THE FAT OF THE LAND: Family Farming on Five, Acres

by John Seymour ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 21, 1975

It is difficult to say just how Americans will benefit from this account of a British writer who took to the land with his family and became self-sufficient. Although England seems to be facing problems like ours in the U.S. -- overcrowding, inflation, inferior food products -- and American families occasionally resort to similar measures, the how of it all is a bit difficult to follow: ""I shall top mangels into two bag baskets. . . hoist them on a yoke, and carry them back to the clamp I am making. . . ."" The above concerns thatching a roof. The Seymours raise vegetables, pigs, own a cow, horse, poultry, and grow most of their food, while Mrs. Seymour is a potter and artist. There are notes on how the Seymours handle their animals (they let the hens run around), butcher and dress hogs, plant and reap and there are blasts at agrobusiness which is driving out the small farmer and the good old virtues of self-sufficiency and neighborly rural communities. A Countryman piece for croft-minded Anglophiles.

Pub Date: April 21, 1975

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Schocken

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1975

Categories: NONFICTION