BY DARCY DOUGHERTY MAULSBY
As our nation celebrates 250 years, few figures embody the promise and hope of America more than George Washington. I’ve always appreciated how he considered himself a farmer first and a statesman second.
I shared some stories about Washington when I was invited to give Memorial Day speeches at two local cemeteries this year. I wasn’t sure if people would find this history as interesting as I do. Turns out the answer is yes!
Washington viewed agriculture as the backbone of a successful nation. While he proclaimed he’d “rather be on my farm than be emperor of the world,” he was away from home for nearly nine years during the American Revolution. Then, he was gone again for another eight years (1789-1797) to serve as America’s first president.
He always harbored a deep desire, though, to return to his beloved Mount Vernon. There, he could study and implement farming innovations and devote his life to the improvement of American agriculture. “Agriculture is the most healthful, most useful, and most noble employment of man,” Washington stated.
“Freedom and property rights are inseparable”
Washington’s rural roots ran deep. He was born on a Virginia plantation in 1732. By the time he was 17, he pursued a lucrative career as a surveyor. He surveyed tens of thousands of acres during the next 50 years, from Virginia’s western frontier to Mount Vernon itself.
Washington understood the importance of private property and its unique place in American society. “Freedom and property rights are inseparable,” Washington wrote. “You can’t have one without the other.”
His favorite property was Mount Vernon, which came into the Washington family in 1674. He inherited the estate in 1761. The land was divided into five farms that encompassed nearly 8,000 acres of land during Washington’s lifetime.
Washington was an exceptional farm manager. Mount Vernon included a diverse array of enterprises, from a grist mill to a whiskey distillery. It’s interesting to note that whiskey-making was far and away Washington’s most profitable ag business. By 1799, the year he passed away, his distillery was one of the largest in America.
He also had the mind of an accountant. He was a stickler for detailed records. “I shall begrudge no reasonable expense that will contribute to the improvement and neatness of my farms – for nothing pleases me better than to see them in good order, and everything trim, handsome and thriving about them,” Washington wrote.
Crop rotations to composting
For decades, tobacco was the main cash crop at Mount Vernon. By the 1760s, however, Washington knew this labor-intensive crop was an unsustainable option, due to the way tobacco plants depleted the soil and hastened erosion.
As he studied alternatives, Washington focused on crop rotations and soil regeneration – two things that are near and dear to my heart. He implemented a seven-year crop rotation of wheat, grains, pasture and other crops on Mount Vernon’s farms.
Washington also focused on finding a fertilizer that would invigorate the lackluster soils at Mount Vernon. Nothing seemed to work as well as a mixture of manure and plant material that he allowed to “brew” together in a simple structure strategically located next to his stables.
Constructed around 1787, this was likely the first building in America devoted to composting.
Washington’s switch from ineffective, old farming practices to new solutions was emblematic of America’s pivot away from an eroding relationship with England. It’s also symbolic of freedom and progress – things that continue to define the American spirit.
To Washington, America’s success relied on advanced agricultural science, the sustainable harvest of the land’s natural resources and a strong rural foundation. These are all worth celebrating as we honor America 250.
Darcy Dougherty Maulsby lives near her family’s Century Farm northwest of Lake City. Visit her at www.darcymaulsby.com.
