Five Acres and Independence: A Handbook for Small Farm Management

Hotel Resource Book Store 

 Store Home / Books / Five Acres and Independence: A Handbook for Small Farm Management

Hotel Industry Books 

Five Acres and Independence: A Handbook for Small Farm Management
by Maurice G. Kains
from Dover Publications

Customer Reviews:

• Avg. Customer Rating: 3.5 / 5.0

• A great look into farming of the past but not a good referance book for today.
  As has been stated before, this book is quite out dated. However it is a great look into how 5 acres was used to support a family in the past.
  Anyone thinking of homesteading on a small parcel of land should read this book. Your knowledge of what's in this book will help you apply many of the concepts using modern equipment and/or technology. Just don't use sheet lead to line your cistern lol.

• Found some gems but it took some work
  I'm sure this book was fantastic when if first came out back in the 1940's, but there are way better resources today that provide the information you seek without putting you to sleep or boring you with irrelevant topics on outdated technology.
  If you don't mind a dry read (I fell asleep ever five pages) and have read all of the other books there might be some gems in here worth checking out. Otherwise, I'd say save your money and buy something more applicable to farming in the new millenium.

• Outdated, but still a good resource
  While many things have changed in our culture, economy and technology since this book was written in the 1930's, there is still a great amount of basic farming information that can be applied to today's small farmer. If you're a modern homesteader looking to return to a simpler life outside the hustle and bustle of even "smaller-town life", this book will only give you a reasonable insight into the general rhythm of the farming life... but don't look for specific answers to off-grid living or 100%... more info

• Revised in 1940. Obsolete.
  Hey, did you know that giving away all your produce free to your neighbors is bad business? Wow, whoda thunkit? Do you know the definition of organic fetilizer? See p. 159: "of vegetable and animal origin". Hm... no mention of hormones, pesticides or antibiotics. How about info on selecting your 1930's model wheelhoe (p. 191)?
  Dover Publications specializes in this type of ripoff. They add a little bit of nothing, postdate the copyright and voila! People pay good money thinking they are getting current... more info

Similar Products:

The Self-sufficient Life and How to Live It by John Seymour (Hardcover) - Usually ships in 24 hours

Storey's Basic Country Skills: A Practical Guide to Self-Reliance by John Storey, Martha Storey (Paperback) - Usually ships in 24 hours

Successful Small-Scale Farming: An Organic Approach (Down-To-Earth Book) by Karl Schwenke (Paperback) - Usually ships in 24 hours

Root Cellaring: Natural Cold Storage of Fruits & Vegetables by Mike Bubel, Nancy Bubel (Paperback) - Usually ships in 24 hours

Handy Farm Devices And How to Make Them by Rolfe Cobleigh (Paperback) - Usually ships in 24 hours