Ten Acres Enough: The Classic 1864 Guide to Independent Farming [Paperback]

Edmund Morris (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 26, 2004

A simply written chronicle by a man who abandoned the 1800s Philadelphia business world for a small farm in the New Jersey countryside. Features thoughtful reflections on how to choose a site, select crops and maintain them, the difference between city and country life, and the joy of establishing a home.

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Dover Publications (July 26, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 048643737X
• ISBN-13: 978-0486437378
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #289,943 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #19 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Science > Agricultural Sciences > General
  • #61 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Home & Garden > Gardening & Horticulture > General

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Most excellent!, October 8, 2005

By 

Laurie (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Ten Acres Enough: The Classic 1864 Guide to Independent Farming (Paperback)

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.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Makes you want to get back to the basics, May 22, 2007

By 

S. Morris (W.B., AL) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Ten Acres Enough: The Classic 1864 Guide to Independent Farming (Paperback)

Great read. I bought this book looking for some ideas on how to better enjoy the farm life I now have. This book tells about a man who is tried of the hustle and bustle of city life. (And mind you this was in the late 1800's). He writes in detail how to locate a small piece of property and live a much fulfilled life. I highly recommend this book. I have already loaned it out twice.

P.S. see if you can find the small reference about The Civil War.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars How to make it on a Mini-farm, November 5, 2011

By 

Sally V. Smith (Texas) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Ten Acres Enough: The Classic 1864 Guide to Independent Farming (Paperback)

This is a facinating read. Though it was written well over a century ago, it still gives basic tips on that can be used today on a small plot of land. Times have changed in the marketing of products, so I do not believe a person can make a living as he suggesst. However, many people have been successful raising fruit to sell locally on small acreage in today's market. The author has some great tips for this, on how to prepare an orchard and how to make the most of your land.