1 For years, farmers in Alabama grew cotton and nothing else. As a result, they had damaged fields and could no longer cultivate crops. The fields broke down from planting the same crops year after year. Then, in 1914, a pest called a boll weevil destroyed crops. The solution to this problem came from George Washington Carver, an African American scientist and inventor.
2 Carver was born in 1864 to enslaved parents who worked on a farm. He was often sick as a child and could not work in the fields. Instead, Carver worked in the kitchen garden and learned how to make simple medicines out of herbs. Carver also became interested in plants and how they grew. As a boy, Carver told local farmers how to grow healthier plants in their own gardens.
3 In 1891, Carver went to college in Iowa. He studied agriculture, the science of farming. He learned about different types of plants and the soil in which they grew. He also learned about the animals and insects that ate crops. All this knowledge became useful when the farmers in Alabama needed help.
4 Carver discovered that the soil in Alabama could grow other types of plants, such as peanuts and sweet potatoes. So, he introduced the idea of crop rotation to the farmers. Crop rotation is the practice of growing different types of crops on the same land in consecutive seasons. Not only does this practice help reduce soil erosion, but it also introduces different nutrients into the soil. The result is better, healthier soil and more crops.
5 Carver suggested that the farmers begin by growing peanuts because it is an easy crop to grow. In addition, the peanuts would reintroduce important nutrients to the soil that had vanished after years of growing just cotton. The farmers were hesitant at first but decided to follow Carver’s plan. They began growing peanuts and sweet potatoes on their farms.
6 The plan was a success. However, another problem soon emerged. Although crop rotation helped the soil and produced peanuts and sweet potatoes, customers did not buy these foods. Some farmers had so many peanuts that they were forced to place them in storehouses, where they sat and rotted.
7 Carver responded to this situation with more research. He locked himself in his laboratory for an entire week, experimenting with peanuts. By the end of the week, he had developed several products that could be made from peanuts. He also created several brochures telling the public about these new products. As a result, sales of peanuts went through the roof.
8 Carver continued to experiment and made products from peanuts and sweet potatoes. He made 300 other things from peanuts, such as flour, milk, ink, and dye. During World War I, Carver worked with Henry Ford to create a replacement for rubber that was created from peanuts. In addition, Carver made about 100 products from sweet potatoes. Some of these products included glue, ink, and breakfast cereal. He also developed a substitute for coffee. In addition, Carver created brochures about the nutritional value of the two foods, and even shared a few recipes!
9 By 1940, peanuts became the second leading crop to make money in the South. Carver changed how cotton was grown and made many other crops important to the South.
