386 



F A R M E R S' REGISTER. 



[No. 7 



the shearing of 1789, the fleeces yielded me the 

 average quantity of 5^lbs. of wool ; a fleece of 

 which, promiscuously taken, 1 sent to Mr. Arthur 

 Young, who put it, for examination, into the hands 

 of manufacturers. These pronounced it to be 

 equal in quality to the Kentish wool. In this same 

 year, i. <?. 1789, I was again called from home, and 

 have not had it in my power since to pay any at- 

 tention to my farm ; the consequence of whu^h is, 

 that my sheep, at the last shearing, yielded me 

 not more than 2^1bs. This is not a single instance 

 of the difl'erence between care and neglect. Nor 

 is the difference between good and bad manatije- 

 ment confined to that species of stock ; for we find 

 that good pastures and proper attention, can, and 

 does, fill our markets with beef of seven, eifjht 

 and more hundred weight, the four quarters ; 

 whereas from 450 to 500 (especially in the states 

 south of this, where less attention hitherto has been 

 paid to grass,) may be found about the average 

 weight. In this market, some bullocks were kill- 

 ed in the months of March and April last, the 

 weights of which, as taken from the accounts 

 which were published at the time, you will find 

 in a paperenclosed. These were pampered steers, 

 but Irom 800 to 1000 lbs. the four quarters, is no 

 uncommon weight. 



Your general history of sheep, with observations 

 thereon, and the proper mode of manaffinir them, 

 will be an interesting work when completed; and 

 with the information, and accuracy, I am persua- 

 ded it will be executed under your auspices, must 

 be extremely desirable. The climate of this coun- 

 try, particularly that of the middle states, is con- 

 genial to this species of animal; but want of atten- 

 tion to them in most farmers, added to the obsta- 

 cles which prevent the importation of a better kind, 

 by men who would be at the expense, contributes 

 not a little to the present inferiority we experi- 

 ence. 



Mr. Edwards would have it as much in his pow- 

 er as most of our Itirmers, to solve the queries you 

 propounded to him : in addition to which, a gen- 

 tleman of my acquaintance (who is also among 

 the best farmers of this country,) to whom I save 

 the perusal of your propositions, has favored me 

 with some ideas on the subject, as you will find on 

 a paper, herewith enclosed. 



The sample you were so obliging as to put into 

 the hands of Mr. Lear, for me, of a Scotch fab- 

 ric, is extremely elegant, and I pray you to ac- 

 cept my thanks for it, as I entreat you also to do 

 for the civilities shown to that gentleman, who has 

 a grateful sense of them. 



Both Mr. Adams, and Mr. Jefferson, had the 

 perusal of the papers which accompanied your 

 note of the 11th of September. 



With great respect and esteem, 

 I have the honor to be, sir, 



Your obedient servant, 



G. Washington. 



Philadelphia, lOth July, 1795. 

 Sir: 



I could not omit so favorable an opportunity, as 

 the departure of Mr. Strickland afl^ords me, of 

 presenting my best respects to you ; and my sin- 

 cere thanks for the views of agriculture in the dif- 

 ferent counties of Great Britain, which you have 

 had the goodness tosend me; and for the diploma, 

 (received by the hands of Mr. Jay) admitting me 



a foreign honorary member of the Board of Agri- 

 culture. 



For this testimony of the attention of that body, 

 and tor the honor it has conferred on me, I have a 

 hii^h sense; in communicating of which to the 

 Board, I shall rely more upon your goodness than 

 on any expression of mine to render it acceptable. 



From the first intimation you were pleased to 

 ijive me of this institution, I conceived the most 

 favorable ideas of its utility ; and the more I have 

 seen, and reflected on the plan since, the more con- 

 vinced I am of its importance, in a national point 

 of view, not only to your own country, but to all 

 others which are not too much attached to old and 

 bad habits to forsake them, and to new countries 

 that arejiiM beginning to form systems for the im- 

 provements of their husbandry. 



Mr. Strickland has not been idle since he came 

 to this country. To him, therefore, for a descrip- 

 tion of the climate — the soil — the agriculture, and 

 the improvements generally; the modes of car- 

 rying them on — the produce of the land — the 

 drauiiht cattle — domestic animals — and the farm- 

 ing implements which are used by our people in 

 the eastern and middle states, through which he 

 has passed, I shall refer you. Nothing; I believe, 

 has escaped his observation that merited notice. 



You will add to the obligations already confer- 

 red on me, by directing your bookseller to sup|)ly 

 me regularly with all such proceedings of the 

 Board, as are intended tor the public; and when 

 they are in a fit state for it, that they may be neat- 

 ly bound. To this request, I pray he may be de- 

 sired to add the cost, which shall be paid at sight, 

 to his order here, or remitted to him as may be 

 most convenient and agreeable to himself. 

 * » * * « « * 



[Note. — The remainder of this letter, was mere- 

 ly a conclusion in the usual terms, and is wanting, 

 having been cut oH" and iiiven to a gentleman, 

 who requested it, as a particular favor, "there be- 

 ing nothing, he declared, he wished lor more, thim 

 to have in his possession a specimen ofthe hand- 

 writing and above all, the sijrnature of the illus- 

 trious Washiniiton." John Sinclair.] 



London, 10th Feb. 1800. 



Philadelphia, 20ih February, 1796. 



Sir: 



When I last had the honor of writing to you, I 

 had hopes, though I must conless they were not 

 ofthe most sanguine sort, that I should have been 

 enabled ere this, to have given you a more satis- 

 factory account of the business you had been 

 pleased to conmiit to me than will be conveyed in 

 this letter. 



Doubts having arisen, from peculiar calls on 

 the treasury of this country for money, (occa- 

 sioned by the expenses of our wars with the In- 

 dians, the redemption of our captives at Algiers, 

 obtaining peace with that regency and Morocco, 

 together with other demands, in addition to the 

 ordinary expenditures of government), that funds 

 with difficulty would be provided to answer them, 

 without imposing additional taxes ; a measure 

 wished to be avoided. I was constrained (after 

 consulting one or two influential members of the 

 legislature), fi-om introducing your plan for a con- 

 tribution: and, under these circumstances, I avoid- 

 ed communicatintr the "Extracts from the Minutes 

 of the Proceedings of the Board of Agriculture, 



