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John Knowles, who was absent all last week came here to work again this Morning in good season.

Doct' Stuart, Mrs Stuart & the two girls Betsey & Patsey Custis returned after breakfast.

Tuesday - 11th

Mercury at 77 in the Morning 83 at noon and 82 at night. Clear with the wind at So Wt and pretty fresh.

Rid to the Ferry, Dogue run, & Muddy hole Plantations, and to the mill — At the first the plows had just finished plowing the drilled corn & Potatoes by the Fish House, at the second got into stacks all the Wheat in the meadow by the Overseers House.

Finished cutting the remainder of the Wheat in the great Field in the neck on the Creek.

Doct' Craik came here to breakfast and returned after it to Alexandria.

Wednesday 12th

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Mercury at 79 in the Morning pretty fresh from the S° West all day, about noon a cloud arose in the West, from whence proceeded a shower of rain and severe lightning and loud thunder.

Visited all my Plantations and the Mill today. - Finished the Wheat harvest at the Ferry about noon, gave the people employed in it the remainder of the day for themselves, but ordered Boatswain & Joe (Cradlers) and the hands from the Home House to go into the neck tomorrow, and the other Cradler (Ceasar) with two or three rakers to go to Dogue run (being most convenient) having before ordered Isaac, & Cowper Tom (cradlers) the house people and 3 rakers from Muddy hole gang, to go into the neck to morrow Morning, supposing the people belonging to the plantation, with the aid above mentioned would be able to compleat the Harvest at Dogue run in the course of tomorrow.

On my return home found Mr Man Page of Mansfield, Mr Frans Corbin, and Doct' Stuart here, and after Dinner Mr Lau Washington & his son Lau came in, Doct' Stuart returned in the evening

Perceived as I rode thro' my drilled corn at Muddy hole today that the alternate rows of early corn was Tassling and shooting.

Thursday 13th

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Mercury at 72 in the Morning - at noon and at night. Cloudy all day, with the wind pretty fresh from the Eastward.

Finished the Wheat harvest at Dogue run about sundown. Doct Craik came here to Dinner & returned afterwards, In the night there fell rain.

Friday 14th

Mercury at in the morning - at noon and at night, cloudy more or less all day, with the wind pretty fresh from the So West.

After Breakfast I rid to all my Plantations, found the Plows in the Neck after compleatly, that is after having broke the ground between the furrows that had been run on each side the corn for the purpose of hilling it had got into the Middle cut to do the like there in the Drilled corn. Perceived the Irish Potatoes were coming into blossom at this place, and that after the rain on Wednesday, whilst the Wheat was too wet to bind, the harvest People had pulled a little of the flax at this place also.

The Plows at Dogue run finished plowing the Cut they were in next the overseers House, & had begun to plow the drilled corn, on the East side of the field, leaving every other row untouched & turning the mould from the corn in these rows; by wch the middle between the rows where the cabbages, Potatoes, Peas &ca grow would be ridged, intending these ridges to be reduced at the last Plowing, & the rows of Corn to form them. At the same place the hands had begun to hoe Corn in the Cut including Barry's houses, beginning next Wades old dwelling, some of the people belonging to this Plantation had come to Muddy hole for Rye, which they were thrashing there for their horses. - Muddy hole were hoing a small corner of Corn which was not finished before Harvest - at the Ferry the Plows finished about two O'clock Crossing the cut on the flat, and would begin to plow ye drilled wht by ye Mea" the rest of the People were preparing a yard to head out wheat.

After breakfast Mr Page & Mr Corbin, accompanied by Majr Washington, went up to Abingdon (taking Alexandria in their way) and before breakfast Mr Laus Washington & his son went up by water to the latter place, they all returned again in the Evening, when a Mr Hatfield of England came in.

Saturday 15th

Mercury at 77 in the Morning 85 at noon, and 83 at Night. Clear, calm, and very warm all day.

After breakfast the company all going away, I rid to all the Plantations except that at the Ferry. - Compleated my wheat harvest in the neck about noon, which made a finish of the whole after woh I directed my

people, engaged therein, to pull flax till dinner, & take the remainder of the day to themselves. Much wheat has been left in all the fields this year occasioned 1st by the frequent rains and winds which proceeded and happened during harvest (which had laid down and tangled it in some degree) 2d by beginning my harvest too late. — and 3rd by the manner of cutting and gathering it into shocks. It is unlucky that from several causes, I was prevented trying by experiment, this year, how early wheat, or Rye might be cut without injury to the grain; but satisfied I am that, this may be done with safety as soon as it is out of its Milky State, at any rate, that the loss by shrinkage in the beginning of a harvest from this cause, is not equal to the loss by shattering at the latter end of it, or to the hazard of its being entangled, or laid down by winds and rain, which every year is the case in a greater, or lesser degree when harvest is long, & the grain ripe. For these reasons the following method may, I think, be attempted with success in the future; and it will be found that many advantages will flow from it. 1st. To make every Plantation, or farm, take care of its own grain with uniting their hands.

2. To encrease the number of cradlers at each, to such a number only, as will give two rakers to each, and leave a sufficiency besides to gather and put the wheat into shocks.—and, generally speaking, with negro labourers, the following distribution may be found to come as near the mark in Wheat made in Corn ground, as any Viz:- for every two cradlers to allow 4 rakers, 1 shocker, and two carriers, for the last of which boys and girls are competent.

34. To give the Cradlers a start of two days of the rakers & Shockers. - letting them begin to cut as soon as the milk leaves the grain, and before it becomes hard & flinty leaving the grain this time in the swarth, for the straw to cure, before it is raked, bound & put into shocks.

4. To order & see that the Cradlers cut slow, & lay their grain regular & well; after it is cut low & clean; which will be found more advantages than to hurry over the grd in order to put an end to harvest, as is usual. By beginning early time will be allowed for these, especially as wheat cut in this state yields much easier, and pleasanter to the stroke, & can be laid much better than when the straw gets dry & harsh.

5th. By giving this start to the cradlers, the straw (as hath been observed before) will be sufficiently cured to bind and shock and it must be seen that the Rakers also do their work clean and well, which is more likely to be the case without particular attention, than when one half their time they are scampering after the cutters to keep up; and the other

half are standing whilst the Cradlers are whetting their Scythes, drinking, or talking.

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6th. Each raker must take a swarth & not two go in one that the authors of bad work may be more easily detected. By this mode of proceeding the raking & binding will will be done with more ease, regularity and dispatch, because it becomes a sober settled work, there being no pretext for hurrying at one time. but standing at another. — but yth. By this means, I am persuaded that the number of rakers which usually follow Cradlers, would, by the middle of harvest or by the time the grain is in condition to shock as it comes from the Cradle be fully up with them and then might go on together if it should be conceived best.

Admitting that the grain can be cut with safety as soon as it comes out of the Milky State the advantages here described added to the superior quality of the straw for fodder, and indeed for every other purpose, greatly over ballances any inconveniencies which may result from the practice, & which must lay chiefly if not wholly, in these 1st. The hazard of a heavy beating rain which may settle the swarth among the stubble so as to make it bad to rake, and difficult perhaps to get up clean. and 2a lighter rains and Dews which may interrupt the binding, the straw not drying so soon in swarth as it does standing nor can it be meddled with so early in the morning generally. But as neither rain, nor Dews will hurt the grain (on the contrary will make it thrash easier and do very little injury to the straw,) and as there is always work enough on the Plantations to employ the hands in (such as succouring & hoeing of corn, pulling flax, weeding of vines, Pease, &ct &ce) supposing the interruptions above mentioned to happen no labour need be lost because as each harvest will be managed by the hands belonging to the farm or Plantation they can without inconvenience (having their tools always at hand) shift from one kind of work to another without preparation or fitting themselves for it.

Sunday - - 16th

Mercury at 78 in the Morning 86 at noon and 84 at Night. Very little wind at any time in the day but very hot.

Doct' Craik came here in the forenoon dined, and returned afterwards.

Monday-1th

Mercury at 78 in the morning 85 at noon and 79 at at night. Exceedingly warm all day with but little wind. After noon a cloud arose out of

which we had only a sprinkling of rain the body of the cloud passing above. i.e. to the Northward of this place.

Rid to the Plantations in the neck, Muddy hole, Dogue run & Ferry, at the first began to cut the ripest of the oats, but thinking them in general too green quitted after breakfast and sat all hands to pulling flax the doing of which was compleated about sundown. At Muddy hole the people were employed in clearing a yard to tread wheat in, and in getting in wheat & Rye - of the latter 6 shocks (got in by the Dogue run hands) yielded 111⁄2 bushels of clear Rye, and 4 other shocks brought in by the hands of the Plantation & threshed by them 5 B1 of clear rye was produced. Dogue run people cut their oats in the upper Meadow, and the Ferry were employed as yesterday about their wheat.

Tuesday - 18th

Mercury at 77 in the morning-87 at noon- and 84 at night, A heavy forenoon with much appearances of rain but none fell, very hot afternoon when the sun at intervals came out. a breeze from the S° West all day.

Rid to all the Plantations except that at the Ferry. — began to cut the meadow at the Neck plantation to day, and to clean & prepare at the yard for treading wheat there. Finished hilling with the plows all the corn at Muddy hole which was planted in the usual way, & ordered the plows to turn the ground in the drilled corn designed for turnips, & to plow it deep and well. Dogue run people (in part) cleaning and preparing their wheat yard and getting the oats to it. Finished a Hay rack at the House which contained all the Hay that was made at the upper meadow at Dogue run and all that came off the Ferry meadow.

Wednesday 19th

Mercury at 82 in the Morning 89 at noon and 81 at Night. - Clear until about 2 O'clock when a cloud arose to the westward out of which proceeded a powerful rain.

Rid to all the Plantations today, at that in the neck, the Scythmen having cut (yesterday) the upper part of the Meadow, & to the cross fence: returned to the Oat-field to day at the old orchard fence which they cut down; but did not shock, the straw being too great for it. At the same place the plows finished the middle cut of the drilled corn, & plowed in the same cut, the intervals between the Corn rows which were designed for Turnips. The Plows at Muddy hole began yesterday afternoon to give the middle cut (next and adjoining the drilled corn) another

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