Have You Robbed Your Farm? 



A True Story With a Moral 



Some years ago a young man bought a farm on the edge of an old peat 

 bog in Illinois. The soil was evidently very rich, and the first year yielded a 

 big crop of corn — 85 bushels per acre. The young man was happy, took unto 

 himself a wife, built a little home on a little knoll on the farm and settled 

 down. The next year he had another bumper crop on the farm and a pair of 

 twin boys in the home, and he was happier than ever. 



Well, he continued to live and farm this place for twenty years, and worked 

 hard and faithfully, but in that whole time never raised another good crop, and 

 he couldn't understand it, especially since the first crops were so fine. 



One day a soil specialist came along, examined the soil and found it lacking 

 in phosphorus. The first two crops had used up all there was, and more phos- 

 phorus had to be added before another 

 crop could be harvested from this soil. 



When the specialist told this to the 

 farmer, and that for a small sum per 

 acre he could have added the phos- 

 phorous and raised a bumper crop every 

 year, he just broke down and cried. 

 He said: "Just think! I have lived here 

 all these years, a very poor man, and 

 raised my family in poverty and ignor- 

 ance, all the time working hard, with- 

 out success, and if I had only known 

 what you tell me I would be rich and 

 my children could have had an educa- 

 tion and social advantages which have 

 been denied then." 



Every farmer should know the kind 

 of soil he is farming; should learn how 

 to avoid robbing it; should learn how 

 to feed it; so that instead of getting 

 poorer every year his soil will be getting 

 continually better. 



You can do it, Mr. Farmer, by read- 

 ing such books as "The Story of the 

 Soil." 



Cyril G. Hopkins, the Author of "The 

 Story of the Soil," is acknowledged 

 authority on Soil Culture of the Uni- 

 versity of Illinois, author of "Soil Fer- 

 tility and Permanent Agriculture," etc. 



Every scientific farmer and every student of the soil, and everybody who 

 wants to know how to make things grow to perfection should read Mr. Hopkins' 

 Masterpiece, a new book, entitled " The Story of the Soil," a handsome volume, 

 elegantly bound in cloth, containing 350 pages, size 5x7;^ inches, illustrated — 

 sells for $1.50. t - r-* 



Gleanings specially desires that every one of its subscribers read this book, 

 and become familiar with the knowledge of the soil and suggestions of this great 

 man. 



We have arranged with the publishers to get this book for you at factory cost, 

 and will send it to you by mail, postpaid, and a year's subscription to Gleanings 

 both for $1.50. Address 



THE A. I. ROOT CO., 



Medina, Ohio 



