THE PRESIDENTS' GARDENS 145 



in Philadelphia who was collecting constantly and 

 energetically, many things also were purchased; for in 

 every part of his estate the General was keen for the 

 latest and best. 



To William Pearce who came as superintendent of 

 the place late in 1793, he expresses this feeling, 

 especially in regard to tools and implements: "As I 

 am never sparing (with proper seconomy) in furnish- 

 ing my Farms with any, and every kind of Tool and 

 Implement that is calculated to do good and neat work, 

 I not only authorize you to bring the kind of ploughs 

 you were speaking to me about, but any others the 

 utility of which you have proved from your own ex- 

 perience, — ^particularly a kind of hand rake which Mr. 

 Stuart tells me are used on Eastern Shore of Maryland 

 in lieu of Hoes for Com at a certain state of its growth 

 — and a Scythe and Cradle different from those used 

 with us, and with which the grain is laid much better. 

 — In short I shall begrudge no reasonable expense that 

 will contribute to the improvement and neatness of 

 my Farms; — for nothing pleases me better than to 

 see them in good order, and everything trim, handsome 

 and thriving about them; — ^nor anything hurts me 

 more than to find them otherwise, and the tools and 

 implements laying wherever they were last used, ex- 

 posed to injuries from Rain, sun &ct." 



Surely here, in the midst of this sort of activity 



