The Book of the Farm: Detailing the Labors of the Farmer, Farm-steward, Ploughman, Shepherd, Hedger, Cattle-man, Field-worker, and Dairymaid, Volume 1Replete with instruction and knowledge honed with experience, The Book of the Farm remains one of the finest agricultural guidebooks ever produced. The 19th century saw the maturation of farming in Western Europe, with intensive methods and efficiencies achieved as never before. Published in the 1840s and successively revised over subsequent decades, this book is a summation of the ingenuity of large-scale agriculture. The production of ever-greater harvests required skill; no longer could any farm be maintained by rudimentary methods taught by example - farming had become a sophisticated, professional discipline reliant upon science and machinery. Aimed at informing prospective students of farming, this work makes no secret of the difficulty and wits required of the modern farmer. Over 100 illustrations depict the tools required, from hoes and ploughs to the traction steam engines that served as forerunners to the modern tractor. Over 80 charts detail all manner of records: animal and crop weights, their prices on the market, mineral levels present in soil and fertilizer, costs of machinery and day-to-day operations. In all, The Book of the Farm is both a superb agricultural history and guide, filled with insight and techniques useful even in the modern day. |
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... bottom of the page in the smallest type ( Minion ) used in this work . The paragraphs containing the matter supplied by Mr Slight , are inclosed within brackets ( thus , [ ] ) , and attested by his initials J. S. 5. OF THE EXISTING ...
... bottom and the two sides of the val- ley , in length 2254 metres ( a metre being equal to 3 feet and 114 lines ) , is divided into two principal parts ; the one is composed of a park of 290 hectares ( 387 acres ) , inclosed with a stone ...
... bottom should also be sparred , and raised about 6 inches above the floor , for the removal of hay seeds that may have passed through the spars . The corn - trough should be placed at the near end of the rack , for the greater ...
... bottom sparred to admit the falling out of dust and seeds . ( 37. ) The long manger , which is always used with the high rack , is chiefly useful in permitting the corn to be thinly spread 130 THE BOOK OF THE FARM - WINTER .
... bottom . This position I conceive to be highly objectionable , inasmuch as , when breaking the turnips , the head of the animal is depressed so low that an undue weight is thrown upon the fore - legs , and an injurious strain induced on ...