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. |
From inside the book
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... landlord cannot be expected to erect a farm - house beyond the wants of an ordinary family ; nor , perhaps , would every small landed proprietor permit the unusual enlargement of a farm - house , in case it should be rendered unsuitable ...
... agriculturists , would also be much elevated . The expectant landlord should therefore Jacob's Travels in Germany , & c . p . 185 . - undergo that tuition , though he may intend to EVILS OF NOT LEARNING PRACTICAL AGRICULTURE . 57.
... landlord . To become a soldier or a lawyer , he willingly under- goes initiatory drillings and examinations ; but , to become a landlord , he considers it quite unnecessary , to judge by his conduct , to undergo any initiatory tuition ...
... landlord . Were this course always pursued , the numerous engaging ties which a country life never fails to form , rendered more interesting by a know- ledge of agriculture , would tend to extinguish the kindling desire for any other ...
... in interminable disputes betwixt him and the tenants . With these the landlord is un- willing to interfere , in order to preserve intact the authority of the fac- tor ; or , what is still worse , is 60 THE BOOK OF THE FARM .