As an agricultural chemist, Carver discovered three hundred uses for peanuts and hundreds more uses for soybeans, pecans and sweet potatoes. Among the listed items that he suggested to southern farmers to help them economically were his recipes and improvements to/for: adhesives, axle grease, bleach, buttermilk, chili sauce, fuel briquettes, ink, instant coffee, linoleum, mayonnaise, meat tenderizer, metal polish, paper, plastic, pavement, shaving cream, shoe polish, synthetic rubber, talcum powder and wood stain.
Carver developed techniques to improve soils depleted by repeated plantings of cotton. Together with other agricultural experts, he urged farmers to restore nitrogen to their soils by practicing systematic crop rotation: alternating cotton crops with plantings of sweet potatoes or legumes (such as peanuts, soybeans and cowpeas). These both restored nitrogen to the soil and the crops were good for human consumption. Following the crop rotation practice resulted in improved cotton yields and gave farmers alternative cash crops. To train farmers to successfully rotate and cultivate the new crops, Carver developed an agricultural extension program for Alabama that was similar to the one at Iowa State. To encourage better nutrition in the South, he widely distributed recipes using the alternative crops.
Using Peanuts
George Washington Carver made things using peanuts including beverages, cosmetics, medicines, dyes and paints. Some beverages are peanut lemon punch and peanut orange punch. Hand lotion, face lotion, face powder and peanut oil shampoo were also made from peanuts. Medicines included rubbing oils, castor oils, and laxatives. Dyes for leather and cloth were some things he also made.
Using Potatoes
He made 117 products out of sweet potatoes including flour and candy. Carver invented flour, sugar, yeast, wood stains, medicines and cattle feed and many more from sweet potatoes.
Using Pecans & Soybeans
Seventy-Five products were made from pecans. George Washington Carver worked along with Henry Ford to invent synthesized rubber from soybean. Just like peanuts, Carver made paints and stains from soybeans.
