M. G. (Maurice Grenville) Kains

Born in St. Thomas, Ontario, in 1868, Maurice Grenville Kains became a horticultural writer and consultant whose books focused on gardening, fruit growing, herbs, pruning, and small-scale farming. He wrote under the name M. G. Kains and built a reputation for turning technical growing knowledge into advice that ordinary readers could actually use.

Kains is best remembered for Five Acres and Independence, a practical guide to choosing and running a small farm that stayed influential long after its first publication. Listings of his work also show the wide range of his interests, including books on plant propagation, home fruit growing, pruning, and culinary herbs.

He died in 1946, but his writing still speaks to readers who want useful, no-nonsense guidance about working with the land. For listeners drawn to classic homesteading and gardening books, his work offers both period charm and plenty of ideas that still feel surprisingly current.