permaculture

[Steve Diver <steved@ipa.net>]

The digital archives of agriculture, permaculture, literature, art, 
science, food, technology .... and terraced hillsides in the 
Himalayas... are proof of the Web as a modern day Library of Alexandria.

See the digital archives of agriculture on Sanet below, circa 2002.  

Steve Diver

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1.

Historical Ag Literature & Digital Archives 
Sustainable Agriculture Network Discussion Group 
Tue, 24 Sep 2002 
http://lists.ifas.ufl.edu/cgi-bin/wa.exe?A2=ind0211&L=sanet-mg&P=13209


2.

New Inspiration from Old Farm Implements: Historical Books and Digital 
Archives
ATTRAnews Spring 2007
http://attra.ncat.org/newsletter/attranews_spring07.html#story3

It's often possible to retool old farmyard implements into modern-day 
machinery. To find inspiration for small farm agriculture equipment 
and techniques, try looking in historical agricultural literature. 
These sources can be helpful for the basics of farm equipment and soil 
preparation. Even the photos and illustrations in these old books can 
provide ideas for innovative tools that can be crafted on the farm.

Some libraries are now providing full electronic copies of books on 
their websites. I highly recommend the Core Historical Literature of 
Agriculture, hosted by Cornell University online at 
http://chla.library.cornell.edu. 
It features more than 1,800 digitized books.

Here are a few excellent titles from this Cornell collection. They 
provide illustrations and descriptive uses of tillage, cultivation, 
and soil preparation equipment.

Equipment for the Farm and the Farmstead by Harry Clifford Ramsower, 1917 
Farm Equipment for Mechanical Power by Frank N.G. Kranich, 1923 
Farm Machinery by Archie A. Stone, 1928 
Farm Knowledge: Complete Manual of Successful Farming, Vol. 1 by E. L. D. 
Seymour, 1918 

The illustrations, photos, and descriptions in these historical guides will 
help you develop a system of equipment appropriately matched to your farm. 
These books will also provide equipment terminology. They can even help you 
put together makeshift equipment collected from pieces obtained at old 
equipment yards and farm auctions, based on the information contained in 
these books.

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