George Washington Carver—A Great Agriculturist's Life-altering Decision
乔治·华盛顿·卡弗——一位农业学家的重大决定
“ He could have added fortune to fame， but caring for neither， he found happiness and honor in being helpful to the world.”
—Epitaph1 on the grave of George Washington Carver
George Washington Carver was an extraordinary individual， dedicated to lifelong learning and the practical application of the sciences. Through a blend of inspiration， artistic inclination and scientific talent， Carver made many contributions to this world and the environment， such as creating more than 300 peanut-based products， numerous developments for the sweet potato， and developing revolutionary crop rotation theories. His passion and contribution have extended beyond the walls of a classroom， permeating the American South， by educating and empowering farmers in agricultural techniques. In addition to being a gifted teacher， researcher and innovator， Carver was known as an artist and musician.
Carver was the first black man to study at Iowa State University， earning a Bachelor of Science in 1894. He received his Master's degree in agriculture and bacterial botany in 1896. After that， Carver made a life-altering decision when he consented to teach at Tuskegee Institute in Alabama.
At that time， though the American Civil War freed the slaves， it didn't teach them how to live as free people. After the war， schools were created to help train African Americans. Tuskegee Institute in Alabama opened in 1881， and it was one of most famous training schools. Job skills such as carpentry， printing， and home economics， etc. was taught there. Tuskegee also provided training for elementary school teachers. In 1897， Booker T. Washington， founder of the Tuskegee Institute， convinced Carver to come south and serve as the school's Director of Agriculture department. Carver remained on the faculty until his death in 1943.
It is rare to find a man of the caliber of George Washington Carver. A man who would decline an invitation to work for a salary of more than $100，000 a year (almost a million dollars today) to teach at the Tuskegee Institute and continue his research. It was a tough decision. Carver had other good job possibilities. In the end， he accepted Booker T.Washington's offer. He decided that he could do the most good at Tuskegee Institute. Carver said about Tuskegee Institute， “It has always been the one ideal of my life to be the greatest good to the greatest number of 'my people' ...This line of education is the key to unlock the golden door of freedom to our people.”
Carver was put in charge of the new agriculture department at Tuskegee. There， he taught African American students at the school as well as poor black farmers outside the school. Eventually， he also was responsible for an agricultural research program， two school farms， and a variety of other tasks. It was enough work to keep several people busy.
When Carver arrived at Tuskegee Institute， the agriculture department had few students， few resources， and no laboratory. But the resourceful Carver knew what to do. He and his students created a laboratory. They gathered old jars， china， pots， and pans. They collected metal， string， and rubber from the trash. Carver showed his students how to turn these discarded items into laboratory equipment. Using this equipment， they conducted experiments on Carver's old desk. They tested soil， fertilizers， and animal food. Carver taught his students to see how everything in nature was interrelated. Many years later， Carver finally got a real laboratory with real equipment.
Before Carver arrived， agriculture was not a popular subject at Tuskegee Institute. Students associated it with the poverty of people who farmed only to grow enough food to survive. But Carver was a scientist， and he treated the study of agriculture as a science. For him， agriculture was about real-life botany and chemistry. Carver taught students to respect agriculture， and then the department grew.
At Tuskegee Institute， Carver developed his crop rotation theory， which revolutionized southern agriculture. He also educated the farmer to alternate the soil-depleting cotton crops with soil-enriching crops such as peanuts， peas and soybeans.
Carver did not profit from his products. He freely gave his discoveries to mankind. Most important was the fact that he changed the South from being a one-crop land of cotton， to being multi-crop farmlands. “God gave them to me，” he said about his ideas， “How can I sell them to someone else？”In 1940， Carver donated his life savings to the establishment of the Carver Research Foundation at Tuskegee， for continuing research in agriculture.
“他本可以名利双收，却不为所动，在对世界贡献中他获得了快乐与荣耀。”
——乔治·华盛顿·卡弗的墓志铭
乔治·华盛顿·卡弗是一位非凡的人物，他致力于终身学习以及各种自然科学的实际应用。在灵感、艺术爱好以及科学才能的交融作用下，卡弗对世界和环境做出了诸多贡献。例如他创造出了三百多种以花生为原料的产品，对甘薯进行了许多改良，并且形成了革命性的轮耕理论。通过对农民进行教育及农业技术传授，卡弗的热情和贡献已穿越了教室的围墙，渗透到了美国的南部。卡弗不仅是一位有天赋的教师、研究者和改革者，他还是一位艺术家和音乐家。
卡弗是爱荷华州立大学的第一个黑人学生。他在1894年获得了理科学士学位，并在1896年获得了农业和细菌植物学的硕士学位。随后，卡弗便做出了一个改变他一生的决定：到位于阿拉巴马州的塔斯克基技术学院任教。
那时，美国的内战已经使奴隶获得了自由，但他们还不知如何像自由人一样去生活。内战结束后，许多学校建立起来，主要培训非裔美国人。塔斯克基技术学院成立于1881年，是诸多知名培训学校之一。技术工种包括木工、印刷、家政等等。同时塔斯克基技术学院还对小学教师进行培训。1897年，该学院的创始人布克·华盛顿说服了卡弗。从此，卡弗来到了南方，担任该学校农业系的主管。卡弗一直在该校任教直至1943年去世。
乔治·华盛顿·卡弗是一位不可多得的人才。他拒绝了一份年薪10万美元（相当于今天一百万美元）的工作，来到塔斯克基技术学院任教，并在此继续他的研究工作。这是一个艰难的决定，因为卡弗有其他更好的工作机会。但是，他最终接受了布克·华盛顿的邀请。卡弗觉得他在塔斯克基技术学院能做到最好。他曾这样评价塔斯克基技术学院：“我毕生的理想一直是为‘我的人民’中的大多数人提供最大的好处……而这种教育是能为我们的人民打开通向自由的金色大门的钥匙。”
卡弗主管塔斯克基技术学院新成立的农业系。他既给非裔美国学生授课，也给校外贫困的黑人农民讲学。最后，卡弗还同时肩负起一个农业研究项目，负责两个学校农场，工作繁多，足够几个人忙乎的。
卡弗刚到塔斯克基技术学院时，农业系只有几名学生，缺少教学资源，没有实验室。但这难不倒经验丰富的卡弗。他和他的学生们创建了实验室，他们将旧的坛坛罐罐，瓷器以及平底锅都集中到一起，把垃圾中的金属、细绳和橡胶都收集起来。卡弗向他的学生们展示了如何将这些废弃物转化成为实验室的仪器。通过这些设备，他们在卡弗的旧桌子上进行了许多实验。他们检测土壤、化学肥料还有动物饲料。卡弗教授学生如何观察自然界中相互关联的万物。多年以后，卡弗终于有了一个配有真正仪器设备的实验室。
在卡弗到来之前，农学并不是塔斯克基技术学院一个受欢迎的学科。学生们把这个学科和那些家境贫寒、只能靠种地维持生计的人联系在一起。然而，卡弗是一位科学家，他将农业视作一门科学。就卡弗而言，农学就是现实生活中的植物学和化学。卡弗教育学生要尊重农业，随后农业系逐渐壮大起来。
在塔斯克基技术学院，卡弗发展了他的轮耕理论，这一理论使南方农业经历了一次改革。他还教授农民要交替种植那些耗费土地的棉花作物和使土地肥沃的农作物如花生、豌豆、大豆等。
卡弗没有从他的产品中获利。他将自己的发现无偿地赠予了人类。最重要的是，卡弗将南方单一种植棉花的土地转变成了可以种植多种农作物的农田。“上帝将它们赋予了我”，卡弗这样表述他的创新理论，“我怎能将这些拿去出售？”1940年，卡弗将他毕生的积蓄捐赠出来，成立了塔斯克基卡弗研究基金，以资助农业的后续研究。
译者感言
乔治·华盛顿·卡弗是美国历史上杰出的农学家和植物学家，被誉为植物世界的魔术师。他的一生主要从事于花生等农作物的研究。在花生中他找到了300多种应用方法，这其中就包括我们现在能见到的花生咖啡、花生牛奶等。卡弗毕生的实验性研究彻底改变了整个美国南方的农业种植状况。美国内战前，南方基本上只是单一的以棉花种植业为主。在卡弗努力地推广之下，南部开始种植花生，甘薯和黄豆等其他农作物，从而彻底改变了南方的农业种植结构。美国的两位总统柯立芝和罗斯福、印度圣雄甘地、大企业家福特都曾到过他的小实验室中拜访过他。卡弗也曾婉言谢绝了爱迪生的高薪重聘，而继续留在技术学院从事他毕生的研究。在卡弗的言传身教下，他的研究和伟大的人生理念在代代后人中流传不息，并为人们所发扬光大。
