The message
from Janet Baraclough contains these words:

I planted a grape vine over a big pile of (mainly) chicken and bacon
hock bones, and despite their being a couple of feet down, the local
rats started a bone mine.

Had you cleaned off all the meat, or left those gristly bits in the
hocks, and how deep did they have to sink the mineshaft?

Indeed, and made stock from them.

--
Rusty
Emus to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co full-stop uk
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

Nick Maclaren wrote:
In article om,
a.c. wrote:
I've recently acquired insect eating plants. (1 Dionea
muscipula--venus fly trap & 1 sarracena pururea---bog plant) There
seems to be quite a lot of google entries concerning their water
requirements, but what I'm looking for is more on the lines of just
what can they eat and how much of it?
I mean, what with the hot weather n all, we have to stuff the chicken
leftovers into the freezer until bin day to prevent us from having a
stinky dustbin. So, just how many such plants would I need to save
freezer space (& save electricity, thereby aiding the enviornment)
Like, how are they on chicken bones? Or the fat from a slice of ham?
Just wondering.

What you want to grow is the Greater Gromboolian Cow-Muncher. Only
the very biggest ones can eat even a calf, and they take a century
to grow to that size, so using a young one for the purpose you
envisage should work.

It is believed that the oldest and largest one in the UK is in the
Home Office, and is used to threaten Home Secretaries who show signs
of a liberal disposition. Well-behaved ones are allowed to feed it
with dissidents on special occasions, of course.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Thankyou for that, though it may be a tad too much as I don't want to
end up loosing the cat. I have already had to give assurances to my
other half that the cat will remain unharmed even on contact with my 2
new plants.
It wouldn't do to loose both job and pussy in the same week!
Well, when I say loose job, I mean its "pluckkaart" 65 day duration had
expired and even recent events do not leave me wanting to feed the
Greater Gromboolian Cow-Muncher certain individuals who might well
deserve such treatment.
It's understandable to apply for a full time job only to be told that I
can only have the season work because my Dutch is poorish and only a
few people in the firm speak a little English, so best I join as a
seanon worker and then we'll take about the full time post at the end
of the 65 days, (which, in truth lasted considerably longer.). It's
quite annoying to start and discover that though only a few speak a
little English, the majority speak English remarkably well and even one
of the managers speaks to the them in English. It was a further
irritation to discover that the measly rate per hour ( approx. mim wage
in UK)did not turn out to be after tax as was promised.
It was more than a little annoying after the Loooong 65 days to
discover there never was going to be a full time post available, (
though just such a post was advertised) because they were so inundated
with full time contracts they terminated 3 of them.... this only 2
weeks after telling me directly that no contracts were available, but
that should anyone leave I can have one immediately therafter.
Lo and behold, it looks like they managed to retain me ... with a
little creative accountancy... for a long 65 days which coincided to
end remarkably well just with the onslaught of student workers that
have now become available... and inspite of trying 6 or 7 job agencies
it now looks like I'll have nowt to do till september.
But what's really annoying is that the firm in question (who made a not
so measly 650K profit last year)have acted knowing that if I cannot
produce evidence of a full time job (contract) or wage slips through an
Intirm job agency by the end of September, then I will be forced to
leave the country and not allowed back. Nice people eh! Had they been a
little more truthful I could have worked a real 65 days and be out in
time to get further work before the student explosion.
But as I say, even that wouldn't make me want to feed them to a plant.
On the bright side, I now have more time to boil the 1 chicken a week
as kay suggested.
I did notice yesterday that the venus flytrap isn't all that keen on
spiced cooked chicken and the flies it has been fed are still
undigested a whole 3 days later.
Oddly enough, now that I have these plants, I can't seem to find
anymore flies. I had wondered if the might produce a scent or similar
to attract even more flies.

In article ,
Jaques d'Alltrades wrote:

[ rats ]

They dragged the bones out and carried them some distance. And they
completely ignore my compost heap, which is squirming with worms.

Odd. You're not in a soft-water area, are you?

Come over with the BSA sometime. I used to knock pigeons over with my
BSA Cadet Major.

I am confusing myself again - I have a BSA shotgun! It is a Webley
Mark III - still powerful (and, yes, I have measured its approximate
muzzle velocity at c. 550 fps) - but the sping clangs like anything
and it is no longer accurate at 30+ yards (my needed distance).


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

a.c. wrote:
[...]
I did notice yesterday that the venus flytrap isn't all that keen
on
spiced cooked chicken and the flies it has been fed are still
undigested a whole 3 days later.
Oddly enough, now that I have these plants, I can't seem to find
anymore flies. I had wondered if the might produce a scent or
similar
to attract even more flies.

I've never grown them, and have only an amateur plant-spotter's
knowledge of these plants, but aren't you under a misapprehension
here? As I understand it, they "eat" very few insects, and can live
well enough without them in cultivation. They, surely, can't make any
impression on the fly population around one's house; and I'd guess
that sticking little bits of spiced chicken into them might risk
causing disease. (I'm always ready to become better informed, of
course.)

--
Mike.

Mike Lyle wrote:
a.c. wrote:
[...]
I did notice yesterday that the venus flytrap isn't all that keen
on
spiced cooked chicken and the flies it has been fed are still
undigested a whole 3 days later.
Oddly enough, now that I have these plants, I can't seem to find
anymore flies. I had wondered if the might produce a scent or
similar
to attract even more flies.

I've never grown them, and have only an amateur plant-spotter's
knowledge of these plants, but aren't you under a misapprehension
here? As I understand it, they "eat" very few insects, and can live
well enough without them in cultivation.

As I understand it, looking at previous info here via google, they
digest insects to compliment their diet and may have evolved to do so
due to insufficient soil nutrients, hence the need to avoid water with
nitrates.

They, surely, can't make any
impression on the fly population around one's house;

It might depend on how small that population is and how much fun it is
to feed them with it. For me 1 or 2 flies buzzing around is 1 or 2
flies to many, especially if I go for a nap and wake up having been
biten my a small fly which was in fact a mosquito.

and I'd guess
that sticking little bits of spiced chicken into them might risk
causing disease. (I'm always ready to become better informed, of
course.)

The chicken was well cooked and therefore, presumably, reasonably
sterile (disease). Close obsevation suggested it was not interested in
it and so said chicken was removed.

--
Mike.

The message
from (Nick Maclaren) contains these words:
In article ,
Jaques d'Alltrades wrote:

[ rats ]

They dragged the bones out and carried them some distance. And they
completely ignore my compost heap, which is squirming with worms.

Odd. You're not in a soft-water area, are you?

No. Decidedly not.

Come over with the BSA sometime. I used to knock pigeons over with my
BSA Cadet Major.

I am confusing myself again - I have a BSA shotgun! It is a Webley
Mark III - still powerful (and, yes, I have measured its approximate
muzzle velocity at c. 550 fps) - but the sping clangs like anything
and it is no longer accurate at 30+ yards (my needed distance).

Sounds like the piston is letting air by it. The pellet should have left
the barrel before the piston comes to rest - slowed on a cushion of
compressed air.

I don't know the Wibbly - my experience of them is restricted to the air
pistols,. Currently, I have a Hurricane. (·177").

Also lurking about the place I have an Edwin Anson air rifle of around
1890-1900 (·177"); a Hainal (I think) from the 1920s (·177"); the Cadet
Major (but I don't know where it is - it's in bits somewhere, probably
on my friend's pig farm.); BSA Scorpion pistol (·22" - also packed away
somewhere the AirArms S310 (·22") and an American pump-up (·22") air
pistol - can't remember its make - though if ICBA to go up to the attic
I could tell you.

Here, (in my garden) I can't safely use any type of gun unless I fire
downwards from an upstairs window. And I don't want the house surrounded
by a swat squad...

I have to take the armoury over to the estate, and then there's plenty
of room. (You can see a few pics of the estate on
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/temp/ - there will be more as I
continueo building up the page.)

--
Rusty
Emus to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co full-stop uk

In article ,
Jaques d'Alltrades writes:
|
| Sounds like the piston is letting air by it. The pellet should have left
| the barrel before the piston comes to rest - slowed on a cushion of
| compressed air.

That is possible but, from the muzzle velocity, I doubt it. My
belief is that it is just too badly worn and the spring is loose
in its container. The clang is a rattling noise rather than a
muffled thud. Anyway, I shall see whether I am any more accurate
with a new Gamo.

| Here, (in my garden) I can't safely use any type of gun unless I fire
| downwards from an upstairs window. And I don't want the house surrounded
| by a swat squad...

I can shoot against a wall, or with care down the garden (it is
some 75 yards from the house to the end), but plan to shoot from
an upstairs window. However, I do need to be able to hit at
25-35 yards for that.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.