1. Cleve, Carter’s plantation, was located on the Rappahannock River in King George County, about thirteen miles east of Fredericksburg and about three miles from Port Royal, Caroline County. The house at Cleve was built around 1720 and reportedly was “consumed by fire” in June 1790 (Pennsylvania Mercury, and Universal Advertiser [Philadelphia], 1 July 1790).

2. The Aurora General Advertiser (Philadelphia) for 13 Aug. 1796 announced GW’s intention “to decline after his time expires.” The American Telegraphe, & Fairfield County Gazette (Bridgeport, Conn.) for 21 Sept. printed the following article taken from the Aurora: “It is important that the citizens of the United States should be early apprised of the President’s intention to decline standing a candidate at the next election. It is to be regretted, that though the determination has long since been communicated to his confidential friends, the public generally should still be in the dark respecting it. … We at last, however, hold the information thro’ channels so respectable, and in terms so positive, that we venture to assert unqualifiedly, that the President will decline.”

3. Carter enclosed a lengthy undated memorandum on Indian Corn, which reads: “Indian Corn seems to engage so much of the attention of my Countrymen; and in good truth, has in itself so large a share of merit as a food for Man and Beast; that I have lent a partial mind to the search after a mode of culture, consistent with the wellfare of the Land. We may fairly ascribe the wide waste of destruction in our fields to the growth of that Plant; pursued, as it has been in all time, under an itinerant sort of Husbandry: It would seem as if Mankind were content to resign Posterity, to the wretched alternative of Famine or Emigration. A Field has been withdrawn from the Forest, and pushed to it’s last exertions; and another, and another still, has been again destroyed: And then abandoned to a common, insterillity’s most comfortless state; naked and bound up from Air’s benificent Influence.

“Enquieries into the cause of this destruction, consequent to such husbandry, led to an investigation of the various concurrence in the business of Vegitation; and all the matter, engaged, seemed to be of a volatile nature, or fit to become so. To the untaught it may be a subject of wonder, that the matter of Earth should have such a quallity assigned to it; yet it is not more surprising than true: Inert as it may be in its native state, a communication with Aerial matter imparts to it a vivacity, as absolutely subject to exhalation as the matter of Air with which it is allied: And ponderous as it is in water, it acquires, by the union a perfect solubillity in fluids more dense than Air, and without interrupting their transparency.

“The Heat of the Sun however useful to the Plant; and however necessary in a limited sense it may be to the Earth; is nevertheless injurious in the excess: Nor is this injurious charge to be waved, for its lessend force in the Winter season: It will be found, upon due enquiry, to impair the Land, even more, when in a frozen state, than in a State of Freedom.

“If volatile matter be exposed to heat, an exhalation must be the consequence; and the fruitful deposite from the Air having, by it’s union with the matter of Earth, rendered it as volatile as itself; it appears that there is a free Resignation of a part of the Lands own native Resourses, consequent to injudicious tillage.

“The more perpendicular the plane is, to the direction of the Rays of the sun, the more forcible will be the Heat; and that will be the more moderate, in proportion as that direction deviates from the right angle: The more obliquely then, the Land is placed to the Sun, the less degree of heat it will sustain.

“When the Earth is free it maintains some stand against the attac⟨ks⟩ of heat; and by it’s absorbent powers holds it’s fertillity from a moderate degree of it; but when it is locked up by frost, it looses that absorbent force, and yields its volatile contents freely to the solicitations of even the lessened rate of heat at that Season. As an example to illustrate this I request your attention to the moist, greasy, appearance on the surface of the hard frozen ground, when the Sun has just sent forth a gentle warmth, as yet insufficient to unbind the Earth: This Appearance will be greater upon a levelled Spot; and thence the Treasure will exhale, before the frost bound Soil can be released, to reassume it’s absorbent Powers.

“The more surfaces are presented, by tillage, to the air, the more of that matter of Earth will be in contact with it’s contents; and the more fertillity is induced. For it can no how constitute a part of vegetable Food but by being rendered soluble in Water. The division may not be pursued too far; as instance with the Hoe, or Harrow; For besides the dangerous excess, those tools lay the Ground too level; and both together afford too free an admission of Heat; and leads to the waste described in.

“Plowing, to be adapted to the foregoing postulate, should be directed into Ridges; for Example, two Furrows meeting upon a Baulk, highly pointed up; Ridge ranging by the side of Ridge, throughout the Field. The Baulks will mellow better than the Cast; so the Farmers may not cavil too hastily; but must recur to the meeting Furrow in the middle of each Fallow-land, that has been broken up in Fall or Winter.

“Indian Corn, should be planted as early as possible; that the Crop may be brought to early perfection; for the sake, particularly of geting the Plowings over before the greatest heats. When it rises four or five inches high, a deep furrow should be taken from the Corn on both sides, so close as to leave it standing upon a narrow Ridge, with upright sides. Thus it should remain until about the middle of May; during which time the little bank is receiving a rich impregnation from the Air, without a diminution from the sun; owing to it’s oblique position. It also is induced, by the depression of the Furrows, to strike deep roots.

“When the time arrives, a loose mould being cast into the furrows, solicits a new set of Roots; so that the supplies having been increased, and now the demands multiplies, the Husbandman may count upon added proceeds. The future plowings all directed to the Corn, serve to destroy the Grass, without the aid of the Hoe; and thereby preserve the obliquity so requisite.

“All the Plowings after should be by alternate Rows, to permit a close approach to the corn; and the advantages of the alternate plowing, in dry weather, will occur to every Plowman.

“The directions given for the management of the I. Corn-Crop are best suited to the Fallow approoving Farmer, who has no occasion to throw away his grain and Labor, by sowing in a Field that has already brought an exhausting Crop, such as Indian Corn; yet it will be well for the other to follow them as near as he can. He may plow his Indian Corn-Field at any stage with safety to the Crop, in the above described way; if the Proprietor is content to bare his soil to the virulence of Heat: But it will always be bad husbandry.

“The Farmer will see in page 2d his danger if he summer fallows; for those Tools offer themselves as essentially necessary: But suppose he turns it flat over for a green fallow, as it is emphatically called; he will discover, page 1, a solubillity, that has the quallity of subsiding to the bottom, which is laid over to the hot Sun for free exhalation; the ballance of power being given to heat, over the absorbent hold, the Toiling laborer frustrates his own intent, and grasping at the Shadow will loose the substance.

“I think I have gone the length of a Letter; so will conclude with a wish that your valuable time may not be thrown away in the perusal: Be that as it may, I know your goodness will accept the will for the Deed.

“Just as I had written thus far, my Papers came to hand; wherein I read the departing Father’s valuable councills to his Children—Such a comprehensive system of politics may probably stay the dreaded ills, awhile—The thanks of all are due, & I take this early oppty to offer mine, with filial gratitude.

“Your arrival at Mt Vernon too is but now announced; or I might have ventured to extend my thoughts on Agriculture; counting upon your greater liesure; but I have made an end for this time, & so let it be. Friend! Father! Adieu!” (AD, DLC:GW). Carter numbered the pages of his enclosure. Various symbols, including the hatch mark and asterisk, appear at various places in the memorial.

Carter’s allusion to the “departing Father’s valuable councills to his Children” refers to GW’s Farewell Address, given 19 September. GW reached Mount Vernon by 27 Sept (see GW to the Fairfax County, Va., Court Justices, 28 Sept., and n.1 to that document).

4. A stercorary refers to a storage place for dung or manure (OED description begins James A. H. Murray et al., eds. The Oxford English Dictionary: Being a Corrected Re-Issue with an Introduction, Supplement, and Bibliography of A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles. 12 vols. 1933. Reprint. Oxford, England, 1970. description ends ).