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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... depth of the foundations of the walls , which should be two feet below the door soles , and in the case of a new steading this can be done when the foundations of the walls are taken out . The ground is then spread over with a layer of ...
... depth , 2 shutters 6 b to open on hinges , and fasten inside with a thumb- catch , and c a glazed sash 2 feet in height , with 3 rows of panes . When panes are made un- der 8 inches square , there is a considerable saving in the price ...
... depth to keep in the turnips . Oak planking from wrecks , and old spruce trees , however knotty , I have found to make cheap and very durable planking for the edging of turnip troughs . The planks are spliced together at the ends , and ...
... depth , to each side of which is fastened with strong nails the bearers e e , also 9 inches in depth and 2 inches in thickness . In this way each support bears its share of the frame - work . The spaces between the scantlings a are ...
... depth of 6 feet below the bottoms of the drains , contain a large proportion of the whole liquid manure collected during the winter , from courts and hammels well littered with straw , in a steading for 300 acres , where rain - water ...