George Washington Carver’s botanical studies were not limited to the peanut.
He discovered that other plants renourished the soil and had many uses.
Carver found over 100 products that could be made from the sweet potato, including molasses, paste, and rubber.
He created a process to obtain paint pigments from clay. This was another economic boost for the South because the region had huge clay deposits.
After researching the pecan, he made a material from it that could be used for paving highways.
Carver also introduced a legume from China into American farming: the soybean.
The inventor Thomas Edison once offered Carver a position in his research laboratory, but Carver turned him down.
