The Osceola times., 1883-04-07
The Fa'hsr Of His Country as a
Farmer.
A Carcfui Husbandman-what Visitors
Were to Have Wine.

The most agreeable reading in the cur
rent issue of The Magazine of American
History is furnished by some hitherto
unpublished letters of Washington, from
series in possession OF the Long Island
Historical society. The letters were
written from Philadelphia while Wash
ington was president, TO Mr.. William
Pearcc, superintendent for three years Of
the Mount Vernon estate. They relate
toagriculturc and domestic matters, SHOW
extensive knowledge of farming and af-
ford additional proof Of the careful at
tention bestowed by Washington upon
the details ofhis business. In one of his
letters to Mr.. Pearce, who is about to take
charge, Washington says, Dec. Is, 1888.
"My object is to recover the fields from
the exhausted state nto which they have
fallen by oppressive crops, and TO restore
them if possible by any means in my
power) to health and vigor;" and after
detailing some abuses which have crept
into all parts Of my business he adds:
II ma rather you should probe things to
the bottom, whatever time it may require
to do it, than TO decide hastily on the
first view of them; a. to establish good
rules ard regular system is the life and
the soul ofcvery kind OF business" Soon
after he wrote:
Among the first things to be done after
you are well fixed yourself, will be,
presume, that of taking an exact account
Of the Stock of every species, tools and
implements on ca n of the farins-charg-
ing them Herewith; that regular ac-
count thereof may be rendered when
ever called for. Buy in Alexandria
proper (bound) book for this purpose,
and another to enter the weekly reports
in. The latter is not only for my present
satisfaction, but that it may also, at any
time hereafter, show in what manner the
hands have been Employed and the state
of the stock and other things of any past
period; and it is my wish, as this is in
tended ca register of the procc cdings
on the farms, that there may be made
with correctness; always comparing the
last with the preceding weeks report
and all differences satisfactorily account
ed for The Ovcrseers are allowed paper
for these reports. Suffer no excuse there
foie for their not coming into yeu every
Saturday night, that you may be enabled
to forward a copy of them to me by the
Wednesdays Post following. And il is
not only satisfactory, but may be of real
utility TO know the state Of the weather
as to heat and cold, drought or moisture;
prefix, as usual, at the head of every
weeks report Observation-Disclosures Of
these. The Thermometer which is at
Mount Vernon will enable you to do the
first" ~ wn cH
To these weekly letters and reports
Washington replied by every Mondays
post, reviewing his superintendents
work and adding minute instructions in
reference to every detail of hi, business,
down to the preparation of "Seins" for
the spring catch Of fish in the Potomac
These letters make up the collection of
one hundred and eighteen in all which
it is to be hoped the Long Island Histor.
ical society will publish in full
Is there ANYTHING particular in the
cases Of Ruth, Hanna and Pegg. that they
have been rcturnedsick for several weeks
togethcrp Hr 4ttE
Ruth I know is extremely dcccitful;
she has been aiming for sone time past
to get into the house, exempt from work;
but if fthey are notmadc b. do what their
age and strength win enable them, it will
he very bad example to Others, none of
whom would work if by prctcxes they
can avoid it,
81
Do not suffer the Quarter NEGRO child
rem to be in the Kitchen, or in the yards
unless brought there on business--as be.
sides The bad habit it-they too frequently
ar, breaking limbs and twics from, or
deing ether inj ny to my shrubs, some OF