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Farmers of Forty Centuries: Organic Farming in China, Korea, and Japan Paperback – March 19, 2004

by F. H. King (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 106 ratings
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For more than 40,000 years, Asian farmers worked the same fields repeatedly without sapping the land's fertility and without applying artificial fertilizer! How they accomplished this miraculous feat is described by author Franklin Hiram King, a former official of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. King traveled to Asia in the early 1900s to learn how farmers in China, Korea, and Japan were able to achieve successful harvests century after century without exhausting the soil — one of their most valuable natural resources. This book is the result of his extraordinary mission.
A fascinating study of waste-free methods of cultivation, this work reveals the secrets of ancient farming methods and, at the same time, chronicles the travels and observations of a remarkable man. A well-trained observer who studied the actual conditions of life among agricultural peoples, King provides intriguing glimpses of Japan, China, Manchuria, and Korea; customs of the common people; the utilization of waste; methods of irrigation, reforestation, and land reclamation; the cultivation of rice, silk, and tea; and related topics.
Enhanced with more than 240 illustrations (most of them photographs), this book represents an invaluable resource for organic gardeners, farmer, and conservationists. It remains "one of the richest sources of information about peasant agriculture [and] one of the pioneer books on organic farming." — The LastWhole Earth Catalog.
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  1. Print length
    464 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Dover Publications
  4. Publication date
    March 19, 2004
  5. Dimensions
    5.25 x 1 x 8.25 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0486436098
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0486436098
  8. See all details
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Dover Publications; Later Edition Used (March 19, 2004)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 464 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0486436098
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0486436098
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.25 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.25 x 1 x 8.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 106 ratings

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F. H. King

F. H. King

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Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
106 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the content very informative and the illustrations nice. They also mention that the book is overwhelming but very informative.

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ContentIllustrations
11 customers mention "Content"11 positive0 negative

Customers find the book very informative, interesting, and relevant. They also say it has good ideas and a comprehensive and fascinating description of agriculture in east Asia near the turn of the century.

"...This work is great for documenting the successful practices employed to maintain fertility in a heavily cropped (used) agricultural landscape...." Read more

"...and married to a life-long farmer, I assure you this book is thought provoking in how we manage our land and the practice of modern farming...." Read more

"This has been on my wish list for 2 years, and though it had some good ideas and some nice black and white pictures, it was hardly more than a taste..." Read more

"...DAY FOR TWO WEEKS AND CONTINUE TO FIND INTERESTING AND RELEVANT INFO FOR GARDENING TODAY. VERY COOL... Rob in Dartmouth, N.S, Canada...." Read more

4 customers mention "Illustrations"4 positive0 negative

Customers find the illustrations in the book nice, but they are black and white.

"...Photos of the farms and how tidy, clean and well swept of all debris is an eye opener in what you might consider being clean in your yard or on a..." Read more

"...for 2 years, and though it had some good ideas and some nice black and white pictures, it was hardly more than a taste of Oriental farming techniques..." Read more

"Nice pictures But black and white pictures" Read more

"...An excellent look at pre- industrial, pre -communist China." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

Reg Appleby
5.0 out of 5 stars insightful Observations on Successful holistic agricultural practices around 1900-1910.
Reviewed in the United States on October 9, 2016
Verified Purchase
This book follows the trip of a couple of travellers through some Asian countries around 1909 and describes their observations of the agricultural activities that they encounter in those countries. Listening on Kindle can be a bit boring, reading it is better. However, the photos are not clear and when enlarged loose their integrity to the point where you cannot see the key aspects of what they describe in the passages.
This work is great for documenting the successful practices employed to maintain fertility in a heavily cropped (used) agricultural landscape. When you focus on the observation that waste for one is a resource (fertilizer) of value to others - it puts to shame how western agriculture poisons and pollutes rather than utilizes all resources for profitability and sustainability.
Cultures and climates change but the success in growing multiple crops together with delays in timing protects the soil and promotes continuous ground cover to maximise soil moisture and crop volumes. There are concepts and ideas within the narrative that could remind todays farmers of how to recover otherwise lost resources (e.g. dredging dams for fertile mud that clogs up our dams), manures and green manures.
If you thing it cannot be farmed that way, read this and think again.
7 people found this helpful
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readalot
5.0 out of 5 stars permaculture before the word was invented.
Reviewed in the United States on April 21, 2014
Verified Purchase
If you are into or thinking about permaculture, deep organic, biodynamic farming or just gardening, you should read this cover to cover. Principle theme or the reason on why the Asian farmers managed to maintain such high yield is how thrifty/frugal they were in returning every bit of organic material back into the land. Photos of the farms and how tidy, clean and well swept of all debris is an eye opener in what you might consider being clean in your yard or on a farm. Other photos are not only intriguing for historical value but shows what words can not convey. These farmers were practicing permaculture/deep organic/biodynamic way of farming.

We read about how a family today can support on 1 acre or less is childs play compared to these farmers. The content of the book explain how the Asians have managed to do this without petrochemical based pesticides, herbicides and fertilizer. And you develop the real sense of importance of composting and how to return futility to soil. Ash from burnt organic matter returns to the soil etc.

The single biggest thing I came away after reading the book was how to be diligent in returning the organics back into the soil and how to return futility back in. How to care for the soil! Well worth the read.
7 people found this helpful
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Allen E. Mccartney
5.0 out of 5 stars PREPARE TO BE AMAZED....!
Reviewed in the United States on January 30, 2011
Verified Purchase
This is the most amazing book I've read in ages; it more than rekindles your fascination with the ingenuity of mankind. The book is about l00 years 'old/young' depending on your point of view. The Chinese, Koreans and Japanese of that time can teach us much. As someone living on an orchard and married to a life-long farmer, I assure you this book is thought provoking in how we manage our land and the practice of modern farming. Our soil is so depleted due to wind erosion and heavy chemicals that I fear we will be a great desert for sure in the future, stretching north to the Dakotas and south to Texas, west to Colorado and east to Kentucky.
A MUST HAVE>
6 people found this helpful
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El Che
4.0 out of 5 stars A rare jewel
Reviewed in the United States on July 20, 2017
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This is an excellent book, I can't recommend it enough for Agriculture enthusiasts. A jewel from 1911.
This edition seems to be taken directly from an old version, with no change in format or layout I find the type a bit ugly and unclear, also the paper is too thin, so you can see thorough a little.

In a time where we need to go 'back to the future' probably the first place we need to start digging is the far east and this book does exactly that, in the early 20th century. A legacy left by the visionary author.

Overall a worth purchase, I ignore if there are newer or better printed versions of it.
6 people found this helpful
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Bamboochik
5.0 out of 5 stars Permaculture at it's finest!
Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2010
Verified Purchase
These Asian farmers were accomplishing something eons ago that the new Permaculture movement is striving for now. Why did things ever change? Big Chemical Demons stepped in and turned things around for a profit and our government has allowed it to grow till we are all poisoned by the air we breathe to the water we drink, to the food we eat. It is time to step back...

When you read the simplistic yet exacting ways that the earliest of farmers in Asian countries grew food and raised their meat/milk animals it is amazing. Everyone worked together to accomplish great things. Hard work was the norm and realized as a necessity to survival. In our day and age, it is just the opposite as man strives to get out of working hard for his "daily bread". Shame! Shame! Shame!

This book is for anyone interested in Permaculture, organic gardening, and sustainable living. After you read it all will make sense and you might just get on the bandwagon and help stop the chemical onslaught we are all exposed to on a daily basis.

Read and learn...
17 people found this helpful
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r
5.0 out of 5 stars Going back to the past to plan right for the future
Reviewed in the United States on September 19, 2015
Verified Purchase
If you want to know how the Chinese did it- grew successive crops on the same small amount of ground without any of our "modern" pesticides and chemicals then you'll be enlightened by this book. The author spent time in many eastern countries in the early 20th century studying their methods for enriching their soil and getting the utmost from every bit of ground. The Chinese had 40 centuries of incredible agricultural success behind them and their government managed to destroy it all in less than 50 years. This book should be required reading for all of us (including the modern Chinese person ) on how to do it right. It takes thought, planning, and a lot of hard physical work to create good soil and good healthy crops but those things are also what produce healthy good physical humans, too.
8 people found this helpful
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Andrew Schwerin
3.0 out of 5 stars Some ideas.
Reviewed in the United States on February 24, 2013
Verified Purchase
This has been on my wish list for 2 years, and though it had some good ideas and some nice black and white pictures, it was hardly more than a taste of Oriental farming techniques. I didn't realize that the book had been written a 100 years ago. One lady went on a little tour of these countries and wrote a book about it. Still good, but not great.
One person found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book!
Reviewed in the United States on March 6, 2023
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Great book, fast delivery
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Top reviews from other countries

Thomas Visser
5.0 out of 5 stars This is a very old book with black and white ...
Reviewed in Canada on December 5, 2017
Verified Purchase
This is a very old book with black and white photographs. It was originally published in 1911. It is borderline disturbing in terms of how much suffering farmers were exposed to before the modern era. It is a reference book for serious gardeners and students of agriculture, not so much in terms of techniques but in terms of where we came from as modern human beings. The so called primitives came up with sustainable agricultural techniques that have lasted for up to 40 centuries. Are we so sure that we can do that in North America?
One person found this helpful
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Ricardo
4.0 out of 5 stars We could learn many lessons from this book.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 21, 2015
Verified Purchase
A great first hand account documenting organic agriculture as practiced in the far east over a hundred years ago before artificial fertilisers were invented. There are many lessons that could be learned by todays farmers.
2 people found this helpful
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