Rating: 
Summary: Interesting, if a little dated.
Review: A lot of the information in this book is outdated, however, it is still very interesting. There are many useful tidbits as well.
Rating: 
Summary: This tome will nurture your green thumb and love of animals.
Review: Consider me a baby boomer in search of enlightenment as I pursue my families love of nature, plants and animals. With gardens, designer compost, exotic animals and plants in vogue, this book presents compelling food for thought.I plan
to breed exotic animals, birds, and herbs. M.G. Kains points out the pivotal financial, business, and general management aspects to consider. So if you want to raise herbs on a large back lot, sell designer compost, manage pheasants or goats for restaurants, or simply run a 2 acre mini-farm, this reading will bring focus to your dreams. Happy growing!
Rating: 
Summary: Five Acres, Small Farm Management
Review: Do you know what your getting into with a small farm?
I knew that I didn't have a clue to farming,But, with book,and
others,you'll know what you need to learn,the book itself is only
slightly outdated,(written in the mid 30's)so you might want to have 40 acres,but it will point you in the right directions,as well as,give you good solid ideas for your small farm,
Rating: 
Summary: out of date
Review: I expected something more applicable to the present. This book is written for those in the 1930's.
While parts of it are interesting, there are better books out there that are more current.
Rating:
Summary: out of date
Review: I expected something more applicable to the present. This book is written for those in the 1930's.
While parts of it are interesting, there are better books out there that are more current.
Rating:
Summary: Good guide if the date of writing is taken into consideratio
Review: I found the info on cropping and farming to be excellent. It was very in depth and accurate, and pretty easy for a novice to follow along. I have some problems with some of the author's advice regarding livestock, however. For instance, he recommends Belgian Hares for raising for meat. This is quite possibly the WORST rabbit for food production, being strictly a show breed notorious for it's nervous disposition that inhibits weight gain, breeding, and quite often leads to the rabbit breaking it's own legs within it's cage from panic attacks. His section on chickens is pretty good though. The production figures he offers are evidence of the time period in which it was written, however, being nearly half what is often attainable by homesteaders of today. Overall this was a good book, especially with regards to raising fruit trees, veggies, and pasture crops, but I would recommend that other books were purchased in addition to it if one needs help learning about livestock.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent guide to the realities of a small farm.
Review: I have a 1946 edition of this book which my father used as a reference in supplying our family all of our food from 1948 until 1962 and a large portion of our food thereafter. I have referred to it on a regular basis since 1972. While the precise numbers for costs and quantity of production are dated, the basic principles for successful small farming are clearly elucidated. You can update the costs and quantities yourself. Some of the information on animal breeds should be updated by additional research. But the priciples are all here. The chapters on "City vs. Country Life" and "Tried and True Ways to Fail" are essential reading if you have never been involved in agriculture previously. I have many reference books, and this is one of the best...with a tattered cover and yellowed pages!
Rating:
Summary: EX-Farm kid wants to go back to her roots...
Review: I looked at every book about Farming I could get my hands on and this one came out on top. I grew up on a farm and am hoping 30 years later to buy the old homestead back. I loved the detailed diagrams and explainations. Maurice went into detail on important areas like soil types and care and feeding of soil, irrigation, even waste disposal systems. He refreshed my memory on a lot of important points and taught me some things I don't even think my father knew. If I were to ask for any changes, I wish he would have included a lot more about livestock and perhaps less about orchards and growing fruit. But all in all, it deserves 5 stars. Buy this one first!!!
Rating:
Summary: A Let Down
Review: I was looking for a book that could give me the ins and outs of a country property today and how to make it productive. This book, however, is more of a look back at farming in the 1940s and did little to educate me on what to do with our small farm.If you are looking for a period piece, this might be an interesting title to read. On the other hand, if you are looking for modern advice, there must be better books out there.
Rating:
Summary: This book changed my life!
Review: Now, I don't want to sound dramatic, but Kain's book had a profound effect on my life. "Five Acres" can be looked at as a gardening book or a mystical piece about living in harmony with nature. I live in the suburbs, not on a small farm, but the interesting reading brings a certain peace to me. I am comforted in the fact that my family and I could live off the land in the country when I read Kain's words. He is very sure of himself, and even though the book is somewhat of a period piece, he makes homesteading seem like a science.
|
