In reply to Henry Wiencek interesting data, I doubt his interpretation of
190 M corn holes = 190,000 holes & 170 M tobacco hills =
170,000 hills.  The corn holes figure may be correct, but 170,000
tobacco hills--here I am presuming the hills in which tobacco plants
were gestated in or near the barn before the end of frosts--is way
too much tobacco.  Even if 15 slaves could build the hills, they
would not have been able to cultivate 170,000 X 10 (or 20) plants in
the fields:  perhaps as much as 800 acres of tobacco.
  From what I have seen, corn production on tobacco farms,
covered anywhere from 8 to 20 times the amount of land devoted to
tobacco production in Virginia.  (I am sure someone has more
accurate figures than I am spewing from my memory here.)  The
labor investment in tobacco was so much greater than the labor
investment in corn, I think these numbers boggle my mind.
Washington was an extraordinary individual, but I have genuine
doubts that he could make his hands produce tons of saleable
tobacco.

Date sent:              Fri, 14 Dec 2001 14:52:50 -0500
From:                   Henry Wiencek <[log in to unmask]>
Subject:                Re: VA-HIST Digest - 10 Dec 2001 to 13 Dec 2001 (#2001-218)
To:                     [log in to unmask]
Send reply to:          Discussion of research and writing about Virginia history
        <[log in to unmask]>

> I'm trying to get a sense of the amount of work done by George
> Washington's slaves and I am coming up with a number I find hard to
> believe.  At his plantation in King William County in April 1763 he
> recorded 190,000 corn holes and 170,000 tobacco hills.  His roster (see
> below) mentions 15 slaves or "Negro sharers" on the place with 2
> overseers, which means each slave did 24,000 hills and holes!  This number
> seems impossible.  Can anyone shed light on this?
>
> Many thanks,
> Henry Wiencek
> Charlottesville
>
> From "The Diaries of George Washington," vol I, p. 309:
> At my Plantation in King William
>
> 15 Negroe Sharers
> 2 Overseer
> 17 in all
> 126 head of Cattle besides Calves--9 of this spring
> 52 head of sheep besides Lambs--13
> 8 Sows for Breeding
> 16 for Porkers at the Fall
> 18--of 6 Months old
> 32--of 6 Weeks Ditto
> 28 young Pigs
> 102 in all
>
> M 190 Corn holes good Tale.
>
> M 170 Tobo. Hills Do. Do.
>
> M 190 CORN HOLES:
>
> Editor's note: That is, 190,000 corn holes. GW frequently used the roman
> numeral M to indicate one thousand.
>
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Harold S. Forsythe
Assistant Professor History
Director:  Black Studies
Fairfield University
Fairfield, CT 06430-5195
(203) 254-4000  x2379

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