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Thomas Jefferson’s Notes on Monticello Plantings, 16 March 1811

Notes on Monticello Plantings

    almonds   apples   Taliafer do   apricots     cherries     nectarines     peaches     pears     plumbs     quinces   vacancies  
a.         2.    2.       
b.         2.    3.       
c.         5.    2.       
d.         2.  5  5.    1.   
e.         4    17.    1.     7.
f.       1.  10.    14.      5. 
g.   6    6.      16.       
h.   11      1.    19.         15.
i.   15      1.    22.         7.
j.   17      1.    15          11.1
k.   4      10.    26         1.
l.   5      8.    11          162
m.   11      1.      2.       6.
n.     6        5.         1.
o.     3    1.    2.         3.
p.     3        1.         3.
q.     3                 1.
 total    69.  15  7  48  5.   160  2.  2  5   71
 384. 

the vacancies to be filled in 1811. as follows

e.  7. cherries. viz. –1.2. + 1.4.6.7.8.
h. 15. pippins. –1.+2.3.5.7.13.14.16.18.19.22.23.24.25.26.
i. 7. Spitzenbgs +5.8.13.16.17.24.26.
j. 11. calvites–1.2.+ 2.9.12.13.16.17.24.25.26
k. 1. qu? 16.
l. 16. paccans. –2+1.2.6.8.13.16.20.23.24.25.26 27.28.31.36.
m. 6. pears. –1.+9.11.29.33.

 n.1 + o.3. + p.3. + q.1. = 8. Taliafers.

1811. Mar. 16. in the row e. I found +5. d3 therefore planted e–1–2+1+4+5 with Tuckahoe grey hearts from mr Coles

MS (ViU: TJP-ER); written entirely in TJ’s hand on one side of a narrow scrap.

TJ kept a planting chart for Monticello that used a grid system designating vacancies with dots and adding horizontal lines in relation to the dots to indicate the type of plant in the space (Betts, Garden Book description begins Edwin M. Betts, ed., Thomas Jefferson’s Garden Book, 1766–1824, 1944 description ends , plate 32 opp. p. 421). Photographs of the gardens at Monticello and the Garden Book in which TJ recorded many of his efforts there are reproduced elsewhere in this volume. A French apple, the Calville Blanc d’Hiver, was anglicized by TJ as calvites. He planted the Taliaferro (taliafers) or Robinson apple beginning in 1778 (Hatch, Fruit Trees description begins Peter Hatch, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of Monticello, 1998 description ends , 75–6).

1. Reworked from “12.”

2. Reworked from “15.”

3. Probably abbreviating “dead” or “deceased.”

Index Entries

  • almonds; planted at Monticello search
  • apples; Calvite search
  • apples; Newtown (Albemarle) pippin search
  • apples; Spitzenburg search
  • apples; Taliaferro (Robinson) search
  • apricots; planted at Monticello search
  • Calvite apple (Calville Blanc d’Hiver) search
  • cherries; planted at Monticello search
  • cherries; Tuckahoe (gray) search
  • Coles, Isaac A.; sends plants to TJ search
  • food; almonds search
  • food; apples search
  • food; cherries search
  • food; pecans search
  • food; plums search
  • gardens; at Monticello, TJ’s plans for search
  • Jefferson, Thomas; Writings; Notes on Monticello Plantings search
  • Monticello (TJ’s estate); gardens search
  • Monticello (TJ’s estate); notes on planting at search
  • nectarines; planted at Monticello search
  • Newtown pippin (Albemarle pippin) search
  • nuts; almond search
  • peaches; planted at Monticello search
  • pecans; planted at Monticello search
  • plums; planted at Monticello search
  • quince; planted at Monticello search
  • Spitzenburg apple search
  • Taliaferro apple (Robinson apple) search
  • Tuckahoe cherry (gray cherry) search

You Are Looking At

Source Project
Jefferson Papers
Title
Thomas Jefferson’s Notes on Monticello Plantings, 16 March 1811
Author
Jefferson, Thomas
Date
16 March 1811

Reference

Cite as
“Thomas Jefferson’s Notes on Monticello Plantings, 16 March 1811,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/03-03-02-0342. [Original source: The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, Retirement Series, vol. 3, 12 August 1810 to 17 June 1811, ed. J. Jefferson Looney. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2006, pp. 455–456.]