The Lore of the Land

by John Seymour

Covers self sufficiency topics like, tree felling, making a pond, organic fertilizers, weed prevention, making hay without a tractor, laying a hedge, making a gate, how to drain a field, how to puddle a clay pond, rabbits, and more.

151 pages, Hardcover

First published February 24, 1984

About the author

John Seymour was an idealist - he had a vision of a better world where people aren't alienated from their labours. As a young man, he travelled all over Africa and fought in Burma in World War II. Returning penniless to England, he lived in a trolley bus and on a Dutch sailing barge before settling on a five-acre smallholding in Suffolk to lead a self-sufficient life. He continued this lifestyle with his companion Angela Ashe on the banks of the River Barrow in County Wexford, Ireland. The two had built up the smallholding from scratch over 19 years. In his last years John, Angela and William Sutherland had been running courses in self-sufficiency from their home at Killowen, New Ross. The courses were taken by students from all over the world, who come to Killowen to learn about his lifestyle and philosophies at first hand.

He was the author of over 40 books, including the best-selling The Complete Book of Self-Sufficiency, and he had made numerous films and radio programmes. Most of his later writing and public campaigning had been devoted to country matters, self-sufficiency and the environment.

In the last 18 months, he was back on his beloved Pembrokeshire farm with his daughter Ann, telling stories to his grandchildren and writing rhyming poetry, with an acerbic wit that was his last weapon against what he saw as our destructive era.

Reviews

[Akiva · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Nothing, except possibly a sailing ship or a pretty girl, is more beautiful than a mixed deciduous forest."

This is an engaging and practical guide to take care of a small piece of land on the countryside. It reviews soil types, irrigation, pest control, and generally how to husband the land. This is a guide for those who dream to purchase a plot of land one day, care for it, and leave it in better condition for their children. It was written in 1982, and I'm nowhere near buying a piece of land... but a man can dream.

[raccoon reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite of his books so far. Definitely more serious than the others and more practical if you were really roughing it (we're not). I don't need to know how to net rabbits (though we have several in our woods and I wanted to raise some for meat- Brandon won't let me :( ) The improvement of the land chapter was definitely the best i.m.o. We have a lot of grading and changes to make to keep the runnoff from seeping into our unfinished basement. Changes to the land can help route water away. Also there's an area we could turn into a small pond and he talks about how to do this too (ponds and lakes chapter). But other things are impractical for me. I'm never going to cut down a tree to cut my own fence posts! :) But overall I'd recommend this book to anyone wanting to do it themselves if they are land owners and potential serious homesteaders :)