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June 5, 2007
Growing A Nation
I just came across a sweet little letter that reminds us of how agrarian the world of our early political leadership was. It is a letter to Ruffin, then recently retired as a state superior court judge, from James Strudwick Smith, who represented Ruffin's district in the House of Representatives.
Washington City, January 27, 1819Next time I'm up near Judge Ruffin's old house in Hillsborough, I'll have to look for some old wild olives.Dear Sir
I have inclosed you six seed of the wild Olive. It is a beautiful evergreen that grows rapidly and to the height of 40 feet and the trunk is in some instances two feet through it has a dark green leaf smooth on the surface with the edges a little serrated.
Mr. [William Harris] Crawford the Secretary of the Treasury presented me about a hundred they grew in his garden in Georgia. He planted the seed about twelve years since and he informed me that the Tree is now about 8 inches through and twenty feet high. The seed must be planted where you wish the Tree to stand as all the evergreens are difficult to transplant. The seed should be planted 2 1/2 or 3 inches deep and in light rich earth the sooner these seeds are planted the better as the season for vegetation is fast approaching.
I am with regard
Your Humb. Servt.JS Smith
Posted by Eric at June 5, 2007 10:41 AM
Comments
I'm struck by the late Congressman's punctuation -- or, actually, the lack of.
It reminds me that those who argue the 2nd Amendment's meaning based on present-day usages of punctuation are barking up the wrong (olive) tree.
Posted by: Shertaugh at June 6, 2007 9:19 AM