Lögberg-Heimskringla - 01.06.1979, Blaðsíða 2

Lögberg-Heimskringla, föstudagur 1. júni, 1979
FOOTNOTES
—By Sharron Arksey
As I write this, I am sitting opposite the front doors
of a polling division, watching the people go in and out
to cast their ballots in Canada’s federal election.
And, in the office where I sit (one borrowed by
me for its typewriter) people also come in and out, all
offering their predictions on the outcome of the elect-
ion.
By the time this column gets into print, the elect-
ion will be old news, of course. But there is no harm in
remembering the day or the predictions, if only for
the sake of saying “I told you so.”
In the context of Lögberg-Heimskringla, the elect-
ion serves to remind us of our political loyalty. What-
ever our backgrounds — and in Canada those are as
varied as the nations of the world — we all vote in
Canada for Canada.
— 0 —
After reading the poem entitled ‘Alberta Crocus’ by the
late Helen McLeod Lloyd (nee Sveinbjornsson), I must
put in a plug for the Manitoba variety.
The prairie crocus is the provincial flower of
Manitoba and its mauve softness graces many road-
sides throughout the province as a first sign of spring.
Like many natural wonders, their days may be num-
bered by the appearance of man — the need for wider
roads, cleared space and improved real estate. While
concrete may be a measure of real estate value, I doubt
that anything could improve over the aesthetic and
natural beauty of a field of early-blooming crocuses.
As Mrs. Lloyd so aptly describes in her poetry, the
softness of the crocus is deceptive. As the earliest flow-
er to appear in the countryside, they have weathered
much in order to make their appearance. And so even
; in softness and pale muted color is there strength.
— 0 —
Speaking of emblems, yours truly had a first-hand and
close-up view the other day of one of Canada’s most
well-known.
A seemingly lost and straying beaver made its way
into the yard, getting as far as the garage and attract-
ing the attention of the dog. While its flat tail rose a
little at .this unexpected inquisition, it did not appear
unduly anxious.
And, when the dog left, it waddled slowly away
again, past the barn, out through the hay yard and
further on its quest.
With the abundance of water these days, it seems
incredible that the animal could not find any. And if
it had stayed just a while longer, there would have
been plenty for a summer shower dropped another
one-half inch later that evening.
— 0 —
’ The first of June .. . the month for brides and new
1 moons and dairy products. The last seems faintly in-
congruous beside the romanticism of the former two,
but commercial promotion makes itself felt every-
where.
June is also the month that we celebrate Iceland’s
National Day, June 17. Advertisements have already
been posted for the local event — the annual picnic to
be held at Assiniboine Park. We haven’t heard too
much from other clubs as to their plans. But, since this
is the time of year when things start to get busy on
many levels, it is easy to understand.
— 0 —
In this last week, we got thunderstorms, hail, rain
showers and snow, with a little bit of sunshine thrown
in for balance. The weather has seriously hindered at-
tempts to repair the ravages of a harsh winter and
spring on roads and land. I have heard the road com-
’ pared to those of years ago before the days of paving
and the department of highways. In a small way, we
are experiencing the joys of life in the days of the
pioneers and, accustomed as we are to the convenienc-
es of modern life, some of us find it kind of hard going.
Just goes to show you what our forefathers put up with
Thermal Farming
ICELAND GROWS BANANAS
iviuch has been written
about the advantages of
tnermai tarming and the
ií'ree Press Keport on Karm-
ing ín íts April, iy /9 issue de
voted a page to iceiands
activities m tbat fieid.
Belected excerpts irom the
articie, written oy Harvey J.
Berman, íoliow:
When the snow is several
íeet deep and the mercury
piummets below treezing —
and stays there — the coco-
nut trees are m íuii oioom.
Gardeners tend their tea
roses and Transvaai daisies.
And the bananas are ripen-
ing and ready for picking.
UtopiaY bcience fictionV
Hardly. These plants and
trees are being raised com-
merciaily a stone’s throw
írom the Arctic Circie where
the winters are agonizmgiy
long and the sun ís a mere
shadow of its usual self.
Forty kiiometers south
oí Reykjavik, the hamlet of
Hveragerði is singularly
biessed by nature. It sits
astride a network of hot
springs unique in the world.
Over the centuries, in a
triumph of man’s ingenuity
and will over his environ-
ment, frozen Icelanders have
learned to harness this nat-
ural heat and power and put
it to work on a variety of
tasks.
During the 8th century, a
band of frish hermits — emi
grating to this wild and sav-
age land — used the springs
to heat their shelters and
cook their food.
A century later, enemies
of King Harold Fairhair left
Norway, rather than live
under the new entral mon-
archy. They founded the cap-
ital city of Reykjavik, push-
ed south, rediscovered the
springs and settled there,
too.
Eric the Red, greatest Vik-
ing of them all, and his fol-
lowers reportedly bathed in
the springs before setting
sail on their epic voyages of
discovery to Greenland and
Vinland.
During the present cent-
ury, however, the springs
have been pressed into ser-
vice for a far more import-
ant undertaking — farming.
Nowhere else in the world,
perhaps, is this being done
more successfully. And agri-
culturalists in other global
“icebox communities” are
painstakingly analyzing and
putting together the Iceland
ers’ know-how and experi-
ence in “thermal water farm
ing” to effective use.
In recent years, for ex-
ample, an army of United
Nations agricultural teams
have explored Hveragerdi’s
facilities with an eye toward
applying “thermal water”
technology to areas of the
globe with long, brutal wint-
ers and insufncient growing
seasons.
“There are many places on
earth with thermai springs,
which could be utilized agri-
culturally,” reports a spokes-
man for the UJM’s Food and
Agricultural Organization
(FAO).
“Thermal íarming, once
the enormous costs involved
are reduced to a reasonable
level and the processes are
reíined, couid be a major
step toward alleviating pres-
ent and iuture íood shortag-
es” ...
Heart of Hveragerdi’s agri
cultural complex ís an array
of jumbo greenhouses, iuliy
insulated against the weath-
er and designed to absorb
every ray oi sunlignt pene-
trating the grey icelandic
sky. Tne umts are heated by
steam, generated by thermal
spnngs and pumped through
a maze of stainless steel
pipes.
Centrally controlled vents
expedite the ílow of steam.
And temperatures through-
out the greenhouses are
maintained at close to the
mid-70 degree mark.
The indoor garden so ei-
fectively simulates normal
growing conditions that
none of the plants, trees and
flowers raised are special
strains, taiiored to ihe restr-
aints of greenhouse garden-
ing.
Moreover, aiter a cautions
start, during wich only the
hardiest vegetables and flow
ers were cultivated, Hvera-
gerdi now raises everything
from tropical coconuts to
lush ,].omatoes, soft lettuce,
cabbage, onions and other
staples of Iceland’s diet.
!•••••••••••••••••••••
ICELANDIC
LESSONS
HELPS
The third (and final) part of
the Icelandic lesson helps
prepared by Guðbjartur
Gunnarsson, and sppnsored
by the Icelandic National
League, has now been finish
ed and is titled “Introduct-
ion to Iceland, Book Three."
The price is $5.00 for each
copy.
The second part of the les-
sons (Introduction to Ice-
landic, Book Two, in five
sections) is also available at
a price of $12.00 each.
. Both of these may be ord-
ered from:
Mrs. H. F. Danielson,
869 Garfjeld Street,
Winnipeg, Manitoba
R3G 2M6.
BUY YOUR CLOTHES AT THE FACTORY AND
SAVE, LADIES COATS, SUITS, LEATHERS,
SUEDES, PANTS, SKIRTS, JACKETS AND VESTS.
SATURDAY MORNINGS ONLY, 8 A.M. TO 12 P.M.
NATIONAL CLOAKS (1971) LTD.
190 DISRAELI FREEWAY,
(1 BLOCK BEFORE DISRAELI BRIDGE)
PARKING AT REAR.