George Washington Papers
Documents filtered by: Recipient="Pearce, William" AND Period="Washington Presidency"
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Permanent link for this document:
https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/05-18-02-0141

From George Washington to William Pearce, 31 May 1795

To William Pearce

Philadelphia 31st May 1795

Mr Pearce,

I am quite surprized to find by your letter of the 24th instant (which with the Reports came duly to hand)1 that your crops had stood in need of Rain. There has been no three days together without it, at this place, since I arrived here; and some times for whole days and nights, with little or no intermission.

The exhausted state of Provisions (bread) in Europe; the demand for flour there; and the bad prospect for grain where most of it was usually grown, leaves not a doubt but that every thing of the bread kind, or substitutes for it, will bear a high price in autumn. Sometime ago I recommended it to you to plant a good many Potatoes2—this I repeat, and wish also that you wd lay yourself out for more Buck wheat than usual, for a crop. I have heard much of the white (homony) Bean as being very productive, and a ready sale: suppose you were to devote an Acre of Corn ground to this purpose, to see what the yield would be: or, if they would do without something to run upon, & support them, to plant an acre or two without Corn, in No. 6 at Union farm; by the side of the Corn you cultivate in that field.

Cut the forward wheat in good season, & save all for Seed. Doctr Stuart thinks it more subject to weavil than the common wheat; If so, you will judge whether it can best be preserved from them in stacks or otherwise, and do with it as shall seem best to you.

How does the honey locust stand transplanting? If well, follow it up as long as the season will answer.

The Gardener does not, I perceive, take any notice of the boy in his report. this he ought to do.3

Has no remedy been discovered for the disorder in horses? If I should loose my Plough horses—or even have them rendered unfit for work, it will be unfortunate. I am Your friend & well wisher

Go: Washington

ALS, ViMtvL; ALS (letterpress copy), DLC:GW.

1Pearce’s letter of 24 May and the gardener’s report have not been found. The farm report and the reports of the work done by the spinners, sewers, knitters, carpenters, and bricklayers for 24–30 May are in DLC:GW.

2GW stated this desire in his letters to Pearce of 23 Nov. 1794 and 11 Jan. 1795.

3GW may have referred to the statement he made to Pearce in his letter of 10 May about the contemplated move of “the boy at the Mill” to work in the garden. If Pearce reported the move, GW may have noticed that information about the boy did not appear in the next gardener’s report, and so sent a reminder.

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