I just found a very good book at the library that I haven't seen anyone mention on this forum. It is Country Life a Handbook for Realists and Deamers by Paul Heiney. It has lots of nice pictures and covers all sorts of livestock and equipment as well as information about various crops. I believe it was written by a British writer because of some of the comments he makes but it was published in the U.S. in 1998. I found some of the things quite interesting such as how to build hedgerows for fences and also how to develop habitat for wildlife on parts of your property. It seems to cover a wide range of things and I found the pictures very helpful. It also includes information on using draft animals and making many food items such as cheese, butter, jams, etc. It is not as indepth on topics as Carla Emory's Encyclopedia is but it is a nice overview on a lot of topics. I highly recommend it for someone who is new to homesteading.

-- Colleen (pyramidgreatdanes@erols.com), June 21, 2001

Answers

I love that book! It may not be as useful as Carla Emory's book, but it sure has some pretty pictures. It really is nice to just curl up with it and daydream.

-- Elizabeth (Lividia66@aol.com), June 21, 2001.

Hey, Colleen, I've got that one too. When I first got it, I called it 'the evil book'. I kept it handy in the restroom, you know, to look at for a few minutes. Well, I'd pick that thing up and time would just fly away . . . it would just suck me in (hence the 'evil' part). LOL!

I particularly liked the homestead/farm layouts, and some of the ideas like laying paving stones around melons to gain more heat for them. And I found the hedgerows fascinating too.

-- Joy F [in So. Wisconsin] (CatFlunky@excite.com), June 21, 2001.

Are you telling me there is another "got to have it" book out there that I have missed!!! Thanks Colleen...........now I guess I will have to find a copy. LOL

-- diane (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), June 21, 2001.

I don't know if it's a GOT TO HAVE book, Diane. It's one I found as I got into this homesteading idea. It's probably too elementary for you. I recommend seeing if the library has it before buying!

-- Joy F [in So. Wisconsin] (CatFlunky@excite.com), June 21, 2001.

I too have that book, and the photos are great! One question I have, though, is about how piglets get iron. Paul Heiney says that they can get it from their mother's milk, but many other of my sources say that it isn't possible to get enough iron from a sow's milk. They say that either iron injections or else rooting through iron-rich sod is the way to go.

Also, many of the farm lay-outs for various acreages seem impractical. This is a terrific book for dreamers certainly, but for better advice I'd rely on more technical sources. But for the photos, this is a book that you'll refer to again & again just to gaze. The photos really do cover the range of homesteading.

-- Leslie A. (lesliea@home.com), June 22, 2001.