The Agricultural Papers of George Washington 39 



The fifth volume of the &quot; Annals,&quot; which was committed 

 to the care of Mr. Athawes for me, did not come to hand till 

 some time after I had received the sixth. 



The quantity of sainfoin, which you sent me, was fully suf 

 ficient to answer my purpose; I have sown part of it, but 

 find that it comes up very thin; which is likewise the case 

 with the winter wheat, and some other seeds which I have 

 sown. 



I have a high opinion of beans, as a preparation for wheat, 

 and shall enter as largely upon the cultivation of them next 

 year, as the quantity of seed I can procure will admit. 



I am very glad that you did not engage a ploughman for 

 me at the high wages which you mention; for I agree with 

 you, that that single circumstance, exclusive of the others 

 which you enumerate, is sufficiently objectionable. I have 

 tried the ploughs which you sent me, and find that they an 

 swer the description which you gave me of them ; this is con 

 trary to the opinion of almost every one, who saw them be 

 fore they were used; for it was thought their great weight 

 would be an insuperable objection to their being drawn by 

 two horses. 



I am now preparing materials to build a barn precisely 

 agreeable to your plan, which I think an excellent one. Be 

 fore I undertake to give the information you request, re 

 specting the arrangements of farms in this neighborhood, I 

 must observe, that there is, perhaps, scarcely any part of 

 America, where farming has been less attended to than in 

 this State. The cultivation of tobacco has been almost the 

 sole object with men of landed property, and consequently a 

 regular course of crops has never been in view. The gen 

 eral custom has been, first to raise a crop of Indian corn 

 (maize), which, according to the mode of cultivation, is a 

 good preparation for wheat ; then a crop of wheat ; after 



