The Rural Voice, 2002-03, Page 47Book Review
Wit and wisdom from country life
Getting Rid of
Alders: 100
Seasons of
Farm and
Country
Living
compiled and
edited by
Kevin
MacDonnell,
Nimbus Publishing, Halifax, $24.95.
Reviewed by Keith Roulston
The 1970s was a dynamic time for
the creation of new magazines in
Canada. Fueled by the excitement of
youth and the sense of purpose
brought on by Canada's centennial
celebrations, young people dreamed
of starting their own magazine.
Harrowsmith became a publishing
phenomenon. In 1975, The Rural
Voice was founded and exactly a year
later to the month, Rural Delivery
Magazine began in Nova Scotia.
Getting Rid of Alders is a
compilation of stories selected from
25 years of Rural Delivery. The title
alludes to a long-running topic in the
magazine, getting rid of the alder
bushes that, in the Maritimes, are the
first of a natural succession of tree
species to recolonize pastures.
The title is apt because it
illustrates the unique nature of Rural
Delivery. Audience participation has
been a big part of the magazine's
success since it began. Rural
Delivery was a "by -mail" chat -room
before the internet was invented. One
person would write in with a
problem, and dozens of others would
write in with solutions. Though
professionals and freelancers write
for the magazine, readers contribute a
greater share of its content than
probably any other magazine. The
monthly letters alone run to three
pages in many issues.
Though Rural Delivery calls itself
"a farm and country journal", and
carries many of the same kinds of ads
for tractors and small equipment (not
many massive combines here), the
farming represented in its pages
seems to have little in common with
the kinds of farms that dominate
southwestern Ontario. That's not
perhaps surprising considering there
are more farms in Huron County
alone than in Nova Scotia.
Rural living is the chef focus of
the magazine'and of the book. So in
the "spring" portion of Getting Rid of
Alders, there are stories on starting
plants indoors and creating hot beds
and cold frames. There are dozens
and dozens of recipes sprinkled
through the four seasons and 256
pages.
There is information on small-
scale raising of chickens, pigs, goats
and cattle and dealing with the
manure they create. There's a
humorous article about the price you
pay when you want to be
environmentally friendly and
compost your kitchen scraps.
There has been plenty of wit and
whimsy in the magazine's pages over
the years and reflected in the book.
There was the "big egg contest" the
magazine ran in 1991 and the
decision to take the winners on to the
Central Maine Egg Festival where
they discovered someone had slipped
in a goose egg among the candidates.
There was the horse lover who was
insulted by an ad that showed a
Yamaha ATV outpulling horses and
challenged the company to a pull.
The team of horses won.
A sense of history pervades the
book. There is, for instance, the story
of how a blueberry industry was born
in the 1930s in Nova Scotia's Col-
chester County through the pioneer-
ing efforts of a persuasive Ag Rep
and the open-mindedness of one farm
family.
For western Ontario readers it's
pleasant to see several articles from
H. Gordon Green included in the
book. The former editor of The
Family Herald who later had a
regular radio column and wrote for
rural weekly newspapers, regularly
contributed to the magazine in his last
years. Included is his final column
published in December 1991, a
month after his death.
Getting Rid of Alders is a "bits and
pieces" book, the kind you can pick
up and read a few short articles then
set down and come back to in a day
or so. For those seeking a homespun
look into another, older part of our
country, this is a fun place to start.0
CITIZENS FOR
a
RENEWABLE
ENERGY
A Non-profit Information -sharing
and Advocacy Organization
Incorporated in 1996
Our Goal: To Accelerate the Introduction
and Use of Clean Renewable Energy,
thereby Speeding up the Phase-out of
Polluting Fossil and Nuclear Energy
Production.
S. (Ziggy) Kleinau, Co-ordinator
462 East Rd., R.R. #4 Lion's Head, ON NOH 1WO
Phone/Fax: (519) 795-7725
cfre@web.ca http://www.web.ca/-cfre
RAISE MONEY
FOR YOUR CLUB
OR
ORGANIZATION
Sell subscriptions to
The Rural Voice
and earn money for your
4-H Association, Junior
Farmers group or other rural
organization. Substantial
commissions offered.
(opportunities particularly good in
Wellington, Waterloo, Oxford, Middlesex
and tanmbton Counties.)
For more information
contact Keith Roulston,
Publisher 523-4311
MARCH 2002 43