. This arrangement
imposed increased burdens upon the master of the plantation and the
mistress of the house.

Mrs. Washington was as domestic in the house as her husband was
practical on the farm. His journal shows that, unlike many of the large
planters, he labored with his men on the plantation.

"Fitted a two-eyed plough instead of a duck-bill plough, and with much
difficulty made my chariot wheel-horses plough. Put the pole-end horses
into the plough in the morning, and put in the postilion and hind horses
in the afternoon; but the ground being well swarded over, and very heavy
ploughing, I repented putting them in at all, for fear it should give
them a habit of stopping in the chariot."

"Spent the greater part of the day in making a new plough of my own
invention."

"Bottled thirty-five dozen of cider."

"Seven o'clock a messenger came to inform me that my mill was in great
danger of being destroyed by the flood. I immediately hurried off all
hands, with shovels, etc., to its assistance, and got there myself just
time enough to give it a reprieve for this time, by wheeling gravel into
the place the water had washed."

"Surveyed some lines of my Mount Vernon tract of land."

"Employed in running some lines between me and Mr. William Triplet."

"Surveyed the water-courses of my Mount Vernon tract of land, taking
advantage of the ice."

"Laid out a road from Mount Vernon to the lane of Mr. Marley's."

Irving says of Washington: "He was an early riser, often before
day-break in the winter, when the nights were long. On such occasions he
lit his own fire and wrote or read by candle-light. He breakfasted at
seven in summer and eight in winter. Two small cups of tea and three or
four cakes of Indian meal (called hoe-cakes) formed his frugal repast.
Immediately after breakfast he mounted his horse, and visited those
parts of the estate where any work was going on, seeing to everything
with his own eyes, and often aiding with his own hands."

Soon after he introduced his wife to his Mount Vernon estate, he began
to improve and adorn the grounds. He made lawns, laid out walks and
avenues, set out a great number of ornamental trees, and planted
orchards of fruit-trees. He posted himself as far as possible in the
science of agriculture, and made many improvements upon his plantations,
by reclaiming land and increasing the productive power of the soil.

Once he conceived the idea of reclaiming the Great Dismal S