To George Washington from John Lambert, 24 October 1798
From John Lambert
Pittsgrove Salem County West Jersey
October 24. 1798
Much Respect’d Sir
it Gives me much Pleasure to inform you of the very great Improvement we have found by being Careful to Cultivate the Large Sort of Clover. the Summer before this we had About 80 Acres of the Small Red Clover—being a dry Sumer we Could not mow 3 bushels of Seed[.] this Summer being a like dry but haveing about 70 Acres of the Large Sort of red Clover we have mawn we hope 60 bushels of Seed on the like poor worn out Lands. you know the Common run of our lands are worn out but if we Can grow a Quantity of feed or hay the land may be improveed I have Shewn the 2 distinct Sorts growing Close by Each other and it has Convin[c]ed Gentlemen to their Surprise the Very Great difference. As you love improvement I thought you would not think this A trifling Affair.
I intend to keep Some of this Sort of red Clover att Mr John Coopers in ray Streett No. 152 att 16 Dollars a bushel my Neighbours buy it Very redyly att that Price. I hope you will overlook all my Imperfections and believe that no one more Sincerely Respect You than Your Obedient Servant
John Lambert
ALS, DLC:GW. The letter was docketed by Tobias Lear as having been received at “W. City 3d novr” and answered on 20 November. The response has not been found.
In a letter from Philadelphia, dated 11 Nov. 1792, to his Mount Vernon farm manager Anthony Whitting, GW identified John Lambert as “an English farmer from the county of Essex, in England lately arrived in this country to settle, and who appears to be a very sensible and judicious man, and a person of property.” Lambert had at that time given GW oats and cabbage seed and a pamphlet with directions for making a plow. GW thought him to be about sixty years old and reported he “has travelled a good deal about this country.”