1837] 



FARMERS' REGISTER 



S87 



respecting Mr. Elkincrton's mode of draining," ] 

 &o. except to one gentlcmiin only, in vvlioni I liad | 

 entire coiifiilence, luui who I knew was always j 

 disposed to promote measures ol' utility. Thcso. i 

 being the grouiuls ot' my proceeding, I shall ho[)e, ; 

 although your expectations may be liisappoiuleci, ; 

 you will receive the inlormation as an evidence oi" 

 my candor. 



Agreeably to your desire, I have put the "out- 

 lines ol' the 15tli chapter of the [iroposed General 

 Report irom the Board of Agriculture, on the sub- 

 ject ot" manures," into the hands of one of the 

 most judicious liirniers within my reach, and when 

 his observations thereon are received, they shall be 

 transmitted to you. I wish my own engagements 

 would allow me time to attend, more than I do, to 

 these agreeble and useful pursuits; but having 

 been absent from what I consider my proper home 

 (except on short occasional visists) for more than 

 seven years; and having entered into my 65th 

 year, aperiod which requires tranquillity and ease, 

 I have come to a determination to lease the farms 

 of my Mount Vernon estate, except the mansion- 

 house larm, and a grazing one, three miles olf, 

 wh.ich I shall retain in my own occupation lor 

 amusement, whilst lile and health is dispensed to 

 me. And as many larmers from your country 

 have emigrated to this, and many more, according 

 to their accounts, are desirous of Ibllowinu;, if they 

 know beforehand where and on what terms they 

 could fix themselves compactly in a healthy and 

 populous country, I have taken the liberty to en- 

 close you the copy of a notification which I have 

 published in some of the gazettes of the Uniteil 

 States; that in case any farmer answering the 

 descriptions therein contained are about to trans- 

 plant themselves, to whom you might be inclined 

 to give the infornialion, that you may have it in 

 your power to do so. But let me en'reat you, sir, 

 to believe, that I have no wish to its promulgation 

 farther than I have declared; that I have no in- 

 tention to invite emigrants, even if there are no 

 restrictive acts aijainst it — and even if there be, 

 that I am opposed to it altoaether. 



As wheat is (he staple produce of that part of 

 the country in which this estate lies, I shall fix 

 the rent therein, at a bushel and a half for every 

 acre of arable land contained v.-ithin the lease; to 

 be discharged, in case of fiiilure of that crop, at 

 the price the article bears in the market. 



I have but little expectation that arrantrements 

 will be made by the time limited, for givintr pos- 

 session of the liirms next year; nor should I wish 

 to do it with such unskillul tiirmers as ours, if there 

 was a prospect of obtaining them from any other 

 country, where husbandry was better understood, 

 and more advantageously practised. It is time, 

 however, to conclude; for I leel ashamed at hav- 

 ing employed so much of it, in matters interesting 

 to myselfonly; and I shall do it with assurances 

 as sincere as they are warm, of beinir, sir, 

 Your most obedient and oblisjed servant, 



G. VVasuington. 



Sir John Sinclair, Bart. 



Philadelphia, 12th June, 1796. 

 Sir: 



A long and interesting session of congress, 

 which did not close until thefirst day of this month, 

 and the laws, which required to be carried into ex- 

 ecution promptly, will, I am persuaded, be admit- 



ted as a reasonable excuse for my not writing to 

 you since the 20th of February last, agreeably to 

 jissurances ihen given. But what apology can I 

 offer, n<nv that I am about to give you the result 

 of the inquiries you requested me to make, when 

 it will be found to fall so far short of what you 

 miirht have expected from the time which has 

 been taken to render it. 



Your wishes on this head, I communicated to 

 Richard Peters, esq. who is one of the most intel- 

 litrent and best practical as well as theoretical far- 

 mers we have; with a desire that he would advise 

 with others, and condense their observations in a 

 summary statement. 



Why this was not done, and why he could do 

 no more, you will find in his own original letter, 

 with the questions and answers therein enclosed. 



To Mr. Peters's experience with respect to gyp- 

 sum as a manure, let me add the following as an 

 unequivocal evidence; that it has no effect on stiff 

 heavy land that does not absorb or permit the wa- 

 ter on the surface occasioned by superabundant 

 falls of rain or snow to penetrate quickly; which 

 is the case generally with the soil of my estate at 

 Mount Vernon. The experiment and proof to 

 which 1 alluded, were made eight or nine years_ 

 atro; at the rate of from one to twenty bushels of 

 the plaster paris to the acre, (among other things 

 to ascertain the just quantum to be used). I 

 spread it on grass grounds and on ploughed land; 

 on the latter,'part of it was ploughed in; part har- 

 rowed, part scratched in with a light bush, while 

 another part lay undisturbed on the surface; all 

 with oats in the spring. But it had no more ei- 

 (i^ct in any instance then, or since, than so much 

 of t!;e earth it was spread over would have had, 

 if it had been taken up and spread again. 

 I have the honor to be. sir, &c. 



G. Washington. 



Sir John Sinclair. 



Philadelphia, March 6th, 1797. 

 Sir: 



On the llth of December, 1 wrote you a long 

 letter; and intended before the close of the last 

 session of congress, (which ended on the third in- 

 stant, conformably to the constitution,) to have ad- 

 dressed you again; but oppressed as I was with 

 the various occurrences incident thereto, especial- 

 ly in the latter part of it, it has not been in my 

 power to do so during its continuance ; and now, 

 the arranfjemenfs necessary to my departure from 

 this city, for a more tranquil theatre, and for the 

 indulgence of rural pursuits, will oblige me to sus- 

 pend my purpose until I am fixed at Mount Ver- 

 non, where I expect soon to be ; having resigned 

 the chair of government to Mr. John x\dams, 

 on Friday last ; the day on which I completed my 

 second four years' administration. 



Under the circumstances here mentioned, I 

 should not have troubled you, at this time, with so 

 short a letter, but lor the purpose of accompany- 

 ing it with two or three pamphlets on the subject 

 of agriculture ; one of which treats more exten- 

 sively on gypsum as a manure, than any I have 

 seen before. The other two will only serve to 

 show, that essays of a similar kind are making 

 in this infant country. 



I am sorry to add that nothing final in con- 

 gress, has been decided respecting the institution 

 of a national Board of Agriculture, recommended 



