Since your Conversation with Mr. Pyne, I have had several with him, on the same Subject; & as his Health continues to mend, he has a great Inclination to talk further, with you, on the Business you proposed to him. As the Season approaches for the most important Work on a Farm, I take the Liberty of recommending to your to come up, & stay a day or two with Us, to have further Conversation with him; And (if you can) reduce to Writing the Terms you agree upon, for further Consideration; because, as the Business is new to you, it will require the more Deliberation on your Part. Mr. Pyne has consulted with me respecting the Terms I would recommend, & I have committed them to Writing for Mrs. Pynes Consideration—they are indeed his own Proposals, but written by me. Had he perfect Health, I would go immediately to visit your Farm, before speaking to you further upon the Subject; but I have, on Acct. of his Indisposition, dissuaded him from it, until he enters into an Agreement with you, to take Place next Month, on Condition that he approves of the Farm, when he visits it, wch he will then fix a Time for, & meet you there. 1st Mr Pynes Proposals are, to enter into a Partnership with you, for a Term of Years, not less than 7, nor more than [blank]. 2 That he will conduct all the Business of the Farm (except as shall be mention’d) & instruct you in the whole Art, as you shall please to apply your Attention to it. 3d That he will plan, & direct all the Improvements, if you think proper, whether of Ferries Ditches, or Buildings for Cattle &c— 4th That he will have his own Family, separate from yours, & support the whole Expence of it, except in the Productions of the Farm, & Provender for two Horses; Vizt. one for his own riding on the Farm &c, the other for his Wife. 5th That as your Inclination may lead you, you shall be at Liberty to assume the Direction & Management of what part of the Business you please 6th That he will keep all the Accts. of the Farm in Books you shall provide for that Purpose— 1 And on your Part, you shall furnish the Farm & a seperate House for his Family (a small one will do if it is comfortable) this to be Rent Free. 2 That you shall erect the necessary Buildings for Horses, Cattle & Sheep, with a Barn &c—These to be either on your own Plan, or one he will recommend to you—He instances mine for Example which cost about £300—These & all others you may please to direct, are not to be carried to the Charge of the Partnership— 3d That you shall either provide, or furnish the necessary Monies to provide, all the Implements of Husbandry, Manure, Working Horses, & Cattle, Dairy Cows, Sheep, Swine, & other Live Stock—all the Servants, Labourers, & every Equipment of the Farm, & for the Purchase of Cattle, Sheep &c for stall fatting.—This I presume will require the first Year £1500, and as the Farm improves, a larger Sum may be beneficially employed; say £1000—or more. 4th That Part of the nt. Profits be allowed to you, as Rent for the Farm, & Buildings; & for Taxes; another third in Consideration of your advancing all the Stock,—& The remaining third to be given to Mr. Pyne, in Consideration, of his Knowledge, Experience, & Services, in lieu of all other Recompence.—And should there be no Profit on the Business, he requires no Compensation, further than the Privileges above mentioned— 5th At the Expiration of the Term agreed Upon, or sooner if mutually consented to, a fair appraisement shall be made of the Stock, Impliments Grain, &c, & Cash in Hand; & a Division of the Profits assigned to each, as above mentioned— 6th In Case of the Death of either Party, the Survivor, & the Executors of the deceased, shall immediately proceed to a settlement & Division of the Profits; & the Partnership by that Event be dissolved, so soon as the Settlement takes Place— 7th Mr Pynes Fire Wood to be reckoned among the Productions of the Farm, free of Expence— 8th His Expences attending Cattle Fairs, or the Purchase or Sale of Cattle, &c, to be reckoned an Expence of the Farm— these I think, are Terms which it will your Interest to accept, provided they suit your Convenience in regard to the Advances of Money—
His Reasons why he declines purchasing or renting a Farm, are good; Vizt. His precarious Health, & his determination not to involve Mrs. P in Embarrassments, which she is not calculated to combat, in Case of his Death—Yet I suppose he would have no Objection to advancing you a Sum of Money, on Interest, should you stand in Need, to help out in stocking the Farm—but this is my own Supposition—The fear of its being repaid in a depreciated Currency, has however, got such fast hold of prudent People, that they are not fond of parting with Realities. Mr Pyne, & indeed every other intelligent Farmer, is desirous to see Fairs established for Cattle, at Philadelphia, & other Towns, as they are in England—I dont know any greater Encouragement could be given to Agriculture, than this—In short we are distressed for want of this & Yet the common Farmer is not sensible of it, because he has never known the Advantages of them—I wish your Grand Father would give a Thought, point out a Plan, & promote it in a few Places at first—The Advantages will soon occasion them to spread, & more particularly, perhaps, if they were to be recommended to the Agricultural Society & from them to the Legislature & put by them under good Regulations—For want of them, our Business is badly conducted, & expensively.—I frequently want to sell one kind of Stock, & to purchase another to appropriate my Money to particular Uses—My Neighbour as often wants to buy the Stock wch I wish to sell, & to sell what I wish to buy; yet we can make no Bargain. If I apply to him, he thinks my Wants greater than they are, & holds up the Price of his Commodity—If I offer to sell, he thinks my necessities are greater than they are, & supposes I will sell at an under Value—The Difference between, “will you sell?” & “will you buy?” is done away by Fairs—It is customary in England, for Farmers to drive their Stock to a Fair, when they are not absolutely anxious for the Sale; but they do it in Expectation, as frequently happens, that they may get an Advantageous Price; & the next day, or at the next Fair, buy an Advantageous Bargain—They should be held at least once a Month at Philadelphia; as often at Lancaster; & almost as frequent at Carlisle, Reading, Easton, Bethlethem, Chester, New Town, Bristol, &c. Indeed every Farmer would wish to be within a Days Ride of a Fair, at one Place or other, every Week in the Year. Let Pennsylvania take the Lead, New Jersey is wise enough to follow the Example—Pray form a Plan, & recommend it to the Agricultural Society—
If you come up, as I hope you will (because there is no Time to spare between this & the Spring) do me the favour to call at, or send to, Mr Clymen to let my little Daughter know of your coming, & that we may hear how she is—Write a Line by Post, & tell me when to expect You—
With respectful Compliments to your Grand Father, to Mr & Mrs Bache, I remain Your very humble Servant