Home > About

About

Tuskegee Institute, Tuskegee, Ala., April 5th, 1918
(circa, 1902). Richards Film Service. Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division. LC-USZ62-128399

We dare not attempt to state explicitly what this Station will do or even attempt to do, but we take pleasure in saying that as far as we are able, neither time nor expense will be spared to make our work of direct benefit to every farmer.

Carver, George Washington. (1898) Feeding Acorns. Tuskegee Experiment Station Bulletin. Number 1, p. 4.

George Washington Carver was an agricultural scientist whose importance lies in his practical work supporting African-American farmers and his advocacy for specific crops such as peanuts and sweet potatoes.

This exhibit showcases the 38 Tuskegee Institute Experiment Station Bulletins held by the National Agricultural Library (NAL) that were written by George Washington Carver during his tenure as Director. The exhibit also includes a selection of U.S. Department of Agriculture historical publications relevant to Carver's Bulletins. The exhibit has been subdivided into the following topic areas:

1. Crop Development: Bulletins designed to encourage farmers to diversify their lands and grow crops that would provide immediate benefits. These crops included sweet potatoes, black-eyed (cow) peas, corn, alfalfa, tomatoes, cotton, and of course, peanuts.

2. Farm Management: Practical advice for making, saving, and managing money that addressed the real limitations faced by poor, mainly black, farmers of rural Alabama.

3. Homemaking Activities: Directions for food preservation, cooking, growing ornamental plants, and using native clay to create color washes for decorating the farmhouse.

4. Raising Livestock: Methods for increasing productivity in the poultry yard, livestock feeding using readily available plants such as acorns, and the relationship between overall farm health and livestock production.

5. Rural Schools: Ways to use agriculture and gardening to educate children in the science of the natural world.

6. Soil Productivity: Instructions for strengthening the then impoverished soils of Alabama's poorest farms.

Many of the items featured here were published almost a century ago. Therefore, please do not assume that the content reflects current scientific knowledge, policies, or practices. All views expressed in these items are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Department of Agriculture or the National Agricultural Library.

Unless otherwise indicated, all materials contained in this exhibit are either in the public domain due to copyright expiration or because they are works produced by employees of the U.S. Government as part of their official duties and thus are not copyrighted within the United States.

This exhibit was designed and written by Emily Marsh, Ph.D., MLS.

Please contact NAL if you have any questions about this site.