Reviews (7)

A Fun, Readable, and Thorough Introduction to Soil Science
My "Science of Soils" class at Stanford University (Autumn '01) used "The Nature and Properties of Soils" as our main textbook. It is clearly written, easy to read, and has lots of helpful figures (including graphs, diagrams, drawings, and black-and-white and color photos). The chapters are well organized, so that you can find exactly what you need to know. The authors include hundreds of websites for those who want more information, and make the book more readable by starting off each chapter with a quote and a "big picture" statement.

"The Nature and Properties of Soils" has a good mix of theoretical and practical information. Wherever possible, the authors do sample calculations and describe applications for agriculture, ecology, and engineering. They thoroughly cover every major topic in soil science, as well as delving into some more specialized ones (for example, symptoms of micronutrient deficiencies in plants).

In conclusion, I've found this textbook to be both very information-rich and very readable, and highly recommend it. (The other day I caught my boyfriend, who's a materials engineer, reading it for fun... that's about the highest accolade any textbook can get!)

Excellent.. A classic introduction to soil science..
I had this text (by Buckman & Brady), for "Soil Science 200" back in 1965. This edition, now with Buckman and Weil still follows the basic design of the original work. I have come back to this book time and time again. My edition, though dated, is still a solid work. All major aspects of soil science and quite a bit of agronomy are presented extremely well. The writing is brisk but does not sacrifice content. This book will give you a solid foundation should you decide to pursue the subject further. There are numerous tables,charts, etc. An excellent resource.

Soils come Alive!
As a student, this book has picked my interest in soils and related studies. This most updated version has many informative and helpful graphs, charts, pictures, and links to websites. In my two years of college education, this has been my favorite assigned text. It has some real meat to it, but it is presented in such a way that the novice can understand. It is one of the books that I will hang onto as I am sure it will come in handy down the road.

An excellent 'get started' book and bookshelf reference book
We use Brady for teaching Intro to Soil Science - It is an excellent resource and one that I tell students they will be able to refer to with a soils question whatever their field of study.

A good book of general Soil Science
It's a good book for someone who has just started exploring Soil Science for it goes through all the aspects of soil from structure and hudraulics to fertility and pollution. ... Read more

Book Description

A wonderful resource for goat breeders, Raising Meat Goats for Profit includes Information about the Meat Breeds, How to get started with meat production, Easy to use feed ration tables, Real advice for new breeders, Kidding and Raising Kids, How to sell your goats, Up-to-date informations about health and diseases, Recipe book, 250 pages of user friendly information! ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Also exceeded my hopes and expectations!
The Arlington VA reviewer has it right - This is a great book and it is really funny in places too! I loved the telephone chats that are written of.

I am sure any one who reads English will love this book...even if you never want to raise meat goats!

Exceeded my hopes and expectations - GREAT BOOK
Gail Bowman is the sort of writer that most all authors could learn from. More important, Gail Bowman is obviously experienced in the craft she writes about and her love of the most cantankerous of farm critters shows through.

This is one of the few chatty how-to books that I have found did not waste even a page of type.

No matter the topic, it is apparent Ms Bowman has learned from experience and is unafraid to tell us her mistakes as well as her successes. But, she is not preachy and doesn't try to convince us there is only one way. She freely informs us of methods and techniques, and even other breeds, reported to her by other breeders.

I had long thought the best way to try and make a living with goats would be as a dairy, but, milking a hundred goats can be mighty tiring for a bare living. Thus, I was considering meat goats after downloading some introductory blurbs published by the Saskatchewan Ag folks.

I, however, remained skeptical of meat goats for profit. I was concerned I might be getting into a branch of agriculture for dreamers (the visionary sort, no disrespect meant) but, at age 50, I just don't feel the hankering to blaze any new trails. In other words, I want to let today's youth do the experimenting. I just want to earn money to sock away for my retirement.

Well, Ms Bowman has done a great job in showing me that meat goats are not the 21st Century equivalent of ostrich, emu, elk, deer and bison. They are a viable farm product that can produce a reasonable income without having to create a new market or without having to depend on other breeders for one's profit.

I nominate Raising Meat Goats For Profit as one of the Best How-To books for the 21st Century!

If I were still publishing farm magazines I would definitely be shouting the news to my readers. Raising Meat Goats For Profit is a masterpiece.

for the meat goat lover
this is the first book you should buy if u own, boer or other meat goats, this one you cant put down, there is tons of knowledge in this book for anything you need to know while raising your goats, great job Gail Bowman!

Meat Goat Information Galore
The book is wonderful, informative, up to date, practical, the list goes on and on. I highly recommend it to anyone with goats. Gail Bowman writes in an easy to read format. I can't say enough about the great quality of this book. Buy it, really, you won't be sorry.

Raising Meat Goats for Profit
I cannot say enough good words about this book. Every question I had was answered in laymen's terms and I would suggest anyone interested in raising goats to add this one to their library. ... Read more

Book Description

The Self Sufficient Life and How to Live It is the only book that teaches all the skills needed to live independently in harmony with the land harnessing natural forms of energy, raising crops and keeping livestock, preserving foodstuffs, making beer and wine, basketry, carpentry, weaving, and much more. This new edition includes 150 new full color illustrations and a special section in which John Seymour the father of the back to basics movement explains the philosophy of self-sufficiency and its power to transform lives and create communities. More relevant than ever in our high-tech world, The Self Sufficient Life and How to Live It is the ultimate practical guide for realists and dreamers alike. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

If you were to take just one book with you...
This would be the one! Not only is the book packed with priceless information, it's beautiful to look at. It really does cover most aspects of the skills you are likely to need as you move toward self sufficiency. It will also humble you. I was shocked by what I didn't even know I didn't know! How could I have made it this far without knowing such simple, logical and essential knowledge!?

I haven't bought my land yet, but I've been trying some of the techniques described in this book. It's just incredible. We have been sold a lie by governments and corporations and this book is an operations manual for undoing that lie and setting things right in the world. I couldn't recommend any book any more emphatically than this one.

How to get back to the land...
As a family that has abandoned the city and suburbs for the countryside, the very presence of a book like John Seymour's "The Self-sufficient Life and How to Live It" is enough to inspire fits of joy. A perfect companion to works like Hemenway's "Gaia's Garden" and Mollison's "Permaculture: A Designer's Manual," this book is a must for would-be urbanites fleeing the cities. Covering every topic relevant to self-sufficient, sustainable living and farm life, Seymour's classic provides a great way to start a different life. An update from the venerable mid-Seventies edition of the book, this 2002 release is a fine improvement.

The book has quite a bit going for it:

1. Beautifully made, illustrated and laid-out, this book is meant to last and be used readily and often. Typical Dorling Kindersley quality.

2. An eye-friendly typeface and bright, semi-gloss pages make this easy reading.

3. The shear breadth of the information here is outstanding. Packed into 306 letter-sized pages are the following chapters:
*The Meaning of Self-Sufficiency
*Food from the Garden
*Food from Animals
*Food from the Fields
*Food from the Wild
*In the Dairy
*In the Kitchen
*Brewing & Wine-making
*Energy & Waste
*Crafts & Skills
*Things You Need to Know

4. Good specifics on all the categories of info listed above. You should be able to get started on your way to being people of the soil. Need to know how to kill, gut, and prepare your cattle? It's in here. Got a hankering to get off the electrical grid altogether? Helpful windmill buying advice is here. Can't tell rye from barley? You will after reading this book.

5. A helpful list of contacts and companies that can get you started on your dream are included.

But there are issues amid all this helpful advice:

1. The book makes some references to US-specific qualifiers on info, but it is quintessentially British. Some of the very helpful info simply does not apply to American would-be farmers.

2. There's a lot of the "green" credo here. Some of it is a bit condescending to anyone who doesn't share the author's opinions of life outside the farm. How well the reader handles this is up to the reader.

3. While the book is certainly comprehensive, considering how complex a shift from urban to rural living can be, it could have gone even deeper. (I know that I still had questions.) The book probably could have been twice its length and would still be a bargain.

4. Much of the advice here comes from a lone methodology for approaching self-sufficiency. Despite the update, there are some more cutting edge permaculture methods that can be more satisfying than what we find in Seymour's book.

All in all, despite the cons, this is a fine primer on self-sufficiency. Anyone looking to escape the rat race could hardly do better than to pick up a copy of "The Self-Sufficient Life and How to Live It."

Self Sufficient Life and How to Live It by Seymour
This is an excellent purchase if your intention is to live
on a farm and survive off the land. The author defines self-
sufficiency and then goes about presenting hundreds of examples
of how to perform every kind of survival task. There is a
section on how to tie knots. The work describes brewing,
power generation from H2 O , as well as the wind. An entire
section describes soil types; such as, heavy clay, loam,
sand, peat and sowing seeds in late spring. This work is perfect
for the city person who knows nothing about basic survival
in the country or the wilderness. The author teaches virtually
every basic skill applicable to living outdoors. The book
is a worthy addition to any personal library.

Self-Dufficient Life and How To Live It
I came across this book in the library. Great pictures. Author John Seymour did his homework, he must have read "The Blank Slate" by Steven Pinker - lots of those great calendar pictures that humans universally love. Farmland and field, birdie and squirrel, makes you feel good; all warm and fuzzy inside.

Mr. Seymour is far too politicaly correct for my taste. He seems to enjoy lecturing us on how wonderful his self-sufficient life is and how deficient a life we city-dwellers lead.

This book will teach you how to kill and gut your chicken, and if you can handle that, read on to learn how to kill and dress your lamb. It is much easier learning how to make your own soap - that is far easier, did you know, than coming across that bottle of maple syrup. (That's one unintended message that comes across in this book: Thank God for the modern city-life and the supermarket).

There is information on Dyeing and Weaving, Curing and Tanning, Making Bricks and Tiles. There is information on 101 things we take for granted in our everday city-world. It is thus my kind of book, and the book for every Renaissance man and woman.

Seymour's work is a signature type; a bible that belongs in every home. It is pleasing to page through, and informative in a way that connects us to the majesty of life. As a practical matter, this would be the book to have when the lights go out and civilization needs to reinvent maple syrup.

It is a dreamers book, and a book for those interested in how their ancestor lived. Finally, this is a book we who take much for granted, for the P.C. lecture that takes is the one showing how truly dependent modern-man has become.

Terrific; virtually all-encompassing
This is a great book with great illustrations ... Simple yet detailled, practical yet principled. John Seymour has got a great good grasp of the ecological principles that SHOULD inform gardening and farming (what comes out must go back in).

In his other writings, Jonathan Seymour has a streak of anti-urbanism that I don't like--I don't share his view that cities are unnatural, diseased places. But he seems to have overcome it here with a description of urban gardens, limited-scale self-sufficiency and the like. This book lets you pick and choose; if you want to grow wheat on five acres, harrow, harvest, thresh and grind it yourself, that's fine. On the other hand, if you live on a half-acre lot and just want to set up a backyard garden, a compost pile and maybe a beehive, this book will also show you how. ... Read more

Book Description

This updated and expanded edition offers current knowledge of nutrient metabolism and the formulation of diets from an array of available feedstuffs. Discusses animals' role in ecological balance, environmental stability and sustainable agriculture and food production. A new section on life-cycle feeding of individual animal classes features chapters contributed by authorities in their respective fields of animal nutrition. These new chapters include cattle, poultry, rabbits, sheep, swine, horses, cats, fish and exotic animals. ... Read more

Book Description

When is the right time to shear a sheep? Is there a market for manure? What time of day is best to collect eggs? What is the correct way to milk a goat? What does a duck eat? Can a cow and a sheep share the same pasture? Which types of rabbits are easiest to raise?

The perfect book for anyone who has ever dreamed of having that little place in the country, Barnyard in Your Backyard offers tried-and-true, expert advice on raising healthy, happy, productive farm animals: chickens, geese, ducks, rabbits, goats, sheep, and dairy cows.

Each chapter focuses on a different animal, discussing the pros and cons of raising the animal, housing and land requirements, feeding guidelines, health concerns, and a schedule for routine care. Species that are easy to raise, hardy, and companionable are profiled. First-time farmers will discover simple, clear instructions for caring for animals throughout the year, as well as guidelines for processing barnyard products such as milk, wool, and eggs. Combining practical advice from real experts, easy-to-use checklists and charts, a seasonal care calendar, and detailed black-and-white illustrations, Barnyard in Your Backyard offers a comprehensive review of the ins and outs - the tribulations and triumphs - of living with and caring for a small barnyard.

... Read more

Reviews (3)

Excellent introduction to keeping all manner of animals
Very thorough, very easy to read. Covers a wide range of animals that you might like to consider keeping. Both high level and detailed information in one volume to suit the kind of inquiry you may be making. Excellent.

Good basic information to help narrow down your interests
Barnyard In Your Backyard is a decent introduction to animal husbandry. It contains enough basic information to get you started with any of the animals covered, but should really be supplemented with a book specific to the animal you are interested in. The emphasis here was definitely on breadth rather than depth. That's not necessarily a bad thing.

I did find the layout of the chapters a bit haphazard. For example, my interest is in ducks and chickens. When trying to figure out what size of run/pasture and sort of shelter would be required, I really had to carefully read both chapters, start to finish, to find all the relevant tidbits that were scattered throughout.

The later chapters (goats, sheep, and cows) looked to be a bit better organized, but I only scanned them as they weren't in-line with my interests.

The organization and lack of depth doesn't make it a particulaly good reference, but for an introduction to husbandry of several different animals, the authors have succeeded.

Barnyard in your Backyard
Excellent book for someone starting to raise livestock either for the first time or after a long absence. Basic information presented in an easy to read and understand format. Gives a good basic understanding of what is needed for the various types of livestock covered. Though I personally would have wished perhaps a bit more depth in some areas overall I found it to be an excellent read and well worth it as an reference book. ... Read more

Book Description

Believe it or not, bees are one of the oldest species of domesticated animals. Archeologists have found evidence of beekeeping, or apiculture, in the Middle East dating back more than five thousand years. If you’ve ever tasted good clover honey, it’s not hard to understand why. But it’s not just for the honey that more than 125,000 people (and growing) in the United States, alone, keep hives. Anyone interested in nature can’t help but be fascinated by those buzzing yellow bundles of energy and the exotic world they inhabit, with all its weird rituals and incredible efficiency. Also, dedicated gardeners appreciate the extra bounty that pollinating bees bring to their fruits, flowers, and vegetable gardens.

In this easy-to-follow guide, Howland Blackiston, one of the nation’s most respected authorities on the subject, takes the mystery (and the sting) out of beekeeping. Taking a step-by-step approach to successful backyard beekeeping, he gets you up and running with all the information you need to:

• Build a hive
• Establish your first colony
• Inspect your hives with confidence
• Maintain healthy colonies
• Deal with pests and fix common problems
• Harvest and enjoy fresh homemade honey
• Bottle and market your honey

Howland Blackiston covers all the bases, from bee anatomy, society, and behavior, to identifying and healing common illnesses afflicting bees. He also offers inventive solutions to most common and many uncommon problems you’re likely to run into. Among other things, you’ll discover:

• Where to put your hive, basic equipment you’ll need, and how to assemble a hive
• The best and safest way to inspect and enjoy your bees
• Year-round tasks a beekeeper must perform to maintain a healthy colony
• How to recognize and deal with common problems with brood production and the precious queen
• How to harvest honey and decide what kind of honey you’d like to make
• Making products from beeswax and propolis

For both fun and profit, beekeeping has become a booming enterprise. A real honey of a book, Beekeeping For Dummies gets you on the road to enjoying this ancient, highly-rewarding, and oh-so-tasty hobby. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

A good read for the new or beginning beekeeper
I would highly recommend this book to the new or beginning beekeeper. It is a very good read and is not nearly as dry or flowerly as several of the books out there on the subject. It does an excellent job of walking you thru the basics of setting up a bee hive and what to look for once your bee hive is populated. It lost a star in my veiw because it does not cover well everything that an experienced beekeeper needs to know and, if you are really a "dummy" beekeeping is not for you.

Simple, Educational and Entertaining ....PERFECT!
I have been contimplating starting bees as a hobby. I ordered the book and couldn't put it down. The author shares his facination with bees and gives straight forward help on all the questions you have. He even addresses things like fear of bees and how to "sell" your neighbors. I loved it! I ordered a hive, equipment, and bees yesterday and I can't wait until they arrive.

Good for Dummies
Keep in mind this book has a "dummies" slant. It's a great beginner book and I own a copy. I recommend it. Lots of conversational plain english, funny cartoons, photographs, etc. But, buy another book as well to round out your knowledge. For example, Howland doesn't explain *why* you need an inner cover... just says it's part of the hive. He only provides *one* technique for queen introduction (a good one), when there are several others. Then he perpetuates the myth that you should scrape a bee's stinger away rather than pinch it away (Discover magazine, et. al., now dispute this), and when discussing *moving* a hive, he leaves out the "3 mile rule" and the "1 foot per day" approach, etc. He suggests using motor oil moats to prevent ants (works great), but doesn't mention that vegetable oil works great also, without being as noxious. Like I say, great book, buy it, but get some others too.

The Best for Beginners
Being a complete dummie about Bees I was looking for the basics in a how-to book. I have not always been pleased with previous "For Dummies" books but this one is good. It is complete with advice for what you need to start, what is really necessary and what is optional, and how to decide. I am up and running with my bees and owe a lot to this book. When I went to the supplier I knew enough to make educated decisions on what to buy. I bought two other books and they were a waste of time.

A Golden Start
A well-written practical book for the novice beekeeper and for those whishing to recheck their habits, good or bad. It is an easy book to read, the tips are practical, informed and work. I still have not yet found the courage to not use gloves! I would recommend this informative book to all who wish to enter the wonderful world of bee keeping. ... Read more

Reviews (18)

Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens
EVERYTHING you would ever want to know about raising a flock of backyard chickens is superbly covered in this book! Once I started reading it, I found I couldn't put it down until 5 hours later as the information in it is so clear, so interesting, so usable. I would recommend this for any person who is just starting to raise chickens or for someone who is taking their chicken 'hobby' to new levels.

A complete guide to Raising Chickens
Finally, a complete reference that covers all the major areas of raising chickens. As a poultry farm and hatchery owner, I always suggest this book first to anyone interested in raising chickens. This is an indepth yet easy to read guide that is sure to educate even the most experienced chicken fancier. This book will help you choose the right breed of chicken, how to care for them, maintain their health, and meet your individual goals for your flock. This is currently the premier guide to raising chickens available.

Not too helpful
Doesn't try to solve your chicken problems, just suggests culling all non-perfect chickens.

Couldn't find a better book on raising chickens.
If you have done your research and found this book then you have done well, there is in my opinion NO better book for the beginner,intermediate or experienced backyard chicken grower.
Ms. Damerow covers all the subjects that you can think off, she even has an extensive section on disease and pests and their prevention.If you buy just one book on Chickens this should be it.

If you buy just one book on chickens - this should be it !
I bought a second book not sure just which I would find to be the most helpful. It was completely plain to see that Storey's was the most comprehensive and informative even for the not so experienced backyard chicken family. If you are going to buy just one book to use as a reference for raising chickens I would recommend Storey's. From the get go, Storey's explains the best breeds of chickens for the use you plan to raise them for, how to build the coop determinded on the size of your brood to doctoring your sick chickens and then showing your best chickens. For the backyard chicken raising family this should be your number one book of choice. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Beware the description of this book
This is a supplement to my earlier review. Note that the description of American Insects, by Arnett,... is based on the first edition, in which "Every order, family, and genus is conveniently numbered and indexed" and you could "quickly determine the taxonomic position of any species, genus, or higher taxon of insect known to occur in America and Canada." This is not the case in the second edition. You can look up major genera only.

Subfamilies are listed under an entry for the family, not under the subfamily name, which means you _can't_ quickly determine their taxonomic positions. You have to know the taxonomic position in order to look up the subfamilies. This defeats one major purpose of the book, and renders it not very usable.

Whoever provided the text for the book description apparently just carried it over from the previous edition, without taking into account the changes in the new edition. This isn't by a long stretch the same book.

Once excellent book devalued
As a naturalist and amateur entomologist, I found the first edition of this book especially useful for looking up unfamiliar genera and species of insects, to find out where they fit in the scheme of insect taxonomy.

Unfortunately, CRC Press, the publisher of the second edition, has cut corners by reducing the size of the index from 128 pages for 714 pages of text in the first edition to 57 pages for 931 pages of text in the second edition. This was accomplished by eliminating all but the major genera from the index. In my opinion, this seriously diminishes the value of the book. The best information in the world is useless if you can't access it efficiently. A book like this lives or dies by the quality of its index.

After purchasing the book in early January, 2001 and quickly discovering the problem, I wrote to the publisher to complain and to ask that they make available a complete index as a supplement. I have yet to receive a response from them. The book's author, Ross Arnett, was upset when the publisher of the first edition inadvertently left out the photo captions in proof and wouldn't restore them. I have to think he is spinning in his grave over the gutting of the index in the second edition, a much more serious affair.

I'd love to be able to recommend the second edition of this book. However, unless the publisher remedies the index problem, I can't. Unless you want it primarily for the keys, I suggest looking for a used copy of the first edition. ... Read more

Book Description

Based on the author's life-long practical experiences both in the industry and in research, this best-selling, state-of-the-art guide to the operation of commercial flower and vegetable greenhouses presents coverage in the order in which decision-making concerns occur. Exceptionally comprehensive—yet accessible—it provides detailed, step-by-step instructions in layman's terms for ALL aspects of the business—from the physical facilities, to the day-to-day operations, to business management and marketing.Specific chapter topics cover greenhouse construction, heating, and cooling; environmental control systems; root substrate; root substrate pasteurization; watering; fertilization; alternative cropping system; carbon dioxide fertilization; light and temperature; chemical growth regulation; insect control; disease control; postproduction quality; marketing; and business management.For individuals entering the greenhouse business. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

An excellent textbook
Nelson's text is probably the most widely used on college campuses offering greenhouse management. It is up to date, full of technical information, and the chapters are well-ordered.

My only complaint is that it is VERY badly formatted and so, difficult to read. Like the Biblical book of Numbers, it will have you sawing logs if read at bedtime. The publisher could learn alot from Boodley's The Commercial Greenhouse, which is much more readable. ... Read more

Book Description

Long regarded as the leading book in the field, this volume provides a basic introduction to the biological, chemical, and physical properties affecting soil fertility and plant nutrition.It covers all aspects of nutrient management for profitable crop production, with particular attention to minimizing the environmental impact of soil and fertilizer management. The Sixth Edition has been substantially revised to reflect rapidly advancing knowledge and technologies in both plant nutrition and nutrient management. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

screening of salt tolerant and drought resistant plants
This research aimed to screening of salt and drought resistant plant in saudi arabia to evaluate the effect of water of differant salinities and drought (irrigation intervals)on plant growth and performance in a sandy soil ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Well worth it!
This book is on my "short list" of essential references. Species are covered in clear, concise descriptions. This well organized volume makes hunting for similar species as easy as turning a page. The photos? I can't say enough about the clear, photos that make insect identification a good deal easier!

While an excellent book for the landscape professional, scientist, or advanced gardener, beginners might be a bit overwhelmed by the technical language and scientific names.

This is a much needed and fabulous manual.
When trying to identify a particular problem with growing trees or shrubs knowing what kinds of insects are possible culprits is a major step. This book gives us, in color photos and descriptions, most of the common larvae that can be found feeding on the particular plants. Even Entomology texts often refuse to deal with larvae of insects, keeping only the adults in the keys and descriptions (even though the adults are often not pests!). This guide will be a welcome addition to any plant clinic, grower, or Entomology professor or student's bookshelf. ... Read more

Book Description

The eighth edition of this highly-acclaimed, best-selling book gives an overview of the Animal Sciences; it highlights the significant biological principles, scientific relationships, and management practices of livestock production and management in a condensed but informative manner.Included are chapters on reproduction, genetics, nutrition, lactation, consumer products, and more. It covers the breeding, feeding, and management of beef cattle, dairy cattle, horses, sheep, swine, poultry, goats, and aquaculture.Basic and sufficiently simple for those with limited livestock experience, Scientific Farm Animal Production is still informative for those who have a livestock production background; it is an excellent reference work for livestock producers and others desiring an overview of livestock production principles and management. ... Read more

Book Description

Classic of the back-to-the-land movement is packed with solid, timeless information and will teach new converts how to make their land self-sufficient. Appendices. 95 figures.
... Read more

Reviews (13)

I'd love to see a new edition
This book was one of my father's favorites, even though he never took up farming. For those considering a rural lifestyle, perhapse even self-suffiency, this has to be the starting point. However, it is the pre-war, 1940 edition. I literally cringed when I read about lining the cistern with sheet lead, or using mercuric chloride to sterilize wounds on fruit trees (it's a wonder our ancestors lived long enough to have children). I'm sure this book has a lot of good advice, but if this city boy ever moves to the farm my father never had I'll try to check all facts with a second or third source. Is there anyone who's qualified to write the 21st Century edition?

Read this book before you buy a small farm
This is a classic text covering all of the areas of the small farm. He provides very good advice about everything from where to put your buildings to what to put in them. He provides very practical advice about plants, animals and capital expenses. For example, his comments on raising chickens for meat is very pointed, if you can't kill a chicken, don't raise them for meat. But he also goes on to describe how to house them. He advises not to be too cheap as it will cost you in the end. This practical thorough description of every aspect of a working small farm is a must for every small farmer's library. Don't be fooled by the copy right date, this book is a classic!

wonderful
this book is great,very informative,the misses and i own 6 acres and are planning a return to basics,had enough of city life,this book and others i have found on amazon will enable us to build a better wholesome spritial life...amen!!

out of date
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.

A Let Down
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. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Excellent Resource
My brother gave this book to me for my birthday, and it has been great. We are new to farming, and it has helped us determine how to move forward, and to plan for our operation. We're retired, but we need this to pay some income, and that is what this book is all about, making money, but doing it so you don't screw up the land. The author has lots of excellent advice not only on caring for your animals, but also on direct marketing to get a bigger share of the consumer's dollar. She writes with a down to earth style that I really appreciate.

Is This High School Biology???
I was looking for a substantial book about small-scale livestock farming, and instead I was treated to a very basic introduction to agriculture. This book would make a great high school agriculture text, but beyond that it falls short of providing any real, useful, institutional knowledge that I was looking for. For example, in the book the author reviews basic high biology concepts such as the water cycle, the food chain, and the energy pyramid. She also reminds readers how to round up or round down. And if that were not insulting enough, she then informs readers that to be a successful farmer, you must dress like a farmer; "clean bib overalls and a straw hat, or a plaid shirt, jeans, and a cowboy hat." Give me a break. Again, if you want a simplistic, new age, farming book of little practical use by an author who has less than a decade of farming experience, this book is for you. If you want a no-frills, no-fluff, useful, dirt under your nails, John Deere farmer kind of a book, I would look elsewhere and I would suggest Gene Logsdon's The Contrary Farmer.

Inspiring .....
I got this book only a few months ago and I must say it has been a wealth of information. I learned about toxic plants, diseases, grazing management, budgeting your opperation effiecently, and also info on different feeding scales of species. Not to mention everything on this book but it has been an eye opening experience to learn from this knowledge and then apply it to my life.

Excellent, interesting discussions but zero photos!
I found the discussion on grass farming and pasturing methods to be first rate advice. Many livestock farmer wannabe's don't realize that they are, or should be, first considered as grass farmers who harvest their crop with animals instead of tractors.

Other welcome advice or comments were:

Her advice to think long and hard before investing in exotics is wise. In many occasions, she is correct when she states it was a pyramid scheme to make the first entrants rich but later followers left holding the bag.

Still, at least some discussion on exotic farming costs and likely returns could have been included for those who persist in such enterprises.

Further, the interviews with other small-scale farmers wasw, by and large, helpful.

How could this book become a five-star?

A - Include photographs of the topics and methods discussed.
B - Include a section of rabbit farming
C - Provide more detail specific to livestock housing, breeding and management practices. The scarcity of information in this section was a disappointment.
D - Prune out some of the new-age, holistic information.
E - Add further real-life examples of income/expense worksheets. Those that are included are a GREAT help.

All in all this is a terrific book in the mode of back-to-the-land books of the 70s, but a bit more mature and business-oriented. Shuttleworth (Mother Earth News) and Belanger (Countryside & Small Stock Journal) would be proud to know this author. I, as publisher of Living Among Nature Daringly am grateful to have purchased this book through Amazon.[com]

Good read
Being a new, new, new, what they call in Texas 'gentleman farmer'. I found this book to be the first to make any type of since!!!! A keeper! ... Read more

Book Description

Natural products thathave both plant growth regulatory properties and pharmaceutical properties are examined in this book.This is the first and most up-to-date text linking agrochemistry and pharmaceutical chemistry in an easy to read presentation for practitioners in both fields. Due to the intense and widespread attention being given to the undesirable side-effects of commercial herbicide products such as residual contamination, resistance, ecosystem impairments, and waste generation, the discovery of new,natural herbicides that are biologically safe will prove to be significant and profitable. Featuring over 200 tables, Biologically Active Natural Products: Agrochemicals is very useful to those in theagrochemical and pharmaceutical industries, as well as those in biochemistry, plant pathology, and natural products study and development. Features ... Read more

Book Description

Through the use of over 800 color photographs and concise botanical descriptions, this comprehensive manual identifies over 239 forest tree species common to the southeastern and mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. Detailed photographs of leaf, twig, bark, flower, and fruit characteristics are presented next to species descriptions for easy reference.Each species description includes: common names; a “Quick Guide” stressing key features; concise descriptions of leaves, twigs, bark, flower, fruit, and form; habitat and ecology; a map of the geographical range; the species' uses; and the derivation of the botanical name.For foresters, county extension agents, environmental scientists, ecologists, and botanists. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Excellent Reference for building apparatus
As the title implies, this book is an excellent reference. You can learn what materials you need to perform the experiments; you can even find the suppliers' names from the book. Excellent!

Building Scientific Apparatus is great for a science fair!
My son chose to enter this year's science fair with an advance project that required vacume chamber construction, optics, and the original charged particle detection systems. This book is a perfect guide towards building most any mid-level research instrument. ... Read more

Reviews (13)

Great High-Level How-To
"You Can Farm" gives you a high-level overview of a family-size pastured beef, poultry, and pork farming operation. There's also a good dose of the "why" as well as the "how-to" included in this book. Joel discusses why a family-friendly farm is superior to a commercial commodity farm for a family with children. He also covers the ethics of properly pricing your products so that you realize a return off the products you provide which will allow you to live comfortably. Joel's viewpoint is that a family who dedicates themselves to farming and being stewards to a piece of land should be able to reap a return on-par with a mid-level attorney.

If you want to be a "poor, dumb farmer" don't read Joel's books. But . . . If you want to raise your family in a healthful, wholesome country environment AND make a reasonable living while doing so, this book is a good second step. As a first step, I would highly recommend one of Joel's other books "Family Friendly Farming." That book is all about the "why" behind small family farms. After reading "You Can Farm" and "Family Friendly Farming," I would highly recommend "Pastured Poultry Profit$" and "Salad Bar Beef," as these are the titles that go into the nuts & bolts details of Joel's grass-based small farm production model.

Joel also includes an extensive suggested reading list as an appendix in each title discussed above. He is very supportive of new farmers reading as much as possible on any given topic BEFORE they dive into a new enterprise. He doesn't consider his opinion to be the last word on any subject.

Joel's writing style is very readable. His advice is valuable and unconventional (i.e., start out on rented land to avoid long-term debt until you are SURE that this is going to work for you, only buy the equipment you need -- when you need it, etc.), it resonates with a high level of caring for those who may take his advice and jump into this "farming thing."

Joel Salatin's books come with my highest recommendations

Great Book !
This book is not designed to give you exact deails on a farming enterprise, his other books do that well. This is a book designed to show you that YOU CAN FARM. It gives you the appropriate perspective to take when beginning a farming enterprise. I have read all of his books and this is one intelligent man. While you may not agree with all of his personal views, if you want to start farming, READ THIS BOOK FIRST!!! My family did well in their agricultural enterprises when they followed methods similar to Salatins. When they began using so called "conventional" methods, profits went down, work increased and headaches abounded. This is a must read for anyone thinking about farming. One of the few times you will see farming presented in a positive light.

GOOD STARTING POINT
Outstanding read for somebody who's still at the pondering stage of farming small-scale. It is mostly philosophical and very little instructional. His other books, most notably Salad Bar Beef tend to repeat, word-for-word, paragraphs and I found that slightly irritating and obviously redundant. That aside though, his philosophies have molded my opinion on several issues as I embark on my own farming venture starting about a month from the time I write this. I think that if you take everything in his model as gospel, there are a myriad of situations and/or locations in which it will not apply and you could set yourself up for disaster. His model relies very heavily on the self-marketing aspect and having a close customer base. Additionally, he skirts issues like USDA, FDA, and other regulatory restrictions which may or may not be a show-stopper in locations other than the Shenandoah Valley. For all the shortcomings, I still think it was a powerful book and hopefully the precursor to a new trend in this country.

If you fail you didn't work hard enough...
I truly did not find this book useful, and found it so annoying I gave it away after the first read. The book is a constant reminder of the grind and sacrifice the author put his family through to achieve his dream of living on a farm.

Let me be the first to mention this: abject poverty is not a prerequisite to building up your farm. While the ability to scrimp, recycle, reclaim, and generally make do, may save you a few bucks... we've found it generally isn't worth it. Better to have one member of the household maintain an off farm income and just buy the power you need to get on with the job.

In his delight at displaying the discomfort his family was willing to endure, day in and day out, the author creates the opportunity for the reader to dismiss, utterly, the underlying message. To whit: the average farm family (this probably means you, dear reader) can expect a drop in income and purchasing power if they decide to make a go of small scale agriculture. Or large scale, but that is a topic for another book.

Whether or not a drop in purchasing power will impact mightily on your lifestyle and ambitions is a question to ask yourself before leaping into any business venture, farming or otherwise.

But probably the most annoying feature of this book was its flat statement that you need to be young to get into farming. Wrong. You can be 65 with a full career behind you, and decide you want to farm as a retirement income. What you lack in physical strength and stamina can more than be replaced by the judicious use of internal combustion. Honestly. You'd think the man had no idea we'd advanced beyond the iron shovel.

This Model Works
The book is entertaining and motivating. There are numbers of farmers following Salatin's model to some extent. It deserves to be read if you are farming and would prefer prosperity to complaining. ... Read more