The
Contrary
Farmer. Gene
Logsdon, 1995.Paperback,
288 pages.
A genuinely
enjoyable and
thought-provoking look at living a more pastoral life, with lots of
concepts that would work as well in my suburban back yard as they would
on the farm I hope to have in the future. As much philosophy
as
how-to, although there are quite a few simple and
practical suggestions that could help any "cottage farmer," whether
you're working on a tiny garden bed in the yard or on a hundred acres.
All
Flesh Is
Grass: The Pleasures and Promises of Pasture Farming. Gene
Logsdon, 2004.Paperback,
272 pages.
I haven't read
this one yet but I
enjoyed the author's Contrary
Farmer,
above, and this looks like more on one of the topics introduced in that
book. It's on my list to get.
Five
Acres and Independence:
A Handbook for Small Farm Management. Maurice G.
Kains. Softbound, 397 pages.
Some sections of
this 1940 book
aren't as relevant as they used to be, but a lot of it still makes good
sense and applies to
small-farm life today. I particularly enjoyed the chapters
related to understanding and caring for soils and various
plants--there's some practical science there that's well worth not
having to learn the hard way.
The
Operation, Care, and
Repair of
Farm Machinery. Deere and
Company. Hardbound,
about
260 pages.
Out
of print, but one of the best general
references for
anyone interested in farming with older machinery. Published
for
many years by John Deere, these books were used as a basic textbook in
farm mechanics and vocational agriculture classes, and provide an
excellent
overview of farm practices and equipment from earlier
decades. My
copy is of the 27th edition, published in 1955. A variety of
editions are often available on eBay.
Encyclopedia
of American Farm Implements and Antiques. C.H.
Wendel, 2004. Softbound,
496 pages.
C.H.
Wendel is a master at compiling big surveys of antique
equipment, using illustrations and information from original
advertisements to document the equipment available to farmers from the
beginnings of mechanized agriculture through the 1950s.
Encyclopedia
of Antique Tools and Machinery. C.H.
Wendel, 2001. Softbound, 255 pages.
Another of Wendel's collections of
old advertising literature, illustrations, and information.
No lengthy histories about any individual tool, but a
great reference for identifying and describing a huge range of old
items.
Sentimental and
historical look at
farm life,
organized by season. Good descriptions of basic farm tasks
and
nice
photos. Many first-person anecdotes from people who've grown
up
on
farms, including my dad. Some editing errors in the version I
have
made a few pages hard to read, but I still enjoyed the book quite a
bit. Re-released in paperback
in 2003.
The
American Barn.
Randy
Leffingwell, 1997. Hardbound, 192 pages.
Typically great
Leffingwell book,
covering
barn history, styles, an Amish barn-raising, and more.
Thoroughly
researched, flawlessly written, beautifully photographed.
Barn:
The Art of a
Working Building.
Endersby, Greenwood, and Larkin, 1992. Hardbound, 256
pages.
Another really
good book on barns,
similar
in style and execution to Randy Leffingwell's American
Barn, above. I don't think you'd be disappointed
with either
one.
Old
Tractors and the Men Who
Love
Them. Roger
Welsch,
1995. Softbound, 160 pages.
Fun look at the
old tractor business,
from the guy who writes things like "old tractors are good tractors
because
they have only forty-six parts." Roger seems to play well the
part of a curmudgeon, but in addition to liking these old machines and
writing funny books about them, he goes to places like Greenland and
Bosnia to
offer a bit of Midwest Americana to GIs far from home.
Doesn't
get rich doing it but goes anyway. Thanks, Roger. More
on Ol' Rog.
Busted
Tractors and Rusty
Knuckles. Roger
Welsch, 1997. Softbound, 224 pages.
Entertaining chronicle of Roger's
experiences
rebuilding
a basket-case Allis WC, with the help of several of his friends and
neighbors.
Lots of fun anecdotes and quotes like "You don't pound on old tractors.
You beat on old tractors."
Love,
Sex, and
Tractors.
Roger Welsch, 2000. Softbound, 224 pages.
Roger does it
again, this time with a
view
toward the interaction of the sexes, including revelations such as The
Magneto Principle: "Certainly one thing women and tractors
have
in
common is whatever it is that makes magnetos work. When they
work.
Thing is, no one knows what makes magnetos work."
This
Old Tractor. Edited
by Michael Dregni, 1998. Hardbound, 160 pages.
A collection of
short essays about
horse farming,
threshing, old-time farm life and old machines, by authors such as
Roger
Welsch, Randy Leffingwell, C.H. Wendel, Don MacMillan, and many
others.
Some nice stories, nice photographs, good light reading.
This
Old Farm. Edited
by Michael Dregni, 1999. Hardbound, 160 pages.
I haven't read
this one yet but it's
a companion to This Old
Tractor,
above, with contributions from Garrison Keillor and E.B.White among
many others. Looks like a great way to spend a rainy
afternoon,
and it's on my list to get. Released in paperback in 2003.
100
Years of
Vintage Farm Tractors: A Century of
Tractor Tales and Heartwarming Family Farm Memories.
Edited
by Michael Dregni, 2003. Softbound, 160 pages.
More essays
celebrating antique and
classic tractors. So many books, so little time...
