which are part of the balanced ecosystem, red imported ants have few natural predators in the United States. This has enabled then to grow, flourish and move over a wide range, sometimes displacing native fire ants.

As far as natural predators go, man is about it. There is one other that is promising…a biological control parasite called Pseudacteon crawfofdi (the Phorid fly). These parasites have been used in experimental capacities with some success. How do they work? They dart in long enough to lay an egg on a worker and then fly off. A larva hatches, enters the ant’s body, consumes the insides, and then emerges as an adult. Fire ants are very hard, if not impossible to eradicate. Knowing about their biology may prove to help conquer these foreign invaders. Red imported fire ants create nests that look like mounds of loose soil with no central opening. They also like to build inside barns and structures, and tend to like electricity switch boxes, breaker boxes, or light housings also. When you come upon a mound in question, observe it for a few minutes. Do you see worker ants of different sizes from 1/8 to ¼ inch in size? You probably are looking at red imported fire ants; species of other ants tend to be more uniform in size. Their swarming and stinging behavior, the resulting pustule that arises and itches from being bitten, is what sets them apart from other species. The swarming activity that they exhibit, makes it very likely that an animal or human will receive multiple bites. Animals, especially horses, cows and humans can be covered in hundreds of ants before the signal is given through pheromones to sting. Ants communicate primarily via pheromones, which are similar to hormones, but are emitted through the air. They coordinate their attacks to intensify more injury to their victims. One of those communication agents is the “alarm pheromone”. A chemical warfare agent that drives the ants into a frenzy of stinging. If only one ant releases the alarm, then hundreds or thousands of ants will start stinging suddenly. Many mounds contain 100,000 ants!

There has been some recent documentation about hybridization of ants between native fire ants and some of the more rare venomous South American strains. Some species in South America can kill a human with one bite. Some incidents of fire ant bites have resulted in allergic reactions, sepsis and other severe conditions in a few individuals. There is speculation about whether these hybrid ants are here in the United States, and are able to inflict potentially harmful bites. Especially if the bite area is in direct contact via the vein and bloodstream of an animal or human.

What should we do to eradicate them? The secret is to exploit their weakness: a colony’s communal stomach. Ants are divided into foragers, workers, and nursery workers who tend to the queen and her brood. Foraging ants do not simply bring food back to the queen and her brood. Instead, the foragers eat the food in the field and partly digest it before regurgitating it into mouths of workers. Then workers regurgitate the food and feed it to the nursery workers who swallow it and digest it further. They then feed it to the queen and her brood.  This is a process called “trophylaxis” and protects the queen from poisoning through multiple layers of “testers”. That’s why a slow-acting poison that spreads throughout the whole colony before having any toxic effects can eliminate the entire population.

Chemical baits that works as a slow-acting poison are called Hydramethynlon (trade names Amdro, Max Force, and others). Other slow-acting poisons are Spinosad (Green Light Ant control), and Pyriproxyfen (Spectracide Fire Ant bait), Baits will not poison mammals. It can be deadly for chickens and other poultry if they eat it. It is toxic to fish also. Baits (powder of granules) are sprinkled on or around the mound. Hydramethylnon works as a metabolic inhibitor by blocking the biological process in the ant that makes ATP (adenosine Triphosplate). ATP is a compound required by most biological processes to provide energy for life. Without ATP, the ant becomes lethargic and stops eating causing death. The feeding process of the whole colony is stopped. The EPA has classified Hydramethylnon as a “group C possible human carcinogen”, so use with care.

A drench or dry treatment using liquid chemicals (mound application) can be used also for effective quick kill applications when ants pose imminent danger to people and animals. Some products used for this include Deltamethrin (Bengal UltraDust), Permethrin (Real-Kill fire Ant killer), and Acephate (Ortho orthene fire Ant Killer).

Organic fire ant control uses these products: D-limonene (Citrex), and Pyrethrins (Organic Solutions).

Other natural methods include diatomaceous earth and a method of coating the mound with baking soda and then pouring 20% vinegar on it, causing a chemical reaction and quick kill.

Please remember that they swarm, and be careful around the mounds.

References:

Texas Agri-Life extension services

Claborn, David DrPH

Kidd, Hetal.1991The Agrochemicals Handbook. Third edition. Royal Society of Chemistry Information Services, Cambridge UK pps.10-12Taber, Stephen Welton Texas A&M University Agriculture SeriesUnderstanding Fire Ants: How to Identify and Control Them

 

 

By Sheryl Kleinschmidt, Somervell County Master Gardener

Learning how to garden successfully in Somervell County has been a real challenge to this native Central Texas gal.  Little did I know how blessed we were to have the sandy, loam soil we all took for granted.  I’m always bragging how easy it was “down south”.   You simply toss the seeds on the ground, stomp them a couple of times, water and wait.  It was a done deal.

Not so in the land of rock, cactus and juniper ash.  My yard has only a few inches of viable soil before my spade hits stuff so hard it would take a jack hammer to bust it loose.   Therefore, I’m always on the look-out for ideas to improve my vegetable gardens.

With little yard space to spare, I decided to put in a square-foot garden last year.  Prior to my Master Gardener training, I unwittingly chose soil from a dairy that I thought would be suitable for my bed.  It turned out to be a mistake as it packed when watered.

I started adding compost material to the bed, but it wasn’t breaking down quickly enough to help the situation.  WORMS!   Worms came to mind, so I started doing a little on-line research and came across an article showing how to make worm towers.  Perfect!

After gathering all the materials needed and enlisting the help of a friend, my PVC worm towers were ready to be placed in my garden.  I followed the directions step-by-step and proudly deposited my store-bought worms into their very own Holiday Inn.  How could they not “go forth and multiply”?  After all, they had a ritzy little house, food and water.

Every day I checked my towers to see what the worms were up to.  Not once did I actually see a worm, but assumed they were well and happy.   But, as spring turned into summer it became apparent that not only were my worms not happy—they were DEAD!

What did I learn from the worms?  1)  Their towers needed to have more ventilation holes.  2)  Their towers needed to be buried further down in the soil.  3)  They don’t like to be soaked with the hose at full-blast every day (or ever).  4)  Pampered worms kept in cold storage don’t adapt too well to the Texas heat.

For those of you interested in making/using worm towers, here are a few simple instructions:

1.  Cut PVC pipe into 2-3 foot sections.   Pipes with a larger diameter should do better (6-8”).
2. Drill ¼ “ holes at various intervals up/down the pipe, leaving the top 4” undrilled.
3. Dig a hole in the center of your garden that is deep enough to bury all but the top 4” of the pipe.
4. Bury the pipe and back-fill dirt around it.
5. Fill the tube about ½ full of moist organic material such as straw, shredded newspaper, leaves and kitchen scraps (no grease or meat).
6. Add about 50 worms to the tube.  I recommend digging them from another flower bed or area that is rich in worms as these critters have already adapted to the environment.
7. Place a square of screen wire over the top of the tower to keep out flies/critters.  You can also cover that with a flower pot to keep the wire in place.  Terra cotta works best.
8.     To maintain, keep the inside of the tube moist, but spray the water gently.  Add organic scraps as needed.

So, that, my friends, is what the worms taught me.   Nature is like that, you know.  If we will just sit still and observe what is right before our eyes, we can learn a lot—even from worms…………….