Five Acres and Independence

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Not enough to get you started with self-sufficiency, but... - Rated
...did you really think you would get that from a book anyhow? Really aimed at getting US workers back to the land in the depression (and look at how successful that was!), it's nevertheless a good warning of pitfalls for the unwary.

Some useful information but text book style. - Rated
I am afraid that this book didn't flick my switch. The style is dry and a bit heavy going in places. Why did the author have so many different jobs? It lacks the personal touch, empathy and humour. It is fine if you want a text book but I would not class it as entertainment. There is some very useful and, post oil, valuable information that must not be lost. There was one very noticeable biological howler concerning plant breeding - selective breeding of maize (correct, as the Aztecs demonstrated) selective breeding of potatoes (oh dear).There may be others that I am not qualified to spot.

HANDY - BUT NOT A BIBLE - Rated
I wasn't as enamoured by this book as I would have hoped. The content is US focused and as such parts of it are not practicable in the UK, for instance there are 10 pages on grape growing outdoors. The animal chapters are particularly poor and although one is related to beekeeping it is only descriptive in respect of what can be produced and how much profit can be made rather than being instructive. It does however give helpful advice and instruction in relation to such topics as water supply, sewage disposal, fruit trees and the storage of fruits and vegetables, although todays organic gardeners may find the section on the importance of spraying and dusting a little too "intensive" with references being made to arsenate of lead and hellebore. Overall a handy book to have around but not one of my must have "bibles".

Good for those interested in self-sufficiency, - Rated
Five acres and independence is, fundamentally, an old book. First published in the 1920's, and then republished in the current form in the 1940's. The emphasis of the book is operating a small farm for commercial gain, something that in the modern world of the 'agribusiness' is an outdated idea. However, the basics of 'working the land' have never changed, although, such 'modern' inventions such as the tractor, as opposed to the horse do not make it into the book.

The major strength of this book is that it explains (in terms that are quite easy to understand), a lot of the basics, as to what to do and when to do it, that seem to be never written down. Anybody that has no real practical experience of working the land, and is interested in generating food for themselves should profit greatly from the book, however, it is not (although it says so throughout the book) a guide to operating a farm at a profit. There are several areas where the book is particularly strong, for example, land management, fruit and vegetable growing, and there is one major weakness, his advice on livestock, which is covered in lass than 10 pages.

Whilst other books, such as the bible of self sufficiency (John Seymour: The complete book of self sufficiency) are more modern, this book is a classic, and worth having, simply because there is a lot of sound basic advice here, although it is in no way the definitive guide.

Good guide if the date of writing is taken into consideratio - Rated
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.