226 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



JA.\-. IS, 



AGRICULTURAL LETTER FRO.M GEN. 

 WASHINGTON. 



We are indebted to llie kindness of an old friend 

 for the following valunblo document; valuable not 

 only because of tlie revered source from which it 

 emanates, but because it affords many excellent 

 lessons from an able and practical farmer : it is 

 strongly charactori.stic of the American hero. We 

 see here the exercise in private life of that atten- 

 tion to detail, that inflexible devotion to order and 

 discipline, which so eminently njark the public 

 character of Washington. No one can read this 

 letter without seeing at once that the writer was 

 an industrious, sound, practical farmer. He whose 

 indomitable energy gave freedom to a world, did 

 not esteem the most minute details of agriculture 

 unworthy his attention. 



It will probably surprise the reader to find Gen. 

 Washington insisting upon the use of harrows and 

 cultivators in the cultivation of his corn ; this we 

 have been accustomed to plume ourselves upon as 

 a much more modern invention. 



This letter, directed to his overseers, is taken 

 from the manuscript copy in Washington's own 

 hand-writing, and as we are informed, now appears 

 in print for tlie first time. — Southern Planter. 



rhiladelphia, ]4th July, 1793. 



Gentlemf.n — It being indispensably necessary 

 that I should have some person at Mount Vernon 

 through whom I can communicate my orders ; 

 who will see that tiiese orders are executed ; or, if 

 not obeyed, who will inform me why they are not ; 

 who will receive the weekly reports and transmit 

 them ; receive money and pay it ; and in general 

 to do those things which do not appertain to any 

 individual overseer. — I have sent my nephew, IVIr 

 Howell Lewis, (who lives with me here) to attend 

 to them until I can provide a manager of estab- 

 lished reputation in these matters. You will there- 

 fore pay due regard to sui;h directions as you may 

 receive from him, considering them as coming im- 

 mediately from myself. But that you also may 

 have a general knowledge of what I expect from 

 you, 1 shall convey the following view (which I 

 have of the business committed to your charge,) 

 as it appears to me, and direct you to govern your- 

 selves by it ; as I am persuaded nothing inconsist- 

 ent therewith will be ordered by Mr Lewis, with- 

 out authority from me to depart from it. 



1st. Although it is almost needless to remark 

 that the corn ground at the farm you overlook, ought 

 to be kept perfectly clean and well plowed — vet, 

 because not only the goodness of that crop depends 

 upon such management, but also t!ie wheat crop 

 which is to succeed it, I cannot forbear urging the 

 propriety and necessity of the measure in very 

 strong ternjs. 



2d. The wheat is to be got into the barns or in- 

 to stacks as soon as it can be done with any sort 

 of convenience, that it may not (especially the 

 bearded wheat, which is subject to injury. by wet 

 weather,) sustain loss in shocks; and because the 

 shattered grain in the fields may be beneficial to 

 the stock. I5ut no hogs are to be put on stubble 

 fields in which grass seeds were sown last fall, 

 winter, or spring; other stock, however, maybe 

 turned on them, as it is rooting that would be pre- 

 judicial. 



3d. The whole swamp from the road from Man- 

 ley's bridge up to the lane leading to the new barn, 

 is to be gut into the best and most complete order 

 for sowing grass seeds in August — or, at farthest 



by the middle of September. The lowest and wet- 

 est part thereof is to be sown with timothy seed 

 alone. All the other parts of it are to be sown 

 with timothy and clover seeds mixed. The swamp 

 on the other side of the aforesaid lane, (now in corn 

 and oats,) is to bo kept in the best possible order, 

 that the part not already sown with grass seeds, 

 may receive them either this autumn (as soon as 

 the corn can be taken off with safely,) or in the 

 spring, ag circumstances shall dictate. 



No exertion or pains are to be spared at Dague- 

 run to get the swamp from JNlanley's bridge up to 

 the meadow above, and the two enclosures in the 

 mill swamp, in the highest order for grass, to be 

 sown in the time and -manner above mentioned. 

 But that no more may be attempted than can be 

 executed well, proceed in the following order with 

 them accordingly as the weather may happen to be, 

 for this must be consulted, as dry weather will an- 

 swer to work in the low parts best, whilst the high- 

 er grounds may be worked at any time. 



1st. Begin with the swamp from Manley's bridge 

 upwards, and get all that is not already in grass 

 well prepared for it, and indeed sown. 2d. That 

 part of the lower meadow on the mill run, wh ili 

 lies between the old bed of it and the race, and 

 within the fences. 3d. After this is done, take 

 that part in the enclosure above (which was in corn 

 last year,) lying between the ditch and fence of 

 No. 4, up and down to the cross fences. 4lh. Then 

 go over the ditch and prepare slipe after slipe, as 

 the ditch runs from the one cross fence to the oth- 

 er, and continue to do this as long as the season 

 will be good, or the seed can be sown with propri- 

 ety and safety. 



I conceive that the only way to get these grounds 

 in good order and expedition is, to give them one 

 good plowing and then to tear them to pieces with 

 heavy harrows. Whether it be necessary to cut 

 down and take off the weeds previous to these 

 workings, can be decided better by experiments on 

 the spot than by reasoning on it at a distance. My 

 desire is that the ground shall be made perfectly 

 clean, and laid down smooth; without which mea- 

 dows '>vill always be foul — much grass left in 

 them, and many scythes broken in cutting what 

 is taken off. 



4th. The buckwheat which has been sown for 

 manure, ought to be plowed in the moment a sufli- 

 ciency of seed is ripe to stock the ground a sec(jnd 

 time ; otherwise, so far from its answering the pur- 

 pose of manure. It will become an exhauster. For 

 this reason, if the plows belonging to the farm are 

 unable to turn it in in time, those of Muddy hole, 

 Dague-run, and Union farm, must combine to do it, 

 the work to be repaid by the farm which receives 

 the benefit, as soon as the work is accomplished 

 thereat. 



5th. Where clover and timothy seeds are mixed 

 and sown together, allow five pints of the first and 

 three of the latter to the acre ; and where timothy 

 only is sown, allow four quarts to the acre. Let 

 the seed be measured in the proportions here allot- 

 ted, and put into a half bushel, and the half bushel 

 filled with sand or dry earth, and extremely well 

 mixed together in your own presence or by your- 

 self, which will answer two good purposes, viz: 

 1st, to prevent theft, for seeds thus mixed would 

 not sell ; and 2dly, the seedsman being accustomed 

 to sow a busliel of wheat to ihu acre, would be at 

 no loss to cast a bu.^hel of this or any thing else, 

 regularly on that quantity of ground. 



Oth. It is expected tliat you will begin to sow 



i! 



wheat early in August, and in ground per 

 clean and well plowed, I would have, and i 

 cordingly direct, that not less than five pecks 

 seed be sown on each acre. The plan of the fai 

 over which you look is given to Mr Lewis, fn 

 which the contents of each field may be know 

 And it is my express direction that every watc 

 and the best attention may be given to see tl 

 this quantity actually is put in ; for 1 have stro 

 suspicions (but this ought not to be hinted to tliei 

 that the seedsmen help themselves to a pretty lar 

 toll. 



7th. As soon as you have done sowing, and ev 

 before, if it can be done conveniently, you are 

 set heartily about threshing or treading out 

 wheat ; and as fast as it is got out, to have i 

 livered at the mill or elsewhere, according to dirt 

 tions. The longer this business is delayed, l 

 more waste and embezzlement will there bo of t 

 crop. The wheat is to be well cleansed ; t 

 chaff and light wheat are to be properly taken Ci 

 of for the horses or other stock ; and the str 

 stacked and secured as it ought to be against wt 

 therand other injuries; and until the whole bee 

 livered, it will require your constant and close 

 tention. 



8th. The oats at the farm you overlook, art 

 presume, all cut; in that case, let all the scyth 

 and cradles, and rakes which you have receivi 

 be delivered over to the mansion house; or if y 

 choose to keep them against next harvest, y 

 must be responsible for them yourself. 



Oth. The presumption also is, that the flax 

 ere this, pulled ; let it be well secured, and a 

 proper season stripped of its seed and spread 

 rot. During this operation let it be often exam 

 ed, that it be not overdone, or receive injury in a 

 other respect by lying out too long. 



10th. Get the cleanest and best wheat for se 

 and that which is freest from onions. T would li: 

 about one-third of my whole crop sown with 

 common wheat ; one-third with the white ; and 

 other third with the yellow bearded wheat. 'J 

 overseers (with Davy, as he knows the state of 

 own farm and the quality of the wheat which grr 

 upon it,) may meet and decide among themsel 

 whether it would be best to have some of eaci 

 these sorts on every farm ; or, in order more eff 

 tually to prevent mixture, to have one sort only 

 a farm. In the latter case, the cutting of t 

 which ripens first, and so on, must be aceoinplisi 

 by the force of all the farms, insteail of each do 

 its own work. If the seed on one farm was to 

 sown on another, especially if seed which grew 

 a light soil was to be sown on a itiff one ; and t 

 which grew on a stiff one, sown on light grou 

 advantages would unquestionably result from it 



Ilth. The potatoes at the mansion house m 

 be worked by the plows from Union farm, and wl 

 this is required, it would be best, I conceive, to 

 complish the work in a day. 



]2th. It is expected that the fences will be mi 

 secure, and no damage permitted within them 

 creatures of any kind or belonging to any bod) 

 mine any more than others. 



13tli. The greatest attention is to be paid to 

 stocks of all kinds on the farms; and the most t 

 can be made of their manure and litter. They 

 to be counted regularly, that no false reports n 

 be made ; and mis.sing ones, if any, hunted for u 

 foun/1, or the manner of their going can be accou 

 ed for s.itisfactorily. 



14. A weekly report, as usual, is to be handed 



