three acres and liberty (free book with income ideas)

(I have about 40 windows open on my desktop and I'm trying to catch up.  Sometime in the next two hours I'll probably figure out why I have this open.  But in just reading the table of contents, it sounds like something that folks in this forum might be interested in)

http://www.appropedia.org/Three_Acres_and_Liberty

Table of contents:

Chapter I: Making a Living--Where and How

Chapter II: Present Conditions

Chapter III: How To Buy The Farm

Chapter IV: Vacant City Lot Cultivation

Chapter V: Results To Be Expected

Chapter VI: What An Acre May Produce

Chapter VII: Some Methods

Chapter VIII: The Kitchen Garden

Chapter IX: Tools And Equipment

Chapter X: Advantages From Capital

Chapter XI: Hotbeds And Greenhouses

Chapter XII: Other Uses Of Land

Chapter XIII: Fruits

Chapter XIV: Flowers

Chapter XV: Drug Plants

Chapter XVI: Novel Live Stock

Chapter XVII: Where To Go

Chapter XVIII: Clearing The Land

Chapter XIX: How To Build

Chapter XX: Back To The Land

Chapter XXI: Coming Profession For Boys

Chapter XXII: The Wood Lot

Chapter XXIII: Some Practical Experiments

Chapter XXIV: Some Experimental Foods

Chapter XXV: Dried Truck

Chapter XXVI: Home Cold Pack Canning

Chapter XXVII: Retail Cooperation

Chapter XXVIII: Summer Colonies For City People

Thought you might like it Paul, allthough the figures quoted are just a tiny bit outdated

I'm reading through it now, and it does have some good ideas, but there's also a lot that's outdated!  (Not just prices!  He recommends keep dairy cattle penned up and bringing all their feed to them.)  I think he's correct, though, in recommending 'urban' or near-urban farming as bringing the highest returns.

Kathleen

It has merit, as many "how-to" books of that vintage do. It has a lot of practical knowledge... however...

The main issue I have is that in the American economy, you either have to spend a lot of money and effort in regards of compliance to this regulation or that, or go rogue... and if you're gonna be illegal selling raw milk or broiler hens, why stop there? The economic system here is geared toward big business and independent producers get buried under so much red tape that the profit margins all but nonexistent.

So much has changed since this book was written in that regard, that the marketing advice has become all but useless.

"paul wheaton" wrote:I have about 40 windows open on my desktop

I've only got 14 going-slow night!

marked for library material

My grandparents gave me a book called Five Acres and Independence.  Similarly kinda outdated.  Same author, I wonder?  (it's packed in a box somewhere currently)

No, different authors.  I think Five Acres and Independence was written in the thirties (1930's), a couple or three decades after this one.  It's a good book, though, as you said, outdated in some respects.  It's surprising how many books of this nature have been written -- if you sort through all the libraries of outdated publications that are on the 'net, you'll find a lot of them.  They are fun to read, and you can glean some good information from them.

Kathleen

I cannot stand to read long books on my computer, is it worth printing? It's about 170 Pages.

marina phillips wrote:
My grandparents gave me a book called Five Acres and Independence.  Similarly kinda outdated.  Same author, I wonder?  (it's packed in a box somewhere currently)

out dated? i have read that book and i am glad that i chose the correct brand of electricity. bet not many of you know hat that means. any way, good or ok-ish book

Hilarious..Three acres and Liberty

So funny how little real knowledge they had about using the land..but then after reading nearly the entire thing I ran across this little bit that made some common sens..
"Owners are doubtless in some instances indifferent about fires in their wood lots, because they do not realize that these may do great harm without giving striking evidence of the fact. They burn the fallen leaves and accumulated litter of several years, thus destroying the material with which trees enrich their own soil. The soil becomes exposed, evaporation is greater, and more of the rain and melted snow runs off the surface. The roots may also be exposed and burned. The vitality of the trees is weakened and their rate of growth decreased. Don't burn leaves or waste growth: it is dangerous and they are valuable for mulch and for manure.

It has been foue grown on a strip three times as wide as the height of the trees. "

..."
nd in the prairie region that through the protection afforded by the most efficient grove windbreaks, the yield in farm crops is increased to the extent of a crop as large as could b

Not only plants but animals are experimented with by Uncle Sam's experts. Officials of the Bureau of Animal Industry claim that before long we will partake of antelope steak. For the antelope has been found to be particularly adapted to the more arid western sections of the country. And beyond that the gastronomist of the future will have to reckon with loin of hippopotamus!

The lower valley of the Mississippi is admirably suited to these huge beasts, the flesh of one of which equals a score of cattle. African traveled epicures maintain that hippopotamus steak is as tender and inviting as the choicest beef. "For those who like that sort of thing, it is just the sort of thing they would like."

It seems a bit remote to urge hippopotamus on us who do not yet know enough to eat sharks, tortoises, painted turtles, or even English sparrows. Anyhow the small gardener is more likely to succeed raising pheasants than to muss with a hippopotamus, at least in the suburbs. Pigs are more practical and make prettier pets.

A quick read, got a kick out of some of the writers comments. What I did find interesting was that cities were allowing urban gardening on vacant lots during the time for some underprivileged or needy in big cities.