Thomas Jefferson- Plant Smuggler!
By: Mary Russell- Evans
In 1994 we camped our way up the Blue Ridge Parkway to Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson. Having long been a fan of America’s supreme plant nerd, as well as his fellow plant nerds George Washington, Ben Franklin & the Bartram’s. (Been to Bartram’s and Mount Vernon.) Seeing the activities in practice and learning about their plant addictions, methods, experiments, crops, and failures. (One of my favorites is George’s distillery- which is still in operation.)
These guys, especially Bartram, had connections worldwide with plant collectors. Ex: William Bartram and his great expedition to Florida. A small part of this collecting network on the high seas was Lt William Bligh of the H.M.S. Bounty, probably best known for his ill-fated, mutinied expedition to transport rootstocks of the breadfruit tree.
On the list of famous plant nerds, Jefferson stands out. There was this little thing called the Lewis & Clark Expedition. Furthermore, the Freeman & Custis Red River Expedition explored the Arkansas and Red Rivers.
Jefferson occasionally has the reputation as the worst farmer ever! Some plant materials that came his way needed to be more suitable for the mountainous Virginia climate. Like any true gardener, he persevered in his farming failures and somehow avoided starvation. A gardener friend always said, “You have not failed until you have killed it at least three times,” so give Jefferson a break. Jefferson kept (some illustrated) journals of everything he did- his inventions, cattle, gardens, farming methods, labor, and blueprints. His journals remain a reference for modern-day gardeners. He had the most incredible variety of plants in all thirteen colonies.
Fast forward. Last year I was excitably watching a tv program on Monticello, which was a reenactor of Thomas Jefferson. He was terrific and confessed to being a plant smuggler in the process of his program.
Oh my! Jefferson was a true gardener. This tale needed investigating.
While Jefferson was ambassador to France- he became quite the “foodie,” falling in love with French cooking. He noticed the French ate much rice and became quite fascinated with how superior it “must” be (turned out not to be) to South Carolina rice. They preferred the dry upland rice of Italy. He became obsessed. He set out to “get it” for South Carolina. He was highly interested in the upland dry rice, hoping to replace the wet growing varieties in the malarial swamp scenario of the south.
Rice came from China, The Philippines, Vietnam, the West Indies islands, Jamaica, Sumatra, and African upland rice from Guinea, mainly from Britain. He acquired and experimented with rice seeds from all over the world. After figuring out that Britain as a middleman was a cost factor, he decided South Carolina should export directly to France.
On tour to Italy, he sought out the” fancy rice.” He crossed the Alps on a mule (at age 44) to find it. Moreover, find it he did. One problem: it was not available for export. Okay, so what was Jefferson to do?
What any other experienced true-blooded gardener would do, he had no choice. He STOLE seeds! He first filled his pockets. He was later sewing them into the hems of his coats to smuggle them back to France. THEN he mailed them home to Virginia and other like-minded experimenters in South Carolina in a tea canister.
Smuggling was punishable by death. Jefferson wanted that rice badly.
WHAT?
Flashing forward to the hundreds of garden tours I have been on, mainly with Master Gardeners. Ending up at the back of the tour, often answering all the “What is this-es?” At the back of the tour were the real gardeners. They were (are) pocketing seeds and pinching off little cuttings of desirable plants. Shameful!
Back to Jefferson- When the Italian rice failed, he acquired more rice from Timor through Lt. Bligh. (Yes, he survived the mutiny.) He grew it at Monticello, shared the seed with Bartram in Philadelphia, Washington at Mount Vernon, Madison at Montpelier, and sent more to South Carolina and Georgia. After repeated trials, upland rice is as easy to grow as the wet varieties, except for the weeds. Weeds will not grow in water. Some early successes were in the hillier parts of Georgia, farther west to Alabama, and up into Kentucky. Early setbacks were husking the seeds. Primarily processed by mortar & pestle or, later, revolving millstones. Today, the husks are used as soil conditioners, mulch, or poultry bedding.
Upland rice production has expanded throughout the south. It makes one wonder about “where” Jefferson’s rice is now. Is it still recognizable or hybridized beyond his (or our) recognition? The upland rice never became as big an export as he had hoped.
Nevertheless, his endeavors were a success.
He said that in addition to writing the Declaration of Independence, his proudest accomplishment was bringing upland rice to the south. Jefferson said, “The greatest service which can be rendered to any country is to add a useful plant to its culture.”
Never tiring of agriculture, after the rice, he moved on to olive trees. Jefferson was the first in America to grow figs, dates, almonds, pistachios, durum wheat, kale, tomatoes, peppers & chickpeas. He was the first to bring vanilla to America. Monticello’s mountainside terraces grew 330 varieties of 89 species of vegetables and herbs. One hundred seventy varieties of fruit in his orchards and vineyards. He also attempted French grapes and African sesame.
Monticello is a “must-see” if you are in Virginia. The famous Mulberry Row at Monticello is amazing. Check out their historic seeds and plants catalog. My first sighting of hyacinth bean vines has been a staple in my garden since I was at Monticello. Recently, they have located slave quarters through an archaeological dig and are currently recreating them. I cannot wait to see them.
Rice-producing states today: Arkansas, California, Missouri, South Carolina, Georgia, Louisiana & Texas.
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