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As most folks are well aware, an attempt to achieve a more self-reliant lifestyle often involves a good bit of problem solving . . . and much of the time, there just doesn't seem to be a ready supply of answers to the questions that come up. We're pleased to present, then, the following column . . . in which a number of well-known individuals from various areas of expertise (such as gardening, alternative building methods, hydroponics, water toxicity, and wood heating, to name a few) have agreed to act as "consultants" for you.

If a question concerning some aspect of self reliant living has you stumped, send it to Ask Our Experts, THE MOTHER EARTH NEWS'% 105 Stoney Mountain Road, Hendersonville, North Carolina 28791. Please don't expect personal replies, though. The most frequently asked questions will be answered here-and here only-so that we can all benefit from what these folks have to say.

Here in Oklahoma, my husband and I recently bought five acres of beautiful woodland situated near a lake. Since then, we've discovered that the soil-though rich-is laden with rock, and we've had little success in raising a garden. Could the Nearings, who have had extensive experience with gardening on the rugged Maine coast, give us suggestions about removing the boulders and/or gardening in spite of them?

We wouldn't buy land that didn't have rocks on it! We're in our 70's and 90's, have just finished building a stone house, and are gathering rocks for a possible next one. In our "forest 'farm" living room, we used a plumb rock face as an attractive back wall. Rocks are also useful for road making . . . filling in dips in the land . . . constructing patios and walks . . . and walling gardens to keep unwanted creatures out. (We've built about 1,000 feet of stone walls.)

We give odd-shaped or smooth stones as gifts and mementos. When we find one with a circle around it, we give it to a child, saying, "Put this under your pillow and make the same wish every night and every morning for three weeks. If you don't forget once, you'll get your wish."

True, sometimes you may find a stone you can't use. When we were digging our cellar in our previous home in Vermont, for instance, we came across a huge boulder . . . so we excavated under it and dropped it down below the needed level. On the other hand, putting an outhouse over another large slanting-rock gave us a homemade "Clivus Multrum" (the composting toilet that decomposes human excrement as the waste works down a slope)!

What's wrong with stones or rocks? They're mighty handy things to have around the place!-Helen and Scott Nearing.

The Nearings began homesteading, in 1932, on a run-down farm in Vermont . . . and then later moved to the Maine coast, where you can find them today, still building the stone structures they're famous for and raising most oftheir vegetarian diet. For a list of their various publications, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to the Social Science Institute, Dept.TMEN, Harborside, Maine 04642.

In order to save money and eat better quality food, I grow my own vegetables (as do many people these days). I recycle the "gray water"-used liquid that does not contain human waste-from our washing machine and kitchen sink by irrigating the garden with it. Is this -a safe practice? I assume that, with the new "no phosphorus" soaps, this setup won't harm my plants or be dangerous to the environment.

Sounds good to me, but you need to keep a few key points in mind. First, your city, county, or state health department will likely oppose your practice, since they may confuse it with black-human waste-filled-water . . . which can contain pathogens that cause sickness, or even death. (If small children live nearby, you can surely expect such opposition.) Second, some gray waters do contain pathogens (bacteria and viruses) from washed diapers, underwear, and similar items. So use caution appropriate to the origins and composition of your own kitchen and laundry waters. Third, I strongly recommend against using gray water directly on edible crops, particularly on ones that will be eaten raw or slightly cooked . . because of the risk of contamination.

On the positive side, using household gray water for corn, grains, fruit trees, and lawns makes a lot of sense in almost any climate. Rather than broadcast or spray the liquid, though, trickle the water directly to the plant roots through a "soaker" or perforated hose.

Since phosphorus is an essential nutrient for vegetation (all commercial fertilizers contain the element), I'd recommend that you go ahead and buy phosphate-based detergents, instead of non phosphate types based on carbonate or-especially-silicate buffers. Read the package to know what you're going to be putting on your lawn and garden.-David Burmaster.

David Burmaster, Ph.D. is a consultant on surface- and ground-water quality and hazardous waste management. He is the author of numerous articles and reports on these topics.

Our family lives on several acres of "serpentine pine barrens" in a lovely rural area of southeastern Pennsylvania. The land is quite marshy at its lowest point, which adjoins a large pond, and our water is remarkably alkaline. We're thinking about growing wild rice there, but we've been unable to find a source of seeds and plants. How do you suggest that we use this land ... keeping in mind our desire to work with the resources at hand, rather than alter the landscape?

Using the resources at hand as your base is a good perspective to bring to land development, whether your aim is agriculture, forestry, wildlife en hancement, or whatever. Unfortunately, in response to the scant information you've given, I can only make two general suggestions about managing your property: First, very carefully define your goals for this piece of the country. side, considering the entire site as you do so . . . and then gather information about all of your resources (soils, water, on-site vegetation, climate, skills, dollars, markets, materials available, and so on) that you can use to meet those goals.

To give more specific suggestions, I'd need the answers to several questions. Are you trying to produce most of your food on this property . . . create a wildlife habitat . . . or establish a small business? Would the wild rice i take care of most of your grain requirements, or would it be only a sup. element? Is it possible to fulfill the large part of your grain needs more easily by raising a crop elsewhere on i your land, or should you swap a com. modify you can produce with less effort for some of a neighbor's grain crop? Are you looking at the pond as a major or additional source of protein (or don't you eat fish at all)?

In any case, you can purchase wild rice (Zizania aquatics) from Wildlife Nurseries, Dept. TMEN, P.O. Box 2724, Oshkosh, Wisconsin 54903. The plant can be sown in water six inches to three feet deep, provided the area is connected with a stream, but it doesn't tolerate an environment that's salty or highly alkaline. Since your own pond is quite basic, you probably shouldn't at. tempt more than a small trial planting (broadcasting the seeds in fall or spring) . . . until you learn if wild rice will grow there at all.

You might consider cage culture of fish in your pond, if the species it contains are desirable. This method of raising fish at high density has the ad. vantages of easy feeding and harvesting. (EDITOR'S NOTE: For more in. formation, consult the Fish and Wild. life Service and see "Fish Farm With Cages!" in MOTHER NO. 81, page 38.

Your marsh is also potentially productive. Obtaining the highest yield from it depends on matching useful plants with their appropriate niches. For example, some species prefer the edge environment between the marsh and drier land, while others grow beneath the water or are rooted in the bottom mud with their tops emerging above the waterline. To help you estimate the feasibility of further expandsion I'd suggest that you grow trial plantings of the following crops (also available from Wildlife Nurseries); Japanese millet (Echinochloa crus gall ), duck-wheat (Fagopyrum tatari cum), chufa or nut grass (Cyperus es. culentus), sesbania (Sesbania mac rocarpa), bushy pondweed (Najas flex ilis), wild celery (Vallisneria spiralis), elodea (Anacharis canadensis), and watercress (Nasturtium officinale). John Quinney.

John Quinney is the research director at the New Alchemy Institute. His work is based on an ecosystem approach to small farm design. For information about the institute, write to N.A.I, Dept. TMEN, 237 Natchville Road East Falmouth, Massachusetts 02536,

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