The Founding Farmers (June 9)
By Chuck Doud
The Madera Tribune
What did George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and James Madison have in common? They were all Founding Fathers of the United States of America, you might reply, and you would be correct. But they also were part of another club, one which may have been even more important to them than their politics. They all were farmers.
Washington was one of the most prosperous farmers in America — if not the most prosperous. He even had a whiskey distillery.
Jefferson’s farm was a showcase of then-modern farming methods. Madison’s Montpelier, and Adams’ small farm in Quincy, Mass., although not as expansive as Mount Vernon or Monticello, were nevertheless as much loved by their owners as were the larger spreads by theirs.
According to Andrea Wulf, in her new book “Founding Gardeners,” many of those who brought our nation into being were as interested in seeds and gardening tips — and especially manure as a fertilizer — as they were in politics.
Good seeds were harder to come by in those days. Good farmers kept part of their crop back for seeds, both for their own use and to sell or give to others.
Today’s big, scientifically-based seed industry bears no resemblance to the practices of the colonists, who often spent years developing seed strains to improve output or improve the quality of a fruit or vegetable.
Animal husbandry was likewise carefully practiced. There was no such thing as All West Sires or other artificial breeding programs. Dairy and beef herds had to be improved one animal at a time.
Today, manure is seen by most people as a waste product, but colonial farmers rightly saw it as a valuable commodity. They knew that by direct application, or by composting, it could provide food for new crops and stability for the soil.
The whole foundation of the United States was agricultural, as was the later growth. We in Madera County have only to look out our back doors to see and understand the beauty and value of what the founders engendered for us.
