410 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Sept. 



come a private citizen on the banks of the Potomac ; 

 and under the shadow of my own \ine and my own 

 fig-tree, free from the bustle of a camp, and the busy 

 scenes of ])ubHc Hfe, I am solacing myself \\ith those 

 tranquil enjoyments, of which the soldier, who is 

 ever m pursuit of fame, the statesman, whose watch- 

 ful days and sleepless nights are spant in dedsing 

 schemes to promote the welfare of his ovm, per- 

 haps the ruin of other countries, as if this globe 

 were insufficient for us all, and the courtier, who is 

 always watcliing the countenance of his prince, m 

 hopes of catching a gracious smile, can have very 

 little conception. I have not only retired from all 

 public employments, but I am retiring within my- 

 self, and shall be able to \ievf the soUtary walk, and 

 tread the paths of private Ufe, with a heartfelt satis- 

 faction. Envious of none, I am determined to be 

 pleased with all ; and this, my dear friend, being the 

 order of my march, I will move gently down the 

 stream of hfe, until I sleep with my fathers." 



The Mount Vernon estates consisted of five 

 fiirms — Mansion House Farm ; Union Farm ; Dogue 

 Run Farm ; Muddy Hole Farm, and River Farm ; 

 — containing in all over 3500 acres of arable land, 

 besides large tracts of woodland. Washington em- 

 ployed lus talent as a practical surveyor in dividing 

 these farms into regular fields, Avhich were all num- 

 bered, and their area of acres ascertained. 



Field-books were prepared, in which \«th his 0A\-n 

 hands, were placed nicely-drawn plans and charts of 

 the farms and their subdivision into fields. He care- 

 ftUly studied a rotation of crops best adapted to his 

 lands, and varjing on the difierent farms and fields 

 of a farm, to suit then- respective pecuHarities of soil ; 

 and by various practical trials and observation of re- 

 sults, at length estabhshed a system of cropping 

 which was adhered to, with but slight variations, 

 through life. Tables were prepared of the rotation 

 of crops to be practiced on each field, and showing 

 what particidar crop was to be cultivated on a given 

 field for years ahead ; underneath the table of crops, 

 was another stating the probable average time neces- 

 sary for plowing, harrowing, planting and sowing, the 

 cost of after cultivation, of harvesting ; then below 

 an estimate of the probable average product, and the 

 proceeds above the cost of each crop ; and a note at 

 the foot of the page, explained briefly wherein that 

 particular rotation of crops was best adapted to the 

 field on which it was practiced. He availed himself of 

 M every means at command for increasing the quantity 

 of manures, by raising rich mud from the bed of 

 creeks running through the estates, by digging mud 

 from the swamps and marshy places, by the gather- 

 ing of leaves and all waste vegetable substances, car- 

 rying the materials to the yards and pens to be 

 mingled with the manure. He also experimented 

 •with various green crops, plowed under for fertiUz- 

 ing the land, and estabhshed the practice of plow- 

 ing in two crops of buckwheat in one season, turn- 



ing them down when in blossom, and sowing wheat 

 on the land in the fall. 



Wasliington's agricultural correspondence during 

 the period of retirement after the close of the war 

 is very interesting, and shows the ardor with wiiich 

 he engaged in farming. My hmits will not allow 

 me to go much into this view of liim, but I can- 

 not forbear show ing a httle of it. 



In a letter to a friend, Sept. 20, 1785, he re- 

 marks, "that he has long been convinced that the 

 bed of the Potomac before liis door contains an in- 

 exhaustible fund of manure ; and that if he could 

 adopt an easy, simple and expeditious method of 

 raising and taking it to the land, it might be con- 

 verted to useful purposes." He then inquires with 

 particularity about a machine recently invented, 

 which his friend knows all about, and which he 

 thinks may be adapted to his purpose for raising 

 the mud into scows, in which it could be floated to 

 the shore. 



He frequently corresponds with Arthur Young, 

 of England, who had kindly ofiered to supj)ly him 

 with men for his farming and gardening, with cat- 

 tle, implements and tools, seeds and books, or any- 

 thing else that might contribute to his wants and 

 his rural amusements. Washington often remarks 

 to his correspondent, upon the satisfaction he de- 

 rives from his pursuits at Mount Vernon, and gen- 

 erally requests seeds, books and implements to be sent 

 to him. In one letter he orders two plows of the 

 most approved construction, and suitable for two 

 horses, and remarks thht he has been using the 

 Rotherham jmtent plow from England, and likes it 

 much ; he also orders a great variety of seeds, and 

 inquires for suitable Enghsh and Scotch farmers to 

 manage liis laborers and stock at Mount Vernon ; 

 also desires fi-om Mr. Young a plan of the most 

 complete and useful farm-j-ard, comprehending 

 barns and every appurtenance witli which he is fa- 

 miliar. In a subsequent letter acknowiedging re- 

 ceipt of the articles ordered, he remarks "that 

 the plows have been tried and are satisfactory', and 

 that the plan of a farm-yard and buildings sent is 

 an excellent one, and he is already preparing mate- 

 rials to build agreeable to the plan." He further 

 remarks upon the need of improvement in the 

 farming in Virginia, and tliinks that the system 

 of husbandry which has been found so beneficial in 

 Great Britain, and which must have been greatly 

 promoted by Mr. Young's "Annals of Agriculture," 

 is gaining ground around him ; and states that 

 there are several, among whom he classes himself, 

 who are endeavoring to get into a regular and sys- 

 tematic course of manuring and cropping, and hopes 

 that in a few years more they will "niiike a more 

 respectable figure as farmers than they have hither- 

 to done." 



To Wm. Strickland, of England, he remarks : 

 "The agriculture of this country is indeed low ; and 



