Smallfarms and nofarms

Press, 29 July 1989, Page 22

Smallfarms and nofarms

Practical Smallfarming in New Zealand. By Trisha Fisk. Heinemann Reed, 1989. 216 pp. Index. $29.95 (paperback). (Reviewed by Glyn Strange) To smallfarm is to raise animals or crops on a few acres in the countryside, in search of selfsufficiency, peace, quiet, or (for Christchurch people) fresh air. This book is for smallfarmers who are just beginning and are in need of a helping hand. It is also for nofarmers who have their dreams but no land as yet. The author grew up on a farm, gained a B.A. and Diploma of Journalism, and served as an agricultural journalist before becoming a smallfarmer in Hokianga. She is thus well qualified to instruct

others. This she does in a friendly, matter-of-fact style. She has written a practical manual for realists, not a poetic stimulus for dreaming goodlifers. More than half of it is concerned with animal care on the grounds that innocent beasts should not suffer at the hands of dumb humans. Rabbits, those fluffy little pets, can suffer from coccidiosis, enteritis, fleas, furballs, mastitis, mites, sore hocks, snuffles and weepy eyes, and it is important to know how to help them if they do. Ms Fisk covers everything from ramming a fence to fencing a ram, from the humble tick to the Jersey/ Friesian cross. An essential buy for those engaged in or contemplating entering country life in a small way.