#jonathan periam

~ The Home and Farm Manual; A New and Complete Pictorial Cyclopedia of Farm, Garden, Household, Architectural, Legal, Medical and Social Information, by Hon. Jonathan Periam, 1884

#Feathursday Chickens!!

Today we present wood engravings of wild and domestic landfowl from The Farmer’s Stock Book by the noted Illinois horticulturalist and farm-publication author and editor Jonathan Periam, published in Chicago by H.R. Page & Co. in 1885. The stock book, “a manual on the breeding, feeding, management and care of live stock, and common sense treatment and prevention of diseases of farm animals,” dedicates 26 of its 390+ pages to poultry, which includes numerous wood engravings by various artists and engravers from America and England.  

In fact, the entire book is replete with wood engraved illustrations, which would have made this book rather valuable at the time. The author explains that the engravings --

add immensely to the expense of the work, when single illustrations often cost into the hundreds of dollars, but if by these means the reader can see at a glance, what would take pages of written matter, the buyer will not grudge the increased price of the book, and for the reason that what would otherwise be dull reading becomes a pleasure, and the mind permanently retains what the eye has taught.

Huzzah for wood engravings!

~ The Home and Farm Manual; Hon. Jonathan Periam, 1884