THANK YOU, MR. PEANUT MAN by Marya Myers illustrations by Christopher Cyr
“The cotton crop is not growing,” Paw tells Maw. “We have no cotton to sell and cannot pay rent. What will we do?” I hear a tap at the door. It’s Mr. Lawson.
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“I am going into town to see the Movable School. It may have some tips on planting,” Mr. Lawson tells us. “What’s the Movable School?” I ask. “Well, it’s a school on wheels. A professor named Mr. Carver started this program to bring learning to farmers like us. We can’t just leave the farm to study planting,” Mr. Lawson explains.
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A small crowd gathers near the truck. A man gives us a handout. “How to grow the peanut,” I read. “Mr. Carver’s handout is helpful. It tells you all the ways to use peanuts,” the teacher says. Paw speaks with the teacher, and I pick up a few more handouts.
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At dinner that evening, Paw tells us about the teacher’s lesson. “He said to rotate my crops—plant things other than cotton. Switching crops adds nutrients to the soil that help plants grow. But how can I do that?” Paw exclaims. “All I know is cotton.” “How about peanuts?” I ask. “Here is the handout from the truck. It says peanuts ‘enrich the soil.’” I read on, “They are easy to plant, easy to grow, and easy to harvest.” “Hmm, let me see that,” Paw responds. We read about peanuts for the rest of dinner.
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How Fields of Crops Are Rotated
plant peanuts
Years 1 and 3
harvest cotton
Years 2 and 4
plant cotton
harvest peanuts Nitrogen is a nutrient that helps plants survive. Rotating crops adds nitrogen back into the soil.
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A few weeks later, the truck returns. Paw asks about growing peanuts. “Peanuts are good for the soil, but will people buy them?�
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“Peanuts are a ‘cash crop,’” the teacher tells us. “Mr. Carver told us people will buy peanuts because you can use them in more than 105 ways. They are not just for eating. You can make laundry soap, shampoo, paint, and even glue!”
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For the next three years, we switch our crops each year. We plant peanuts one year and cotton the next. With more nutrients in the soil, the crops get stronger. I keep reading Mr. Carver’s handouts on farming. “Paw, I want to study with Mr. Carver at the Tuskegee Institute. I can bring what I learn back to the farm,” I tell him. Paw agrees.
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On my first day of school, I find Mr. Carver inside the classroom. He is standing behind glass tubes and beakers. “May I help you?” he asks. “I have come to study with you, Mr. Carver. Your peanuts helped us keep our farm,” I tell him.
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“You are just in time,” Mr. Carver responds. “Have you ever seen a sweet potato? Let’s see what we can make with that!”
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