George Washington: Farmer / Being an Account of His Home Life and Agricultural Activities

The book presents a portrait of George Washington as an engaged planter, tracing his management and improvement of his Virginia estate, experimental approaches to husbandry, and careful record-keeping. It surveys contemporary agricultural practices, soil conservation, livestock breeding, horticulture and landscape planning, and describes the roles of overseers, white servants, and enslaved workers while treating the farmer's household, amusements, and financial accounts. Chapters combine narrative with facsimiles, illustrations, and extracts from diaries, letters, receipts, and maps drawn by him to illuminate daily routines, experiments, costs and yields, and the practical challenges of running a large plantation in the eighteenth century.