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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.		69.	15	7	48	5.	160	2.	2	5	71

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, 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.]