Southern sentinel. [volume] (Plaquemine, Parish of Iberville [La.]) 1848-1858, 1852-02-07
Aricultlrai Letter from Gels9E
Washington. -
From the Cheraw (S. c. Gazette

friend for the following valuable document
valuable not only because Of the reyered
source from which it emanates, but because
it affords many excellent lessons from noble
and practical farmer. 1t is, too, strongly char
ac'eristic of the American hero. We see here
the exercise in private life of the attention to
detail, that infexble devotion to order and dis
cpline, which SO eminently marked 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 indomitabe energy had given Free
! dom to 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
hOrroWs and cultivators in the culture of his
| corn. This we have been accustomed to plume
ourselves upon as a much more modern inyen.
ton.
The letter, directed to his overseers, is ta-
ken from the manuscript copy in Washington's
| own handwriting, and, as we are informed, now
appears in print for the first time
PHILADELPHIA, July ii, 1893.
Gentlemen: 1t being indispensably neces-
sary that l should have some person at Mount
Vernon through whom can communicate my
orders, who will see that those orders are ex-
ecuted, or, if not obeyed who will inform me why
they are not; who will receive the weekly re-
ports, and transmit them; receive money and pay
it; and in general to do those things which do
not appertain to any individual overseer, have
sent my nephew, Mr. Howell Lewis, (who lives
with me here0 to attend to them until can pro-
vide manager of established reputation in
these matters. You will, therefore, pay due
regard to such directions as you may receive
from him, considering them as coming imme-
diately from myself But that you may have
a general knowledge of what | expect from
you shall convey the following views which,
have of the business committed to your charge,
as it appears to me, as am pesuaded nothing
consistent Herewith will be ordered by Mr.
Lewis without 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 clean and well ploughed, yet,
because not only the goodness of that crop de-
pends upon such management but also the
wheat crop which is to succeed it, cannot for
bear urging the propriety and necessity of the
measure in very strong terms.
3D. The wheat is to be got into the barns or
into stacks as soon as it can be done with
any sort of convenience, that it may not (espe-
cially wheat, which is subject to injury by bad
weather) sustain loss in shocks; and because
the shattered grain in fields may be beneficial
to the stock; but no hogsare to be put on stub
blehelds in which grass seeds were sowE last
fall, winter, or spring; other stock, however,
may be turned on them, as it is roofing that
would be prejudcal.
g. The whole swamp, from the road from
Manley's bridge up to the lane leading to the
new barn, is to be got into the best and most
complete order for sowing grass seeds in August
or at the furthest by the middle Of Sep
tember. The lowest and wettest part thereof
is to be sown with timothy seed alone. All
the other parts of it are to be sown with timo.'
thy and clover seeds mixed The swamp on
the other side of the aforesaid lane) now in corn
and oats) is to be kept in the best possible or
der, that the part not already sown with grass
seeds may receive them either this autumn Gas
soon as the corn can be taken off with safety
or in the spring, as circumstances shall die
tate. * sf@5@ q e7'7s8 S@@s.
No exertions or pains are to be spared at
Dague run to get the swamp from Manleys,
bridge up to the meadow above, and the two
enclosures in the mill swamp in the highest or
der for grass, to be sown in the time &c. as
above mentioned; but that no more may be at
tempted 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 answer to work
in The low parts best, whilst the higher grounds
may be worked at any time. 3< .7ss
lst Begin with the swamp from Maniey's
bridge upwards, and get all that is not already
in grass we'll prepared for it, and indeed sown.
I'd. That part of the low meadow on the mill
run which lies between the old bed oft and the
race and within the fences. Sd. After this is
lrr 4alro hat boE kI. nkn
(Which was in corn last year, lying between the
ditch and fence number l, up and downt to cross
fences 4th. Then go over the ditch and pre-
pare slpe after slipe as the ditch runs from the
one cross fence to the other, and continue to
do this as long as the season will be good or
the seed can be sown with propriety and safety.
, / conceive that the only way to get these
grounds in good ORDER and with expedition is
to give them one good ploughing and then to
tear them to pieces with heavy harrows Whe-
ther it be necessary to cut down and take off
the weeds previous to these workings can be
decided better by experiments Oh 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 meadows
will always be foul, much grass left in them,
and many seythes broken in cutting what is Ia
ken off. J > ft@ 'et s85'.
{ u H4th The buckwheat which has been sown
for manure, ought to be ploughed in the mo-
ment suffieieney of seed is ripe to stock the
ground second time; otherwise, so far from
its answering the purpose of manure, it will be-
come an exhauster. For this reason, If the
ploughs belonging to the farm are unable to
turn it in time, those of Muddy hole, Dague
run. and Union farm must combine to do it, the
work to be repaired by the farm which receives
the benefitas soon as the work is accomplished
thereat. s5 .gsasla@aaa
9TH. 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