Dr. George Washington Carver

The impact of George Washington Carver's (ca. 1864--1943) research on the science of agronomy and specifically on southern agriculture is incalculable. His work on crop rotation--alternating cotton with soybeans, cowpeas, and sweet potatoes to return nitrogen to the soil--revitalized cotton farming after years of declining production. Carver's motivation was not simply to improve the economics of cotton cultivation. He was committed to helping undernourished subsistence farmers improve their yields and grow crops that would improve their diets. He sent students into the countryside to teach cultivation techniques, livestock care, and food preservation practices. They spoke with farmers and passed out informational brochures with recipes for nutritious food. By the early twentieth century, Carver's work developing hundreds of new uses for agricultural products earned international acclaim. At the upper left, Johnson shows him shaking hands with President Franklin Roosevelt; at lower right, he receives an award from Henry Ford.