Seaman Asahel Knapp

Seaman Asahel Knapp (December 16, 1833 – April 1, 1911) was an American physician, college instructor, and administrator. Born in New York, Knapp attended Union College and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa, later moving to Iowa.

Career

Knapp became involved in an organization called 'The Teachers of Agriculture,' attending their meetings at the Michigan Agricultural College in 1881 and Iowa State University in 1882. He drafted a bill for the establishment of experimental research stations, which was later introduced to the 47th Congress, laying the foundation for a nationwide network of agricultural experiment stations.

Knapp later served as the second president of Iowa Agricultural College—the future Iowa State University—from 1883 to 1884,
Iowa State University, retrieved 2009-01-27
but his interest in agricultural demonstration work began in 1886 when he moved to Louisiana and began developing a large tract of agricultural land in the western part of the state. He founded Vinton, Louisiana, naming the town after his hometown, Vinton, Iowa.
Knapp could neither persuade local farmers to adopt the techniques he had perfected on his farm, nor could he enlist farmers from the North to move to the region to help teach them. Thus, he decided to provide incentives for farmers to settle in each township on the condition that each would demonstrate the results of his farming methods to other farmers. Northern farmers began moving into the region, and native farmers began using Knapp's methods. By 1902, Knapp was employed by the government to promote good agricultural practices in the South.

Based on his own experience, Knapp believed that demonstrations carried out by farmers were the most effective way to disseminate good farming methods. His techniques proved effective against infestations of the boll weevil, a cotton pest which affected Louisiana and much of the South. Damage associated with this pest instilled fear among many merchants and growers that the cotton economy would disintegrate.

A farm demonstration at the Walter G. Porter farm, now a National Historic Landmark in Terrell, Texas, was set up by the Department of Agriculture at the urging of concerned merchants and growers. This demonstration of Knapp's techniques was the first in a series of steps that eventually led to the passage of the legislation that formalized Cooperative Extension work.

USDA officials were impressed with the success of this demonstration and appropriated $250,000 to combat the weevil, which included hiring farmers to demonstrate Knapp’s techniques. By 1904, some 20 agents were employed in Texas, Louisiana, and Arkansas. The movement also spread to neighboring Mississippi and Alabama.Smith, Jack D., "Information and Inspiration: An Early History of the Alabama Cooperative Extension System," Unpublished Manuscript, March 29, 1989, pp. 13–16.

Knapp is commemorated in Washington, D.C., by a bridge linking the U.S. Department of Agriculture Administration Building to the U.S. Department of Agriculture South Building across Independence Avenue.

Death and legacy

Seaman A. Knapp died in 1911, aged 77, and is interred at Iowa State University Cemetery, Ames, Iowa. His son, Bradford Knapp, was the President of the Alabama Polytechnic Institute, now known as Auburn University, from 1928 to 1933 and the second president of Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas. November 27, 1912 was named "Knapp Agricultural Day" in all public schools in memory of Knapp. His work continued to be recognized with special honors long after his death.

See also

* Kenyon L. Butterfield

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Knapp, Seaman
American agronomists
1833 births
1911 deaths
Union College (New York) alumni
Presidents of Iowa State University
People from Vinton, Iowa
People from Vinton, Louisiana
People from Essex County, New York
Scientists from New York (state)
20th-century American scientists
20th-century American farmers
20th-century American earth scientists
Scientists from Iowa