Information About Poultry from the Late 1800s

The first selection this week is The Complete Poultry Book published in 1882.  I covers the history and origin of poultry, raising the birds, small and large flock management, diseases of poultry, and different breeds.  It is fairly well written and thorough.

The ABC Poultry Book, printed in 1886, is written in topics like an encyclopedia, in alphabetic order.  It can be hard to find certain subjects, but does make interesting reading, once you already have a little background in poultry.

Poultry Keeping, from 1898, covers chickens, ducks, geese and turkeys, covers breeds and selection of birds within a breed.  It has a chapter on both egg formation and anatomy of the bird.   It discusses breeding stock and raising poultry, as well as how to fatten them up and butcher them.  All in all this is a very well rounded and thorough book.

The Complete Poultry Book - 1882

The ABC Poultry Book - 1886

Poultry Keeping - 1898

General Livestock Information

Although there are many more books in every category I have listed so far, I thought we would move into some other categories before we repeat.   In the 1800s almost everyone that lived outside (and sometimes those that lived inside) a city had animals of some kind.  From a herd of sheep, to a few pigs or chickens, to a single milk cow.  The next three books are general livestock selections.  Each one covers several popular animals and their care and upkeep.

The Livestock of the Farm, published in 1886, covers breeding and feeding, then specifically discusses cattle, sheep, horses, swine and poultry.   It breaks each section down by types and then care of the animals, giving quite a good manual of management for each kind of livestock.

Horse, Cattle, Sheep and Swine, published in 1888, gives in-depth descriptions of each breed of livestock, including incredible illustrations, and then proceeds to give some detail on the selection and management of each kind.  For instance, he includes 24 different breeds of cattle, and about 15 breeds of sheep.

Conkey's Stock Book, from 1911, also covers horses, cattle, sheep and swine inclusive, but begins with general care and feeding, and then discusses each type of livestock.  This book includes some general  vetrinary advice on each animal as well, and is broken down in to sections that are easier to distinguish than the other books.

I think poultry shall be the next topic, since as livestock goes, most people are more likely to have poultry than pigs in their backyards.

  The Live-Stock of the Farm - 1886

Horses, Cattle, Sheep, and Swine - 1888

Conkey's Stock Book - 1911

Kitchen Gardening from the 1800s

Here are three books on the subject of vegetable gardening from the middle 1800s.  Kitchen gardens of the age contained vegetables and herbs.  Fruits are covered in separate books dedicated to their cultivation with very little crossover.

The Kitchen Gardener's Instructor, Containing a Catalogue of Garden and Herb Seed with Practical Directions Under Each Head for the Cultivation of Culinary Vegetables and Herbs with a Calendar Showing the Work Necessary To Be Done in a Kitchen Garden Every Month Throughout the Season, Also Directions for Forcing or Forwarding Vegetables Out of the Ordinary Season, The Whole Adapted to the Climate of the United States - 1847.  They just don't title books like they used to.  Actually, the entire book is written in a similar vein.  Most of the book is dedicated to an alphabetical listing of every vegetable or herb anyone was likely to grow in the US in the 1800s.  The discussions of each vegetable are fairly short, as is the entire book when compared to other ones in this same time period and topic.

The American Gardener:  A Treatise on the Situation, Soil, and Laying Out of Gardens, on the Making and Managing of Hot-Beds and Green  Houses; and On the Propogation and Cultivation of the Several Sorts of Vegetables, Herbs, Fruits and Flowers - 1856.  Every paragraph in this book is numbered, for easy reference.  For instance, from pragraph 135:  "There is, however, another way of ascertaining this important fact, the soundness, or unsoundness of seed ; and that is, by sowing them."  I am not sure if this book will actually be of practical use for modern life, as the author advocates preparing the ground with a team of four oxen, but it is an interesting read.

Garden Vegetables and How To Cultivate Them - 1866.  Now this title is short and to the point.  The book itself lists common vegetables in categories rather than alphabetically, so you have chapters on Esculent Roots (beets, carrots, radishes, turnips, etc.) and Aparaginous Plants (aparagus).  This writer is enclyclopedic in his knowledge, and gives a lot of useful information and advice on each variety of plant he discusses.  Of the three, I found this book to be the most informational and helpful.  Also, I did not fall asleep reading the title...

The Kitchen Gardener's Instructor, etc. - 1847

The American Gardener, etc. - 1856

Garden Vegetables and How To Cultivate Them - 1866

Farming Info from Long Ago!

The next group of books I have chosen stays with the overview of farming theme.  The first is Roman Farm Management, which is the collected works of Cato and Varro from the 2nd century BC.  The translation into English from Latin is from 1913.  Much of the advice given by these learned ancients appears fairly valid today, despite the fact that they did not have the science behind their understanding that we have.  And many of the things they espoused were "rediscovered" in the early 20th century, such as green manures and rigorous management of fallow ground.

The second book, Sketches of Rural Affairs, was published in 1858, also in England, and is listed as a book suitable for presents by the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge.  It includes some history of the farm and tools, as well as Biblical quotes and fairly practical instructions.  For instance, the author not only explains why cutting wheat too early or too late is a bad thing, but tells the novice farmer how to tell when the grain is ready.

The third selection, The National Farmer's and Housekeeper's Cyclopedia from 1888, was published in New York.  This is a large book that includes topics on farming, such as farm building, fences, livestock, field crops, garden crops and orchard crops; but also includes household topics, such as cooking, "fancy work", home medicine and laundry.  It finishes with a large section that is simply miscellaneous hints and tips.  The hints are in no particular order, and range from things like "To make fruit extracts" to "The best kinds of beds".

I am planning to move on to more specific topics next, probably starting with Kitchen Gardening.

I hope you enjoy these collections!

Roman Farm Management - 2nd Century BC

 Sketches of Rural Affairs - 1858

The National Farmer's and House Keepers Cyclopaedia - 1888

Encyclopedia of Household Knowledge from the 1800s

Cassell, Petter and Galpin was a publishing house in London that printed a lot of books in England in it's time.  The volumes entitled Cassell's Household Guide:  A Complete Encyclopaedia of Domestic and Social Economy and Forming a Guide to Every Department of Practical Life, Volumes 1 through 3.

These volumes, at about 500 pages each in very small type, comprise knowledge on everything from cooking to cleaning to farm buildings and livestock.  They are written in cycling topics, such that a topic continues on every three or four pages, with other topics in between. 

Topics include: the house, cooking, carving (meats), medicine, raising children, pets,
tools, aquariums, furniture, gardening, farming, health and skincare, livestock, clothing, and decor.  These are just the subjects in the first 50 pages of volume 1!

Granted, the recipes may require a search engine to figure out what the ingredients actually are, due mainly to the facts that these are 125 years old and British.

This collection is very wide ranging in its scope and entertaining as well as enlightening as to the skills and knowledge required to keep a household, farm  or homestead going on a daily basis.

Cassell's Household Guide, Volume 1 - 1869

 Cassell's Household Guide, Volume 2 - 1869

 Cassell's Household Guide, Volume 3 - 1869

General Life on the Farm

This week's selections include three books that are general overviews of life and work on the farm in the 1800s.  They include Husbandry and Rural Affairs, published in Philadelphia in 1801; Cottage Economy, published in 1833 in New York; and Cottage Farming, published in London in 1870.  Keep in mind that some of the things they "knew" were incorrect or simply a portion of the whole, and practicing what they suggest is at your own risk.  There is no life guard on duty at this swimming hole.

I had to look up some terms as I read them, for instance: a perch is a linear measurement equal to 16.5 feet, and a dibble is a pointed stick used for making a hole to plant a seed in.  These books cover a wide range of skills necessary to survive on a plot of land, but often they assume knowledge that may be missing in modern life: for instance at one point in Cottage Economy the author says that "As to the act of making bread, it would be shocking indeed if that had to be taught by the means of books", assuming everyone reading the book will already know how to make bread.  He follows this up in the next chapter by actually teaching bread making for those that do not, but other knowledge is sometimes left out because of the universal understanding assumed (which was probably known by the readers of the time).

All in all, these are great general knowledge texts for an overview of life and work in the rural homesteads and farmsteads of the 1800s, and will make a good addition to any library.  Enjoy!

Husbandry and Rural Affairs - 1801

Cottage Economy - 1833

Cottage Farming -1870