# Knowledge Lost



## kejmack (May 17, 2011)

There are so many old time skills and so much knowledge that has been lost. Does anyone have something they can share?

For example, an old time de-wormer was tobacco leaves. Another example is making tea from pine needles for Vitamin C. Or, something I use a lot--beet pulp! Beet pulp is extremely cheap horse/livestock feed. In the old days they used beet pulp or mangles for feed. Mangles are easy to grow. People did not have bagged horse feed like they do now.


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## ComputerGuy (Dec 10, 2010)

I have never heard of mangles


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## Meerkat (May 31, 2011)

kejmack said:


> There are so many old time skills and so much knowledge that has been lost. Does anyone have something they can share?
> 
> For example, an old time de-wormer was tobacco leaves. Another example is making tea from pine needles for Vitamin C. Or, something I use a lot--beet pulp! Beet pulp is extremely cheap horse/livestock feed. In the old days they used beet pulp or mangles for feed. Mangles are easy to grow. People did not have bagged horse feed like they do now.


 Good subject.
I'll have to think about it,but I do know of one treatment for puncture wounds,my aunt used it on my 3 year old when she gashed open her foot on bike spokes, you could see the bone," turpentine". I was very mad that she used it at first but it healed right up.


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

Well ... Some one forgot to send my critters the memo about mangles & beets ... :gaah: they would not touch them not even after a few days. So I gave up on that ... 

As for using tobacco leaves as a de-wormer, my cousin used chew tobacco (so ... same but a little different) The horses would nudge his shirt till he would give them a little of the chew. Now a day someone would say he got the horses hooked on tobacco. 

But I will agree a lot of old time skills lost ...


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## RevWC (Mar 28, 2011)

My dad use to make a flute out of willow bark..need to google..


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

ComputerGuy said:


> I have never heard of mangles


mangel - (Somethimes called wurzel ) -- A variety of the common beet having a large yellowish root, used chiefly as cattle feed ...


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## kejmack (May 17, 2011)

*Andi said:


> Well ... Some one forgot to send my critters the memo about mangles & beets ... :gaah: they would not touch them not even after a few days. So I gave up on that ...


You have to use reverse-psychology! LOL Act like it is something they aren't allowed to have. I do that for all my critters. When I put dog wormer on their food, they would turn their noses up. When I put it on the counter and acted like they weren't supposed to have it, they wanted it.


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

I keep that in mind ... lol ... but I still don't think the horses or the goats would fall for it, maybe the cows but I'm not real sure about that. 

But a great thread ... :2thumb:


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## OldCootHillbilly (Jul 9, 2010)

Use honey on a wound.

Sharpen a knife on a china bowl.

Make lye water fer soap usin ash from the wood stove.

Use grape leaves sorta like a taco shell fer meats.

Dip match heads in wax ta make em water proof.


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## Emerald (Jun 14, 2010)

I have to grate my sugar beets for the chickens to eat them-same with the mangels-my uncle would shred them and add them to the horse feed in the winter.. they loved them.


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## gypsysue (Mar 27, 2010)

OldCootHillbilly said:


> Use honey on a wound.
> 
> Make lye water fer soap usin ash from the wood stove.
> 
> .


I used honey on a place on my finger earlier this summer where I gouged the back of a knuckle. It got blisters around it and took weeks to heal. Normally I heal quickly. It was organic, raw honey, ordered by the gallon locally.

For making lye, make sure you're using ashes from hardwood. Pine and other soft wood ash has a different composition. Here, out west, we burn primarily pine because that and Aspen (another soft wood) are about all there is.


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## HoppeEL4 (Dec 29, 2010)

Hmmm.....I have to think..seems I know some things my mother and father passed on, but the mind is a blank tonight.

I can DO a lot of old fashioned things.

One thing I do remember was putting a piece of potato on an infected wound (smaller one). Baking soda made into a paste on a bee sting. I know out here, pine, or fir needles mashed up and put onto a fresh cut will help keep it clean and free from infection. In Oregon, at least, we have "licorice ferns". They grow up in trees usually out of areas that branch out heavily. Take these and clean off the outer rind with a knife, and you can chew on them for stomach upset, or steeped into a tea. They do taste like black licorice too.

Gypsysue, bet you knew this one. Bilberry...otherwise known as blue huckleberries. Good for eyesight, and it is an anti-inflammatory. This would mean good for PMS, joint pain, etc...pretty much anything you would take ibuprofen for (plus you would only get a stomach ache if you ate too much).

Blackberry leaves...


> For example, two thousand years ago, the roman army doctor Galenos had his soldiers chew blackberry leaves to strengthen gums and build up physical resistance; today, we know it was the vitamin C and tannins in the leaves that he was counting on to boost immunity and heal wounds. Blackberry leaves have high levels of tannins and vitamin C, and they are made into a tea that has proved beneficial as a remedy for diarrhea, a gargle for throat inflammations and a compress for wounds and rashes. The tea also helps regulate both heavy and light menstrual flow and is a gastrointestinal soother. It's a tea you can drink daily-it has no side effects. Sweeten its bitter taste with honey, or mix the leaves with other herbs for healing tea blends.


 (a quote from herbal remedy site, I just needed backup for my memory, plus they put it into words better than me)

Oooh! mustard powder....isn't that good to put on a hot wet towel and wrapped around the chest for heavy congestion?

I do know fresh mint is good for digestion when it is made into a tea, as well as for asthma, I know this being asthmatic myself, peppermint gum, mints and tea are a staple for me. Dandelion root is good for liver cleansing. The root is cleaned, roasted and steeped in hot water, taken three times a day, will clean your system of impurities...and who does not have dandelions around? Besides I found out that it tastes a bit like cheap coffee, not an awful taste, very tolerable.

Got a plugged up ear (full of stubborn ear wax)? Tilt head to the side and drop in about three drops of peroxide, let fizzle a bit, then tilt over, drain and clear out gently with some water, q-tip if needed. This softens up the worst ear wax, but it does freak out younger kids (well it did mine). Earaches were dealt with by my mother with "sweet oil", just warmed up olive oil dropped into the ear, then put a cotton swab in for a while.

So, maybe I did remember some things....I'll be back with more.


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## stayingthegame (Mar 22, 2011)

willow bark tea for headaches =aspirin
bread mold on a cut then place clean cobwebs on top and wrap with a boiled white rag = penicillin, cobwebs contain a substance that helps clotting, a boiled white rag was clean. 
an egg in lye water to judge its strength= if it stands its good if it floats it is too strong.
used tea leaves on a bad burn = tannic acid will help in healing and scaring. i have used this one myself many times. use the water of tea leaves from second soaking for sunburn.
lambs ear on cuts to help remove infection = the hairs on the lambs ear collect and "hold" the pus.


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

*Head cheese*

Head cheese - souse meat

Now that is a skill lost around here, I remember my Aunt making it ... but even I didn't make it the last time we killed a hog.


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## efbjr (Oct 20, 2008)

OldCootHillbilly said:


> Use honey on a wound.
> 
> Sharpen a knife on a china bowl.
> 
> ...


Then china bowl trick works for sharpening Norelco rotary razor blades. Remove the safety screens and run the razor over a china plate for a flat surface.

Stuffed grape leaves...yummy...a famous Middle Eastern dish. Ladle fresh, plain yogurt over the leaves over them (according to a Syrian friend who used to make them them for me). :2thumb:

I used the waxed match trick when in the Boy Scouts with Ohio Blue Tip strike anywhere matches. Can't find them anymore. :dunno:


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## kejmack (May 17, 2011)

stayingthegame said:


> lambs ear on cuts to help remove infection = the hairs on the lambs ear collect and "hold" the pus.


I'm hoping you mean the plant...not that you are out there cutting off the ears on your little lambs!


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## Frugal_Farmers (Dec 13, 2010)

Although this is a link to a commerial wbsite, I have no loyalties to this comapny whatsoever.

This is a pretty cool read:

http://ps-survival.com/PS/Primitive_Skills/The_Old_Timer_Page_2004.pdf

Enjoy


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## Frugal_Farmers (Dec 13, 2010)

Here is another great link:

http://modernsurvivalonline.com/Files/general%20survival/1881_Household_Cyclopedia.pdf://


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## MorePossible (Aug 8, 2011)

Ground pumpkin seeds is an excellent dewormer.


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## Emerald (Jun 14, 2010)

efbjr said:


> Then china bowl trick works for sharpening Norelco rotary razor blades. Remove the safety screens and run the razor over a china plate for a flat surface.
> 
> Stuffed grape leaves...yummy...a famous Middle Eastern dish. Ladle fresh, plain yogurt over the leaves over them (according to a Syrian friend who used to make them them for me). :2thumb:
> 
> I used the waxed match trick when in the Boy Scouts with Ohio Blue Tip strike anywhere matches. Can't find them anymore. :dunno:


Look in any Ace hardware stores-I have been getting the "Blue diamond strike anywhere" matches for .89¢ a box. They also have real "lye" for my soap making. Got a couple boxes put by.


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## JustCliff (May 21, 2011)

*Andi said:


> Head cheese - souse meat
> 
> Now that is a skill lost around here, I remember my Aunt making it ... but even I didn't make it the last time we killed a hog.


Gee! I don't see how that one got lost over time!:lolsmash:


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## beanpicker (May 25, 2011)

My hubbys family did an still does use good old coal oil on deep cuts, & bee stings ..one would think it would burn an sting,but I couldn't count on both hands how many times I've douced a cut with coal oil. ( oh coal oil is just anouther name for karosene , spelling ?? ) It works wonders an don't hurt a bit.Most time a cut won't even get sore..

Also if one was to step on a rusty nail. Wash it real good an wrap a "piece of bacon fat" around the wound ,cover it with a clean cloth , usually a old clean sheet torn into strips. The salty bacon will draw out the soreness an help it heal. 

Anouther thing if you get a cut ,a few leaves of crushed yarrow placed on the wound will stop the bleeding in seconds, an it will leave the area so numb one could have stiches an it not hurt. Years ago my grandson would have horrible nose bleeds , an I made little dryed bags of yarrow for is mother,, she would wet them an place on the nose hole an the bleeding would stop.But the school nurse wouldn't let him bring them to school , wonder why .lol I dry yarrow ,an the yard yarrow, works just as well as the wild.. 

I use plantain also for bee stings, I just get a clean leaf,( hopefully the dog hasn't been around ) I wipe the dirt off on a dish towel or have even wiped it on my shirt tail , then chew the leaf , it don't taste but like a green leaf, then wad it up an put the wad on the bee sting, with in seconds the sting is gone an it won't swell up if your fast enought to get it on. I dry plantain for winter use too. It's just great for drawing out poisen out of wounds, 

Years ago I went to several old folks in the family an ask how to do things an was writing a journal of what to do for such an such, all kinds of old saying , I had a good size note book full of so many ,, but I can not explain it but during a move, we lost that book , a whole set of real silver ware given to us from hubby aunt an also lost the sewing machine attachments , my guess was a box fell off the truck an some lucky person found it one the road. 

I still collect herbs books having like about 200 ,an at one time the grand sons an I made a point of learning a new herb eack week, One of my sons calls it "moms, voo doo medison" but he will ask me what I have if somethngis alliling him for he know it works .


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

JustCliff said:


> Gee! I don't see how that one got lost over time!:lolsmash:


You are right ... why would we want food for the table  ... Waste not want not.

They may come a day when we look at our food in very different ways.

Hope not ... but one never knows.


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## Emerald (Jun 14, 2010)

*Andi said:


> You are right ... why would we want food for the table  ... Waste not want not.
> 
> They may come a day when we look at our food in very different ways.
> 
> Hope not ... but one never knows.


Talking about veggies from the garden--right now, in this age, I have the luxury to feed some of the not so nice produce to my chickens.. if the push comes to the shove a good half of what goes to the chickens will be trimmed and fed to us or preserved. This thought came to me while picking beans this morning-I was picking and picked a hand full that had a few holes in them from the darned Japanese beetles.. I put them aside while I picked all the rest and then tossed them in to the chickens... I then thought... Hum that was enuf beans, if the bites were cut away, to feed the grand daughter for one meal. It shows how complacent our way of life is at the moment... Knowing that sure I had beans in the freezer and sure i could always run to the store, but that does not mean it will always be that way... it was one of those "stop and stare" moments. I wondered--am I going to regret feeding them to the chickens if the SHTF this fall? One more day of food? Has anyone else had that stop and stare moment?


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## becky3086 (Aug 6, 2011)

Grease from chicken fat my father called "hen's oil" and gave it to us for all our colds. I guess it is the same idea as a concentrated chicken soup. 
A little baking soda in warm water will take away heartburn. 
I have done the peroxide in the ears but a rinse with a solution of half peroxide and half water will help a canker sore go away faster. 
Aloe works well on cuts. 
Mud works well on stings. 
Peppermint tea works great for quieting coughs. (I'll never forget the first time I tried it. My daughter was almost non-stop coughing and she quieted immediately.
Motherwort for a heart that skips.


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## neldarez (Apr 10, 2011)

OldCootHillbilly said:


> Use honey on a wound.
> 
> Sharpen a knife on a china bowl.
> 
> ...


don't stop now OldCoot.........I think you're brilliant....please share some more:congrat:


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## HoppeEL4 (Dec 29, 2010)

There a so many things I kick myself for not remembering. My grandmother died so long ago (1986), she was a walking book of old-fashioned remedies and ways. With my dad gone too, I do not even have him for his memory of all her ways .

My mother's family were city, and she only remembers things my paternal grandmother and great-grandmother taught her, but it is about as much as I remember. A lot I am "re-learning" by my own research and then that "oh, yeah I remember that" moment happens.

Moments like this I really realize how much I miss these people, and wonder what they would have thought about the turmoil that has come about in this world in the last few years.......


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## OldCootHillbilly (Jul 9, 2010)

Dryin Meat
Smokin Meat
Saltin Meat
Store eggs in powdered charcoal
Chew a bit of mint ta calm a upset stomach
Bark a the willow tree, make a tea fer a headache
Follow a squirrel, lead ya ta nuts fer food
Animal fat can be made inta tallow, make candles, soap an metal protectant
Make cordage outa fiberous plants
Make tools outa animal bone er horn
Use clay ta make pots an bowls
Learn ta wittle, make spoons, cups, whistles an such
Learn ta braid, take weaker cord an make stonger rope
Learn ta make lye soap (be the best anywho)
Make wine outa wild fruits


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## Jezcruzen (Oct 21, 2008)

The use of turpentine and lamp oil was a common practice when I was a child. My grandmother would wrap my cuts with a turpentine soaked rag.

I remember my grandfather placing the butt end of a cigarette against my ear and blowing tobacco smoke into my ear to calm an ear ache. 

I remember being told that if I play in the fire it will cause me to pee in the bed at night.

If a turtle grabs your finger, it won't let go until it thunders.

If you kill a snake, it won't stop wiggling until sundown.

Dragon flies were called "snake doctors".


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

Frugal_Farmers said:


> Here is another great link:http://modernsurvivalonline.com/Files/general%20survival/1881_Household_Cyclopedia.pdf://


This link doesn't work

maybe this will:
http://modernsurvivalonline.com/Files/general survival/1881_Household_Cyclopedia.pdf


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## TechAdmin (Oct 1, 2008)

ComputerGuy said:


> I have never heard of mangles


Me either, I'm still not sure what it is.


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## Emerald (Jun 14, 2010)

Austin said:


> Me either, I'm still not sure what it is.


Mangels are big yellowish or red beets like sugar beets...
or mangle- the two roller wringer used for washing.


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

Emerald said:


> Talking about veggies from the garden--right now, in this age, I have the luxury to feed some of the not so nice produce to my chickens.. if the push comes to the shove a good half of what goes to the chickens will be trimmed and fed to us or preserved. This thought came to me while picking beans this morning-I was picking and picked a hand full that had a few holes in them from the darned Japanese beetles.. I put them aside while I picked all the rest and then tossed them in to the chickens... I then thought... Hum that was enuf beans, if the bites were cut away, to feed the grand daughter for one meal. It shows how complacent our way of life is at the moment... Knowing that sure I had beans in the freezer and sure i could always run to the store, but that does not mean it will always be that way... it was one of those "stop and stare" moments. I wondered--am I going to regret feeding them to the chickens if the SHTF this fall? One more day of food? Has anyone else had that stop and stare moment?


I guess my husband had a stop and stare moment ... I can't explain it but it is there...


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

Austin said:


> Me either, I'm still not sure what it is.


It is a beet that is grown for cattle feed. Yes, it is very easy to grow on the homestead. I put them in my garden twice ... but could not get my critters to eat them. :dunno:

So think of a beet ... then make it 5 times that size and you have it. (hope this helps)


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## Momturtle (Nov 2, 2009)

Mangels were always fed chopped up small. Larger pieces would choke the livestock. There was even a mangel grinder which looks like a giant meat grinder to grind them up. They can be chopped up with pumpkin which temps almost everything. Cows like them much better than horses do. My goats always liked turnips better.


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## Jimmy24 (Apr 20, 2011)

Fresh cherries to help get your gout under control...lowers uric acid

Jimmy


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