These recollections of farming and rural life near Barnstaple, north Devon, cover the 1940s and 50s when agriculture, though it was changing, was still on a human scale. From the time the author as a twelve-year-old first stooked corn in the harvest field he was devoted to farming. He absorbed what was going on and is able to recall it in detail. His later life as a university lecturer in agricultural engineering and farm mechanization has helped him put his memories into a wider context.

The book includes chapters on corn harvesting, the potato harvest, horse power, early tractor power, the seasonal activities, the milk round and farmsteads. The text focuses on north Devon and the accompanying photographs are true to the region and period.