Thomas Green Clemson - Agricultural Studies

Agricultural Studies

In 1843, Thomas purchased a 1000 acre plot of land in the Edgefield district in South Carolina. Named “Canebrake” due to the vast amount of dense and thick canes along the riverbank, the land, as well as the twenty slaves he placed there, had an estimated cost of $24,000. Though this plot of land did not do well while Clemson was abroad in Belgium, he was furthering his studies in the field of Agriculture. He successfully translated the lengthy article “Extraction of Sugar from the Beet”, written by Professor Melsens, a professor at one of Belgium’s State colleges, from French to English. Upon his return from Belgium, in 1853 Clemson purchased a small 100 acre piece of land in Maryland which he called “The Home”. The advantages for Clemson to live in Maryland, not too far from Washington, was the ability to get better access to utilities and resources for his research, studies, and experiments. While there, his studies in Agricultural Chemistry led to findings that were published in scientific journals, such as The American Farmer. In addition, he attended the meetings of both the Maryland and the United States Agricultural Societies. Within that framework, he did a study of cattle disease. The study showed that cattle coming from the North to the South contracted the disease, whereas cattle going from the South to the North transmitted the disease. This added to the knowledge of Texas Fever, which was the disease observed by Clemson. His findings and distinction as a scientist got him an invitation to speak at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington in 1858. Clemson was active in the field of agricultural development for many years to come, as more of his documents became published.