Develop your NATIVE INTELLIGENCE. Here is a checklist for self-evaluation.

Develop your NATIVE INTELLIGENCE 

Here is a checklist for self-evaluation  

Dr Abe V Rotor 
Living with Nature - School on Blog 

Native Intelligence list

1. Animals are uneasy before an earthquake. They can sense the preliminary vibration before the final snap (tectonic break).

2.    Don’t gather all the eggs from the nest.  Leave some, otherwise the laying hen will not return to lay more eggs. (Applies in cottage poultry raising)
 Frogs croak for rain. Mating calls are heard at the start of the rainy season (habagat)
3.    Thunder and lightning spawn mushroom. Join the mushroom hunt a day or two after, in banana groves, termite mounds, haystacks.   

4.    Corn silk tea is good for the kidney. So with the pinaglagaan – water left in boiling green corn.

5.    Kapok laden with pods means there’s going to be a poor harvest. Kapok has shallow root system vulnerable to insufficient water.  

6.    Rub table salt on the cut stem of newly harvested fruits to hasten their ripening.
Also prevents rotting.

7.    Choose pakwan (watermelon) with wide, well-spaced “ribs.” It is sweeter and fleshier. Fruit has reached full maturity.  
 
8.    Poultice made of moss heals wounds and relieves pain. Antibiotic property.  

9.    Ring around the moon means a storm is coming. It means very high humidity (suspended water vapor).

    10. Red and gray sunsets are signs it’s going to rain.  Or a storm is coming. Rainclouds are forming.

11. Leaves of madre de cacao or kakawate hasten the ripening of fruits. Enclose green fruits in plastic to trap ethylene gas, ripens in a day or two.

12. Smudging induces flowering of fruit trees and protects fruits from pests. Secret of off-season fruiting.

13. Drosophila flies (mannuka) hasten vinegar making. They carry vinegar-making bacteria.

14. Chopped banana stalk makes a cold pack to reduce fever. Radiator principle.

15. Pruning induces growth and development of plants. A must in grapes.

16. To increase corn yield “decapitate” the standing crop. (detasseling)

17. When the leaves of acacia fold it’s time to go home. 

18. .Pinag-aasawa ang bulaklak ng kalabasa. (Pollination)

19. Sukang Iloko (Ilocos Vinegar) is home remedy for sore throat (gurgle), and fever (wipe gently forehead and body). Dilute with equal amount of water.

20. Old folks use garlic as insecticide. Crush and mix, one clove to a litter of tap water, filter and sprinkle on plants.
  
21. Sugar solution extends the life of cut flowers. At 10% for three hours immersion of freshly cut stem for better absorption.

22. Why mungo seeds won’t soften when cooked is due to a spell cast by deities in the field. Immature seeds are caramelized.  

23. Red or brown sugar is better than white or refined sugar. It’s natural with the original nutrients of cane sugar.  

24. It is a common practice of farmers to cover fruits with ash, sand or sawdust to delay their ripening and minimize losses. Controls atmospheric conditions like temperature, sunlight, humidity, microorganisms.  
  
25. Farmers plant tayum (Indigofera tinctoria) to fertilize their field. It is a legume and can fix Nitrogen into Nitrate.

26. Brown eggs are preferred over white eggs, especially in rural areas. Brown eggs are produced by native chicken raised on the farm without antibiotics and other chemicals.
 
27. Water remains cool in earthen pot (calamba or caramba) even in hot weather. Pores of the pot works on radiator principle.

28. Apply lime or alum on the butt end of cabbage to stay fresh and longer in the shelf.

29. To prevent glass from breaking, first put a metal spoon before pouring hot water.

30. Emergence of the June beetle ushers the start of rainy season.  Sometimes in comes out in May, hence also called May beetle.

31.  Dogs eat grass for self-medication, so with parrots eating clay - a biological instinct for survival.

32. To get better harvest, furrows must be parallel with the sun’s movement. Less overshadowing of plants enhances photosynthesis – and good harvest.

33. Ants on-the-move means a strong rain, if not a typhoon, is coming. Cockroaches come out of their abode and seek for shelter outside. They are Nature’s barometer.

34.  Mosquitoes bite more aggressively before rain - in preparation for egg laying.

Aedes egyptii female mosquito 

35. There are persons who are a favorite of mosquitoes. Please check if you belong to the favored group.

·         You don’t take a bath regularly. 

·         You wear dark clothes, especially black. 

·         Your body temperature is relatively higher.

·         Your rate of breathing is faster.

·         Your skin is relatively thin and tender. 

·         You love to stay in corners and poorly lighted places.

·         You are not protected by clothing, screen or off-lotion.