Thomas Jefferson Papers

Thomas Jefferson to George Divers, 18 March 1812

To George Divers

Monticello Mar. 18. 12.

Dear Sir

I promised to stock you with the Alpine Strawberry as soon as my beds would permit. I now send you a basket of plants & can spare you 10. baskets more if you desire it. their value, you know, is the giving strawberries 8. months in the year. but they require a large piece of ground and therefore I am moving them into the truck patch, as I cannot afford them room enough in the garden. I have recieved from McMahon some plants of the true Hudson strawberry. the last rains have brought them forward & ensured their living. I have been 20. years trying unsuccesfully to get them here. the next year I shall be able to stock you. I have recieved also from McMahon 4. plants of his wonderful gooseberry.1 I measured the fruit of them 3.I. round. by the next year I hope they will afford you cuttings. about 20. plants of the Sprout kale have given us sprouts from the 1st of December. their second growth now furnishes us a dish nearly every day, & they will enable me this year to stock my neighbors with the seed. we have now got the famous Irish grass, Fiorin, ensured and growing. they make hay from it in Dec. Jan. Feb. I recieved the plants from Ireland about a month ago.2 I am now engaged in planting a collection of pears. I know you have several kinds of very fine. if your Nursery can spare 2. of each kind I will thank you for them: if not, then some cuttings for engrafting, tying up each kind separately. Affectionately Yours

Th: Jefferson

PoC (MHi); at foot of text: “Mr Divers”; endorsed by TJ.

1Reworked from “strawberry.”

2Sentence interlined.

Index Entries

  • Alpine strawberry search
  • Divers, George; and fiorin grass search
  • Divers, George; exchanges plants and cuttings with TJ search
  • Divers, George; letters to search
  • fiorin grass; TJ on search
  • food; gooseberries search
  • food; kale, sprout search
  • food; pears search
  • food; strawberries search
  • gardens; at Monticello search
  • gooseberries; TJ on search
  • gooseberries; TJ sends cuttings search
  • grass; fiorin search
  • Hudson strawberry search
  • kale; sprout search
  • McMahon, Bernard; sends plants to TJ search
  • Monticello (TJ’s estate); gardens search
  • pears search
  • plants; sent to TJ search
  • strawberries; Alpine search
  • strawberries; Hudson search
  • trees; grafting of search
  • trees; pear search