literature
Magner's Farm and Stock Book and Complete Instructor, Magner
Diddling Considered as One of the Exact Sciences, Poe
Magner's Farm and Stock Book and Complete Instructor
D. Magner, 1902
This book, published in 1902, is written by the author of several well-respected farming and horse-rearing handbooks and encyclopedias. Magner's Standard Horse and Stock Book was published as early as 1893 and as late as 1980, and can be difficult to find for sale. Even more rare is this far-reaching work, encompassing everything from pesticides to the practice of law, and containing numerous maxims and adages intended to create good neighbors. Topics include:
- Soil amendments and nutrition
- Growth and care of grasses, trees, fruits, and vegetables
- Complete horse care guide, including afflictions and cures
- Cattle, sheep, and hog care guide, also with common diseases
- Medicines and remedies, law tips, and useful arithmetic
Magner intends to create successful farmers from those with a desire to learn, but he accomplishes more than that; his contribution is of significant historical and nostalgic value, in addition to the shrewd insight it provides. The book is 891 pages long, excluding appendices, plates, and index.
Digital version (see accompanying discussion posts):
- Title Page; Table of Contents; Introduction (Pages 0-17) (Discussion)
- Mushrooms; Haymaking (Pages 116-141) (Discussion)
- Fruit Tree Propagation; Berries (Pages 174-200) (Discussion)
- Plant Disease; Insect Prevention (Pages 236-258) (Discussion)
- Horse Taming and Training Introduction (Pages 264-288) (Discussion)
- Detailed Horse Taming (Pages 290-320) (Discussion)
- Equine Anatomy, Shoeing, and Foot Injuries (Pages 362-393) (Discussion)
- Horse Care; Butter Tips; Cows and Sheep (Pages 400-613) (Discussion)
- Breeding and Doctoring Hogs (Pages 650-687) (Discussion)
- Worms and Parasites (Pages 700-749) (Discussion)
- Poultry; Mites and Lice (Pages 758-781) (Discussion)
- Medicines and Doses (Pages 788-807) (Chart/Discussion)
- Home Remedies (Pages 808-827) (Chart/Discussion)
- Law Without Lawyers (Pages 828-852) (Discussion)
- Appendix (Pages 852+) (Discussion)
- Index (Discussion)
Diddling Considered as One of the Exact Sciences
Edgar Allan Poe, 1856
Published in the fourth volume of Rufus Wilmot Griswold's collection The Works of the Late Edgar Allan Poe, this brief essay is proof of Poe's versatility as a writer. It offers a substantially more lighthearted read than many of the author's other later works and contributes greatly to the fields of sociology as well as the general understanding of human interaction. Through his poignant examples of "diddling," the author reaches to the very core of humanity.