Tree Crops, A Permanent Agriculture
by J. Russell Smith

Download

Author J. Russell Smith (1874-1966) travelled widely and shares his insights and research into agro-forestry, describing how trees such as carob, honey locust, persimmon, mulberry, oaks and pecans can be used to enrich the land and the people and animals dependent on it.

This is a bit of a rarity in alternative agriculture books: well documented, evidence based assertions. While promulgating the idea that we need to move more to tree-crop supported agriculture, Smith gives average yields, processing tips, climactic considerations, cost analysis (a bit dated since it was written in 1929), and examples of success. Too often in this kind of book you read bare assertions without data. Granted, given Smith's job working for the USDA, data and examples are to be expected, but it is no less pleasing to see.