The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1877-02-15
Washington . Farmer.
LETTER To HIS FARM MANAGER.
december 10, 1879.

Decent Der 10, 1879.
From the various plans suggested
! by you at different times for crOppinl
the farms which l propose to retain
I IN my own hands, In the year lS0O
and with a reduced force of laborer:
I on them and the operations necessary
Z 20 carry them into effect comparing
these with the best reflections 1 have
been able to make on the subject; and
considering, moreover, the exhausted
state of my araDle fields, Snd how i'm
portsnt it is to adopt some system by
which the evil may be arrested, and
the fields in some measure restored by
q rotation Of crops, which will not
press hard upon them, while sufficient
intervals are allowed for improvement,
1 have dlgested the following instruc-
tiOn for ny managers, and for the
government Of my Overseers, and re-
quest that they may be strictly and
pOiRtedly attended TO and executed,
as far as the measures therein requir-
ed will admit.
"a system closely pursued, although
it may not in all its parts be the best
that could be devised, is attended With
innumerable advantages. The con-
duetOr Of the business, in this case,
can never be in any dilemma in his
proceedings. The Oyerseers, and even
the lsbOrers, know what is to be done,
and what they are capable Of doing,
in ordinary seasons. The force to be
employed may he in due proportion
20 the work which is to be performed,
and a reasonable and tOlersbly accur-
ate estimats may be made Of the pro-
duct. But when no plan Is fixed,
when directions flow from day to day,
the business becomes q mere chaos
frequently shifting, and sometimes at
q stand, for want Of knowing what to
do, CT the manner Of doing It. Thus
it occasions a waste Of time, which is
of more importance than Is generally
imagined.
Nothing can so efectuaIly obviate
the evil as an established system,
made known to all who are actors in
it, that all may be enabled thereby to
do their parts to advantage. This
gives care to the principal conductors
Of the business and is more satisfactory
to the persons who Immediately over
look 1t, less harrassing to the laborers.
as we'll as more beneficial to the en-
ployer.
"UEder this view Of the subject, the
principal service which you can rem
der me is to explain to the overseers
(Who will be furnished with dupli-
estes) the plan, in all its parts, which
is hereafter detailed; to hear their
ideas with respect to the order in
which the different sorts Of works
therein pointed out shall succeed each
other, the purpose of carrying it on to
the best advantage to correct any er-
rOneOus projects they may be disposed
to adopt and then to see that they
adhere strictly TO whatever may be
resolved on, and that they are always
Except when otherwise permitted) on
their farms and with their people.
The work, under such circumstances
will go on smoothly; and that the
stock may be well fed, Uttered and
taken care of according to directions,
it will be necessary to inspect the con-
duct OF the Oyerseers in this particu-
lar, and those also whose immediate
business it is to attend upon them,
with q watehful eye, otherwise, and
generally in severe weather, when at
tentiOn and care are most needed, they
viii be most neglected.
Economy in all things is as COM
in the manager as tits bene-
fetal and desirable to the employer
and, on a farm, it shows itself in moth
ing more evidently, or more essential
ly, than in not suffering the proven
der to be wasted, but, on the contrary,
in taking care that every atom Of it be
used to the best advantage and, like
wise in not permitting the ploughs,
harness, and other implements OF hhs-
bandry, and the other gears belonging
to them, to be unnecessarily exposed,
under foot, run over by carts,
aud abused in other respects. More
good is derived from attending to the
minutie of farm, than strikes people
at first view (; and examining the
farm-yard fences, and looking into the
fields to see that nothing is there but
what is allowed to be there, and often
times the means of producing good,
or at least of avoiding more evil than
can be accomplished by riding from one
working party or oYeTseer to another.
have mentioned these things not
only because they have occurred to
me, but because, although apparently
trites, they prove far otherwise in the
result.
1.-The account for the present quarter
must be made final, as an entire new
scene will take place. In doing this,
advertise in the Alexandria paper for
the claims Of every kind and nature
against me to be brought
to you by the first Of January, that 1
may wipe them of, and begin on q
fresh score. All balances in my favor |
must either be received, or reduced to
speeialties, that there may be no dis
putes hereafter.
GEORGE WASHINGTON.
i'TO James Alexander, Manager Of the |
Farms"