MANUS A HAND. 115 



because it makes it lighter, and adds organic matter 

 to the soil. The supply of the commercial fertilizers 

 increases every year, as men of science find out how 

 to make and use them. Every waste matter is now 

 searched for these precious three ; and where before 

 many things were thrown away as useless, or buried in 

 the ground or the sea, now all is saved and prepared 

 for the use of the farmer, that his fields no longer grow 

 lean, and his crops perish for hunger. The cost of 

 these fertilizers has been much reduced in the last few 

 years, and it may be the cost will be still further re- 

 duced as science finds new sources of supply. The 

 supply is never likely to give out, and each year the 

 people see that the old law of nature is right: That 

 which comes from the soil must be returned to the soil. 

 In this way the land will be a bank that will pay 

 good dividends long after every gold-mine in the world 

 is exhausted. In this way the soil will supply food for 

 countless millions of people, and farms will cover all 

 the earth, so that no man can number the bountiful 

 crops that will spring up to feed and clothe the people. 

 What is our duty in the matter? We must learn 

 of these things. Observe, study, and experiment. If 

 you own land, remember it is a trust. You have no 

 right to rob the soil. You dare not rob a bank, or 

 your father, lest you come to poverty or the jail. 

 How much more, then, are you bound in honor not 

 to rob the soil made by the Creator for the use of all 

 his children. If you receive the land from your fath- 

 ers, you are bound to leave it to your children in better 



