problematicalevent,isnownear,&certain,&determinedinthemindofeveryman。Iexpectedtohaveseensomejustificationofarmingonepartofthesocietyagainstanother;ofdeclaringacivilwarthemomentbeforethemeetingofthatbodywhichhasthesolerightofdeclaringwar;ofbeingsopatientofthekicks&scoffsofourenemies,&risingatafeatheragainstourfriends;ofaddingamilliontothepublicdebt&deridinguswithrecommendationstopayitifwecan&c。,&c。Butthepartofthespeechwhichwastobetakenasajustificationofthearmament,remindedmeofparsonSaunders’demonstrationwhyminusintominusmakeplus。AfteraparcelofshredsofstufffromAesop’sfables,andTomThumb,hejumpsallatonceintohisErgo,minusmultipliedintominusmakeplus。Justsothe15,000menenterafterthefables,inthespeech——
However,thetimeiscomingwhenweshallfetchuptheleewayofourvessel。Thechangesinyourhouse,Isee,aregoingonforthebetter,andeventheAugeanherdoveryourheadsareslowlypurgingofftheirimpurities。Holdonthen,mydearfriend,thatwemaynotshipwreckinthemeanwhile。Idonotsee,inthemindsofthosewithwhomIconverse,agreaterafflictionthanthefearofyourretirement;butthismustnotbe,unlesstoamoresplendid&amoreefficaciouspost。ThereIshouldrejoicetoseeyou;IhopeImaysay,Ishallrejoicetoseeyou。Ihavelonghadmuchinmymindtosaytoyouonthatsubject。Butdoubledelicacieshavekeptmesilent。Ioughtperhapstosay,whileIwouldnotgiveupmyownretirementfortheempireoftheuniverse,howIcanjustifywishingonewhosehappinesssIhavesomuchatheartasyours,totakethefrontofthebattlewhichisfightingformysecurity。Thiswouldbeeasyenoughtobedone,butnotattheheelofalengthyepistle。
Letusquitthis,andturntothefineweatherwearebaskingin。Wehavehadoneofourtropicalwinters。Onceonlyasnowof3。
inchesdeep,whichwentoffthenextday,andneverasmuchiceaswouldhavecooledabottleofwine。Andwehavenowbutamonthtogothroughofwinterweather。ForFebruaryalwaysgivesusagoodsampleofthespringofwhichitistheharbinger。Irecollectnosmallnewsinterestingtoyou。Youwillhaveheard,Isuppose,thatWilsonNicholashasboughtCarr’sCarrsgroveandHarvey’sbarracks。
Irejoiceintheprosperityofavirtuousman,andhopehisprosperitywillnottainthisvirtue。PresentmerespectfullytoMrs。Madison,andprayhertokeepyouwhereyouareforherownsatisfactionandthepublicgood;andacceptthecordialaffectionsofall。Adieu。
FARMING
_ToJohnTaylor_
_Monticello,Dec。29,1794_
DEARSIR,——Ihavelongowedyoualetter,forwhichmyconsciencewouldnothaveletmerestinquietbutontheconsiderationthatthepaimentwouldnotbeworthyouracceptance。
Thedebtisnotmerelyforaletterthecommontrafficofeveryday,butforvaluableideas,whichinstructedme,whichIhaveadopted,&
amactingonthem。Iamsensibleofthetruthofyourobservationsthattheatmosphereisthegreatstorehouseofmatterforrecruitingourlands,thattho’efficacious,itisslowinit’soperation,andwemustthereforegivethemtimeinsteadoftheloadsofquickermanuregiveninothercountries,thatforthispurposewemustavailourselvesofthegreatquantitiesoflandwepossessinproportiontoourlabour,andthatwhileputtingthemtonursewiththeatmosphere,wemustprotectthemfromthebite&treadofanimals,whicharenearlyacounterpoiseforthebenefitsoftheatmosphere。Asgoodthings,aswellasevil,goinatrain,thisrelievesusfromthelabor&expenceofcrossfences,nowverysensiblyfeltonaccountofthescarcity&distanceoftimber。Iamaccordinglynowengagedinapplyingmycrossfencestotherepairoftheouteronesandsubstitutingrowsofpeachtreestopreservetheboundariesofthefields。AndthoughIobserveyourstricturesonrotationsofcrops,yetitappearsthatinthisIdifferfromyouonlyinwords。Youkeephalfyourlandsinculture,theotherhalfatnurse;soI
proposetodo。Yourschemeindeedrequiresonlyfouryears&minesix;buttheproportionoflabour&restisthesame。Myyearsofrest,however,areemployed,twooftheminproducingclover,yoursinvolunteerherbage。ButIstillunderstandittobeyouropinionthatcloverisbestwherelandswillproducethem。IndeedIthinkthattheimportantimprovementforwhichtheworldisindebtedtoYoungisthesubstitutionofclovercropsinsteadofunproductivefallows;&thedemonstrationthatlandsaremoreenrichedbycloverthanbyvolunteerherbageorfallows;andtheclovercropsarehighlyvaluable。ThatourredlandswhicharestillintolerableheartwillproducefinecloverIknowfromtheexperienceofthelastyear;andindeedthatofmyneighborshadestablishedthefact。Andfromobservationsonaccidentalplantsinthefeildswhichhavebeenconsiderablyharrassedwithcorn,Ibelievethateventhesewillproducecloverfitforsoilingofanimalsgreen。Ithink,therefore,Icancountonthesuccessofthatimprover。Mythirdyearofrestwillbedevotedtocowpenning,&toatrialofthebuckwheatdressing。AfurtherprogressinsurveyingmyopenarablelandshasshewnmethatIcanhave7fieldsineachofmyfarmswhereI
expectedonlysix;consequentlythatIcanaddmoretotheportionofrest&amelioratingcrops。IhavedoubtedonaquestiononwhichI
amsureyoucanadvisemewell,whetherIhadbettergivethisnewlyacquiredyearasanadditiontothecontinuanceofmyclover,orthrowitwithsomeimprovingcropbetweentwoofmycropsofgrain,asforinstancebetweenmycorn&rye。Istronglyinclinetothelatter,becauseIamnotsatisfiedthatonecleansingcropinsevenyearswillbesufficient;andindeedIthinkitimportanttoseparatemyexhaustingcropsbyalternationsofamelioraters。WiththisviewIthinktotryanexperimentofwhatJudgeParkerinformsmehepractises。Thatis,toturninmywheatstubbletheinstantthegrainisoff,andsowturnepstobefedoutbythesheep。Butwhetherthiswillanswerinourfieldswhichareharrassed,Idonotknow。Wehavebeeninthehabitofsowingonlyourfreshestlandsinturneps,henceapresumptionthatweariedlandswillnotbringthem。
ButYoung’smakingturnepstobefedonbysheepthebasisofhisimprovementofpoorlands,affordsevidencethatthotheymaynotbringgreatcrops,theywillbringtheminasufficientdegreetoimprovethelands。Iwilltrythatexperiment,however,thisyear,aswellastheoneofbuckwheat。Ihavealsoattendedtoanotherimprovermentionedbyyou,thewinter-vetch,&havetakenmeasurestogettheseedofitfromEngland,asalsooftheSiberianvetchwhichMillargreatlycommends,&beingabiennialmightperhapstaketheplaceofcloverinlandswhichdonotsuitthat。ThewintervetchI
suspectmaybeadvantageouslythrowninbetweencrops,asitgivesachoicetouseitasgreenfeedinthespringiffodderberunshort,ortoturnitinasagreen-dressing。Myrotation,withtheseamendments,isasfollows:——
1。Wheat,followedthesameyearbyturneps,tobefedonbythesheep。
2。Corn&potatoesmixed,&inautumnthevetchtobeusedasfodderinthespringifwanted,ortobeturnedinasadressing。
3。Peasorpotatoes,orbothaccordingtothequalityofthefield。
4。Ryeandcloversownonitinthespring。Wheatmaybesubstitutedhereforrye,whenitshallbefoundthatthe2’d。,3’d。,5’th。,&6’th。fieldswillsubsistthefarm。
5。Clover。
6。Clover,&inautumnturnitin&sowthevetch。
7。Turninthevetchinthespring,thensowbuckwheat&turnthatin,havinghurdledoffthepoorestspotsforcow-penning。Inautumnsowwheattobeginthecircleagain。
Iamforthrowingthewholeforceofmyhusbandryonthewheat-field,becauseitistheonlyonewhichistogotomarkettoproducemoney。Perhapstheclovermaybringinsomethingintheformofstock。Theotherfeildsaremerelyfortheconsumptionofthefarm。Melilot,mentionedbyyou,Ineverheardof。ThehorsebeanI
triedthislastyear。Itturnedoutnothing。ThePresidenthastrieditwithoutsuccess。AnoldEnglishfarmerofthenameofSpuryear,settledinDelaware,hastriedittherewithgoodsuccess;
buthetoldmeitwouldnotdowithoutbeingwellshaded,andIthinkheplanteditamonghiscornforthatreason。Butheacknolegedourpeawasasgoodanameliorater&amorevaluablepulse,asbeingfoodformanaswellashorse。ThesuccoryiswhatYoungcallsChicoriaIntubus。HesentsomeseedtothePresident,whogavemesome,&I
gaveittomyneighborstokeepuptillIshouldcomehome。Oneofthemhascultivateditwithgreatsuccess,isveryfondofit,andgavemesomeseedwhichIsowedlastspring。Tho’thesummerwasfavorableitcameonslowlyatfirst,butbyautumnbecamelarge&
strong。Itdidnotseedthatyear,butwillthenext,&youshallbefurnishedwithseed。Isuspectitrequiresrichground,&thenproducesaheavycropforgreenfeedforhorses&cattle。Ihadpoorsuccesswithmypotatoeslastyear,nothavingmademorethan60or70bushelstotheacre。Butmyneighborshavingmadegoodcrops,I
amnotdisheartened。Thefirststeptowardstherecoveryofourlandsistofindsubstitutesforcorn&bacon。Icountonpotatoes,clover,&sheep。Thetwoformertofeedeveryanimalonthefarmexceptmynegroes,&thelattertofeedthem,diversifiedwithrationsofsaltedfish&molasses,bothofthemwholesome,agreeable,&cheaparticlesoffood。
ForpastureIrelyontheforestsbyday,&soilingintheevening。Whycouldwenothaveamoveableairycowhouse,tobesetupinthemiddleofthefeildwhichistobedunged,&soilourcattleinthatthro’thesummeraswellaswinter,keepingthemconstantlyup&welllittered?This,withme,wouldbeinthecloverfeildofthe1’st。year,becauseduringthe2’d。yearitwouldberotting,andwouldbespreadonitinfallowthebeginningofthe3’d。,butsuchaneffortwouldbefarabovethepresenttyrostateofmyfarming。ThegrosserbarbarismsinculturewhichIhavetoencounter,aremorethanenoughforallmyattentionsatpresent。
Thedung-yardmustbemylasteffortbutone。Thelastwouldbeirrigation。Itmightbethoughtatfirstview,thattheinterpositionoftheseameliorationsordressingsbetweenmycropswillbetoolaborious,butobservethattheturneps&twodressingsofvetchdonotcostasingleploughing。Theturninginthewheat-stubblefortheturnepsisthefallowforthecornofthesucceedingyear。The1’st。sowingofvetchesisonthecornasisnowpractisedforwheat,andtheturningitinistheflush-ploughingforthecropofpotatoes&peas。The2’d。sowingofthevetchisonthewheatfallow,&theturningitinistheploughingnecessaryforsowingthebuckwheat。Thesethreeameliorations,then,willcostbutaharrowingeach。Onthesubjectofthedrilledhusbandry,Ithinkexperiencehasestablishedit’spreferenceforsomeplants,astheturnep,pea,bean,cabbage,corn,&c。,andthatofthebroadcastforotherplantsasallthebreadgrains&grasses,exceptperhapslucerne&S’t。foininsoils&
climatesveryproductiveofweeds。Indrysoils&climatesthebroadcastisbetterforlucerne&S’t。foin,asallthesouthofFrancecantestify。
Ihaveimaginedandexecutedamould-boardwhichmaybemathematicallydemonstratedtobeperfect,asfarasperfectiondependsonmathematicalprinciples,andonegreatcircumstanceinit’sfavoristhatitmaybemadebythemostbunglingcarpenter,&
cannotpossiblyvaryahair’sbreadthinit’sform,butbygrossnegligence。Youhaveseenthemusicalinstrumentcalledasticcado。
Supposeallit’ssticksofequallength,holdthefore-endhorizontallyonthefloortoreceivetheturfwhichpresentsitselfhorizontally,andwiththerighthandtwistthehind-endtotheperpendicular,orratherasmuchbeyondtheperpendicularaswillbenecessarytocastovertheturfcompletely。Thisgivesanideathonotabsolutelyexactofmymould-board。Itisontheprincipleoftwowedgescombinedatrightangles,thefirstinthedirectlineofthefurrowtoraisetheturfgradually,theotheracrossthefurrowtoturnitovergradually。Forboththesepurposesthewedgeistheinstrumentoftheleastresistance。Iwillmakeamodelofthemould-board&lodgeitwithCol’o。HarvieinRichmondforyou。Thisbringsmetomythanksforthedrillploughlodgedwithhimforme,whichInowexpecteveryhourtoreceive,andthepriceofwhichI
havedepositedinhishandstobecalledforwhenyouplease。Agoodinstrumentofthiskindisalmostthegreatestdesideratuminhusbandry。Iamanxioustoconjecturebeforehandwhatmaybeexpectedfromthesowingturnepsinjadedground,howmuchfromtheacre,&howlargetheywillbe?Willyourexperienceenableyoutogivemeaprobableconjecture?Alsowhatistheproduceofpotatoes,&whatofpeasinthesamekindofground?Itmustnowhavebeenseveralpagessinceyoubegantocryout`mercy。’InmercythenI
willherefinishwithmyaffectionateremembrancetomyoldfriend。
Mr。Pendleton,&respectstoyourfireside,&toyourselfassurancesofthesincereesteemof,dearSir,Yourfriend&serv’t,THEGENEVAACADEMY
_ToFransoisD’Ivernois_
_Monticello,inVirginia,Feb。6,1795_
DEARSIR,——YourseveralfavorsontheaffairsofGenevafoundmehere,inthemonthofDecemberlast。ItisnowmorethanayearthatIhavewithdrawnmyselffrompublicaffairs,whichIneverlikedinmylife,butwasdrawnintobyemergencieswhichthreatenedourcountrywithslavery,butendedinestablishingitfree。Ihavereturned,withinfiniteappetite,totheenjoymentofmyfarm,myfamily&mybooks,andhaddeterminedtomeddleinnothingbeyondtheirlimits。Yourproposition,however,fortransplantingthecollegeofGenevatomyowncountry,wastooanalogoustoallmyattachmentstoscience,&freedom,thefirst-borndaughterofscience,nottoexcitealivelyinterestinmymind,andtheessayswhichwerenecessarytotryit’spracticability。Thisdependedaltogetherontheopinions&dispositionsofourStatelegislature,whichwastheninsession。Iimmediatelycommunicatedyourpaperstoamemberofthelegislature,whoseabilities&zealpointedhimoutasproperforit,urginghimtosoundasmanyoftheleadingmembersofthelegislatureashecould,&ifhefoundtheiropinionsfavorable,tobringforwardtheproposition;butifheshouldfinditdesperate,nottohazardit;becauseIthoughtitbestnottocommitthehonoreitherofourStateorofyourcollege,byanuselessactofeclat。ItwasnottillwithinthesethreedaysthatIhavehadaninterviewwithhim,andanaccountofhisproceedings。Hecommunicatedthepaperstoagreatnumberofthemembers,anddiscussedthemmaturely,butprivately,withthem。Theyweregenerallywell-disposedtotheproposition,andsomeofthemwarmly;
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