The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-03-08

personal attendance upon his private affairs.)
 MT. William Pearce.
 Philadelphia, 18th Decemr. 17s3. Mir. Pearce:
 The paper enclosed with this letter will give you my idea generally. of the course of crops I wish to pursue-I am sensible more might be made from the farms for a year or two--but my ob- ject Is to recover the fields from the exhausted state into which they have fallen by oppressive crops. and to re- store them eff possible by any means in my power) to health and vigor.- But two ways will enable me to ac- complish this.-The first Is to cover them with as much manure as possi- ble (winter and sunmer).-The 2d is judicious succession of Crops.
 Manure cannot be had In the abund- ance the fields require; for this reason. and to open the land which Is hard bound by frequent cultivation, and want of proper dressings, l have intro- duced Buck Wheat in the plentiful manner you will perceive by the Table, both as a manure and as a substitute for Indian Corn for horses, Set. it be- ing a great ameliorator of the soil.- How far the insufferable conduct of my overseers. or the difiiculty of getting Buck Wheat anl Oats for seed, will en- able one to carry my plan into effect, I am unable at this moment to deside. You possibly will be better able to inform me sometime hence.-ColO Ball of Leesburgh has promised to use his endeavors to procure and send the first to Mount Vernon; but where to get as much of the latter as will an- swer my purposes (unless send them from this city) I know not; but before can decide on the quantity 1t may be necessary for me to purchase, it is necessary I should know the quantity grown for my own estate: and which after I went to Virginia in September last, directed should no longer be fed away.-The Common oats which are brought from the Eastern Shore to AL exandria for sale. I would not sow first, because they are not of a good quality-and 2dly they are rarely if ever free from Garlick and wild On ions; with which already. unfortunate ly, too many of my fields are too plen- tifully stocked from the source al- ready mentioned; and that too before I was aware of the evil
 I have already said that the insult ferable conduct of Overseers may be one means of frustrating my plan for the next year. I will now explain my self. You will readily see that by the rotation of Crops I have adopted that a great deal of Fall blowing IS indispensable. Of this informed everyone of them. and pointed out the fields which were to be plowed at this season. So anxious was 1. that this work should be set about early. that I made an attempt soon after you were at Mount Vernon in September to begin 1t; and at several times after wards repeated the operation in differ ent fields at Dogue-run farm; but the ground being excessively hard and dry I found that to persevere would only destroy my horses without effect ing the object in the manner it ought to be. and therefore, quit 1t; but left positive directions that 1t should be recommended at every farm as soon as ever there should come rain to mois- ten the earth--and to stick constantly at it. except when the horses were em- ployea in treading out Wheat (which was a work 1 also desired should be accomplished as soon as posstble)- instead of doing either of these, as l ordered, I find by the reports. that Mckay has now and then plowed a few days only, as if for amusement-- that I trust has but just begun to do it-and that neither Crow or Davy at Muddy hole had put blow into the ground so late as the 7th of this month Can 1t be expected then. that frosts, snow and rain will permit one to do