John Beale Bordley
West Bradford Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
The noted agriculturalist purchased land just north of here in 1792 and named it "Como Farm." Here, he conducted numerous experiments on crop rotation and maintenance of soil fertility. Bordley planned new devices for seeding and reaping wheat. His works on Rotation of Crops and Husbandry and Rural Affairs were widely read. Died, 1804.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
John Beale Bordley bought land here in 1792 and named it Como Farm, turning it into a laboratory for the new scientific agriculture. He tested crop rotation and methods of keeping soil fertile, sketched improved machines for sowing and reaping wheat, and published widely read works on rotation and husbandry. He died in 1804, having helped push American farming from tradition toward experiment.
Why it matters
Bordley was among the gentleman-scientists who founded American agricultural reform, seeding the improvements in soil and yield that would sustain a fast-growing nation.
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