Ten Acres Enough: The Classic 1864 Guide to Independent Farming

This was an amazing piece of literature. The book wasn't very long, but it was very interesting. It was a cross between a diary, record of farming, and a memior. It's about a city family who moves to New Jersey in the late 1800s. Since he wasn't country bred, he has a different view of farm life and approaches some things differently than experienced people with interesting results. He writes the information in a way that is really interesting, and I found myself laughing at his enthusiastic calculations of how much manure he would need for fertilizer (seriously, this guy couldn't say enough about manure fertilizer). The title of the book, Ten acres enough reflects the author's belief that 10 acres are all a person really needs to live off of and be reasonably self-sufficient. I don't know that I would be considered this book an instruction guide as much as I would consider it a story from times past with a few tips that could be applied today, but I highly recommend this as a really interesting, entertain, as well as historical of the era read.

I have not finished yet. But I am over half way and enjoy it very much.

Many great, simple ideas here of the basics. Easy to imitate in one’s own garden. I certainly learned a lot!!

This is a fantastic book about self sufficiency. The only knock is it is dated. But it was written over 150 years ago. It has some interesting information about the economy from the past that you dont hear alot about too. It helps feel better about these bad times we live in now. It shows it wont last forever. Did you know that even during the great depression they had previous bad times to look to. Believe it or not each generation is not the first ot suffer, nor will they be the last. Good times will come again. And what we learn during the bad times determines the success we will have when times are good. This book teaches more than just farming, though that is the featured aspect. IT was an enjoyable read. I would love to have a modern author do a similar expirament adn write adn updated version. Maybe that book will still sell for 200 years.

This is one of my favorites. Since it was written during the mid-1860's, the writing style is perhaps a bit different from what we are used to nowadays, but not distractingly so. This farmer knows how to tell a story. He starts with his longing to leave the city, leads us through his search for an affordable property and then lets us follow him as he chooses his crops -- among them, 804 peach trees at 7 cents a piece, all dutifully "tarred" to prevent worms -- and markets the produce for the first few years on the farm. Along the way, he scatters fascinating tidbits about his life. One of my favorites is the story of his blackberry plants. While living in town, he had read of a new kind of blackberry that intrigued him, and though it was a very unheard of thing to do at the time, he orderd six of the plants by mail, at the princely sum of five dollars. When the plants arrived, he was shocked at their size and appearance. "They looked like long white worms, with here and there a bud or an eye" and was too embarassed to admit to his wife that he paid so much for them. But he planted them and tended them, and the next year had a magnificent crop of berries, and so finally admitted to the cost. He and his wife agreed it was a bargain at that, and since they loved the berries so much, they dug up the plants and took them along to their new farm. There, the berries attracted the attention of neighbors and nurserymen, and by being one of the first suppliers in the area, he was able to sell $460 worth of blackberry plants that first year on the farm -- quite a return on his initial five dollar investment.There's more, and he catalogs it all: the cow that worked out well and the chickens that didn't, the way his neighbors thought him insane for battling the never-ending weeds, the value he saw in small birds, the money spent on load after load of manure, and mostly, the satisfaction of it all. There really is no substitute for farming done this way, where taking care of the land itself is still a priority, and the crops a source of pride. So if you are even the slightest bit interested in coming to the country in search of something better, I encourage you to read this book. Initially, I hesitated to buy it, figuring that it would be too irrelevant and dated, but no, it's not. It's absorbing. And though I can't find peach trees for 7 cents a piece today, the story is the same. And if you don't find yourself living in the country soon enough to suit you, you'll at least have had the pleasure of sharing Edmund Morris's farm for awhile.

Leaving the grind and adventure out in your own the old fashion way with your bare hands and skills

Even though this was a reprint from an 1860s book the quality was great.

Ah, truly a book to inspire. I wanted to dash right out and dig up the old potato patch!Although this is an American book and therfore I did not understand a lot of the geographical references, this in no way detracted from the enjoyment I got from this book. I felt a bit smug when thinking about the success I have had with my chickens, but quite wilted when comparing his raspberries and strawberries with mine! Next season, I'm going to get me a lawtonberry or two.I found it a bit tedious towards the end but that was when he was no longer writing about his own little farm and I think many of his comments there are quite dated and of no practical value now.This book was well written and entertaining, though some comments I feel should rather be taken with a pinch of salt.Rather sorry that I have finished reading this book and heartily recommend it to anyone who has fancied getting a small-holding or even those who just want to grow something well in their own backyard. Many of his tips and comments are as valid today as they were 140 years ago.

i've enjoyed reading this book. For anyone thinking about buying a piece of land to farm this book might be helpful to you. It certainly provides insight as to what to buy. If you are looking for knowledge and experience in farming, buy a copy of Five Acres and Independence by M.G. Kains. I have a copy of both and together they provide a lot of knowledge.

Bought this for my husband, who works in the financial industry and has dreams of moving into the country and running a small holding and he absolutely loves it. He can't believe how relevant it still is to this day and he loves the way it's written.

What struck me most was the vocabulary. I'm certain this man's vocabulary exceeds 99.9% of our current crop of university graduates!It was a real pleasure to read something written by someone truly literate, for a change. Each sentence was clear, concise and well thought out. I'd recommend that anyone who is interested literature, or in gaining insight into our ancestors lives, read this book whether, or not, they have any interest in farming. It dramatically illustrates how poorly our education system is functioning.As for the content: It goes into the details of one man's attempt to escape wage-slavery and become self-sufficient on a small farm. It focuses on raising small fruits for market in nearby big cities and covers fruit-trees and small livestock while giving us a glimpse into the life and mind of an intelligent man struggling to better his family's lot in life over 150 years ago. He walks us, step-by-step through his move from running a business in the city to buying a small farm through clearing, planting, tending and harvesting each of several types of crop and livestock. The details are fascinating, mainly because of the way they are presented. He clearly lays out his plans and documents his results. Far more care is spent on knowing exactly what his finances are, year by year, than anyone I know of today, including accountants. For example, how many people do you know who know to the penny what their net income was last year? This man can tell you those figures for each crop!Lastly it deals with a forbidden topic - ENOUGH. IMHO: Almost no one understands the concept of 'enough' anymore. The word MORE has diluted the meaning of the word enough and pushed it out of our collective conscientious. In fact merely suggesting that someone like Bill Gates, or any other rich person, has 'enough' is close to blasphemy these days and suggesting anyone has MORE than enough is heresy. 10 Acres Enough is all about becoming self-sufficient to the level of being comfortable as opposed to working 100, or 1000, acres simply to increase your wealth. It is based on enough being just that - enough. And enough is enough. More than enough is not, in his opinion, worth spending your time working to obtain and I couldn't agree more.

Great info, tiny book.

As described