An unusual membership certificate presentation took place at the Society’s
April 4, 2003 meeting. After President Page Gowen discovered that George
Washington had been made an Honorary Member of the Society in 1785 because
he resided too far from Philadelphia to attend regular meetings, steps
were taken to make him a full member. Presidents Gowen’s remarks
were as follows:
In 1785 George Washington was elected an Honorary Member
of The Philadelphia Society for Promoting Agriculture. He had a keen
interest in the Society, attended meetings and corresponded frequently
with members including Samuel Powel, Robert Morris and Dr. Benjamin
Rush. Because of geographical limits George Washington was elected
an Honorary Member. Today the Society has no geographical limits and
because of George Washington’s contributions to our country
and dedication to this Society, it was deemed appropriate to elect
him post-humously to full membership. Moreover, he is forgiven any
past, present or future membership dues. Mr. James Rees, Executive
Director of the Mount Vernon Ladies Association will accept the membership
certificate.
Mr. James C. Rees comments were as follows:
Thank you for bestowing this honor upon George Washington.
I am delighted to accept on his behalf.
I am one of the Washington enthusiasts who believes that
as much as he liked the people of Philadelphia, he never really enjoyed
his time here as President. He really wasn’t a “political
animal” and he longed instead to return to his beloved Mount
Vernon home, where he could spend most of his time farming.
To Washington, this was never time wasted. He spent years
developing his own unique seven-year crop rotation, which was designed
to renew every acre of his lackluster soil. He experimented with all
sorts of fertilizers, including the rich mud from the bottom of the
Potomac River. We recently reconstructed his repository for farm manure,
which we believe to be the oldest structure devoted to composting
in America.
Washington also designed his own plow, as well as a 16-sided
treading barn which he hoped would revolutionize the threshing of
wheat. He loved animal husbandry and by careful breeding he was able
to double the amount of wool each of his sheep produced.
Washington was one of the first farmers to abandon tobacco
as a crop and concentrate on wheat. He built one of the most advanced
gristmills and nearby he constructed what we believe was one of the
largest distilleries in America. It produced 11,000 gallons of moonshine
a year! Washington had the fattest and happiest hogs in Virginia because
he fed them the leftover cooked mash from the distilling process.
Although Washington was an astute businessman who loved
to make money, his agricultural adventures in Mount Vernon really
represented much more than that – he was like a happy scientist
in a laboratory, always experimenting, always trying something new.
His dream was to make America “the storehouse and granary of
the world.” He believed wholeheartedly that farming was America’s
future.
In the 18th century, I know that Washington possessed the
utmost respect for the illustrious and talented members of this Society.
If he were here today, he would be eager to pull each of you aside
to talk about farming. It was his passion.
Thank you for honoring George Washington today and I will
leave you with a new twist on an old tribute: George Washington, First
in War, First in Peace, First in Farming and First in the Hearts of
His Countrymen.
