The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1875-10-15
WaShingtOn's Agricultural life,

The following extracts from Irying's Life
of Washington will be cherished bv every
enlightened and working farmer:
IA large Virginia estate in those DAYS a
little empire. The mansion house was the
seat of government, with its numerous de-
Tendencies, ssch as kitchens, smoke-housc,
workshops, and stables. In this mansion the
planter ruled supreme his steward, or over
seer, was his prime minister aud executive
officer; he had his legion of house negroes
for domestic service, and hs host of field
negroes for the culture of tobacco, Indian
corn and other crops, and for other ont of
door labor. Their quarters formed kind of
hamlet apart, composed Of various huts with
little gardens and poultry-yards, all we'll
stocked, and swarms Of little negroes gambol-
ing IN the sunshine. Then there were large
wooden ediiices for curing tobacco the staple
and most profitable production, and mills
for grinding wheat and Indian corn, of
which large fields were cultivated for the
supply of the family and the maintenance of
tne negroes. \ The Virginia
planters were prone to leave the care of
their estates too much to their overseers. and
to think personal labor a degration. Wash
ingtOn carried into his rural affairs the same
method, activity and circumspection that
distinguished him in military life. He kept
his own accounts, posted up his books, and
balanced them with mercantile exactness
We have examined them as well as his
diaries recording his daily occupations, and
his letter-books containing entries of shin.
ments of tobacco, and correspondence with
his London agents. They are monuments of
business habits.
"The products of his estate also became so
noted for the faithfulness, as to quality and
quantity with which they were put up, that
1t Is said any barrel Of -four which bore the
brand oi"Geo. Washington, Mount Vernon"
was exempt from the customary inspection
in the West India ports.
He was an early riser; often before day-
break, in the winter when the nights were
long. On such occasions he lit his own fire.
and wrote or read by candle-lght He
Dreakfasted at seven in summer, at eight in
winter, two small cups of tea and three or
four cakes of Indian meal (called hoe cake !
formed his frugal repast. Immediately after
breakfast he mounted his horse. and visited
those parts of the estate where any work was
going on, seeing to everything with his own
eyes, and often aiding with his own
hands.
Dinner was served at two o'clock. He
ate heartily, but was no epicure, nor critical
about his food. His beverage was sp al, beor
or cider,and two glasses of old Ma1ei,.a IT,
took tea, of which he was very fopd eorlv
In the evening, and retired for the night
about nine o'clock.
II confined to the house by ba d weather.
ne TOOK that occasion to arrange his psners
post up his accounts, or write letters. nossi,r
a part OF the time in reading, and OCCASION
ally reading aloud 10 the family.
HE treated his negroes with kindness. at
tehded TO their comforts, and was particular
ly careful Of them in sickness; but never
tolerated idleness, and exactcd faithful per-
iormance OF all their allotted tasks. He had
quick eye at calculating each mans capa-
biities. An entry in his diary gives a
curious instance Cf this. -Four of his ne
groes, employed as carpenters, were bewing
and shaping timber. 1t appeared to him. in
noticing the amount of work accomplished
between two succeeding mornings, that they
loitered at their labor. Sitting down quietly
he timed their operations How long il
TOOK them to get their cross-cut saw and other
Implements ready; how long to clear away
the branches from the trunk of fallen tree.
how long to hew and saw it what time was
expended in considering and consulting: and
after all, how much work was accomplished
in the time he looked on. From these he
made his computation how much they could
accomplish in the course of day, working
entirely at their ease.
'At another time we find him working n
part of two days with Peter, his smith, to
make plow,on new invention of his own.
This, after two or three failures, he accom-
plished. Then, with less than his usual
Judgment, he put his two chariot horses to
the plow and ran great risk Of spelling
them, in giving his new invention a trial on
ground thiclly swarded.
Anon, duringa thunder storm, fright
ened negro alarms the house with the word
that the mill is giving away, upon which
there is general turn out of all the forces,
with Washington at their head wheeling
and shoyeling gravel, during pelting rain
to check the rushing water"