Read the passage.
Carver's Creative Crops
Cotton was once the main cash crop of the southern United States, its cultivation and sale
providing a reliable income for farmers. In the early 1900s, however, the South suffered a
widespread infestation of boll weevils (beetles that feed on cotton), which annihilated
cotton crops. Many farmers were plunged into poverty, no longer able to eke out a living
from cotton. George Washington Carver, an agriculture professor at Alabama's Tuskegee
Institute, addressed this situation by promoting crop diversification. He particularly
advocated the cultivation of peanuts as a cash crop because they were easy to grow and
had properties that helped replenish the cotton-depleted soil. As part of his campaign,
Carver developed many unexpected peanut-based recipes, such as peanut carrot fudge
and peanut soup. His innovations went well beyond the culinary, however: Carver also
developed peanut-based soap, face powder, axle grease, printer's ink, and numerous
other products. Peanut cultivation in the South increased rapidly, and the economy
improved.
What is the main idea of the passage?
The boll weevil invasion revealed the South's risky overreliance on cotton as a
cash crop.
George Washington Carver helped farmers diversify from cotton farming by
promoting the cultivation of peanuts.
George Washington Carver, a professor of agriculture, promoted the
cultivation of peanuts as a cash crop.