118 THE ROMANCE OF EVERIFARM 



corn as they swayed to and fro in the breeze. How- 

 ever, the greatest cause of complaint did not lie here. 

 It was the fact that there was not enough food to 

 go around. Farmer Careless had been mining his 

 soil of its fertility for many years. He did not 

 believe in rebuilding the soil by the application of 

 fertilizers of various kinds, such as nitrogen, phos- 

 phorus, limestone, and potash; consequently the 

 fertility of his farm had been consumed by his crops 

 of years gone by, until the present crop was limited 

 to about one-half of a normal yield under good 

 climatic conditions. The stalks of corn had been 

 starving all summer for nitrogen and just now, as 

 the ears and kernels were forming, the plants were 

 calling on the roots to furnish phosphorus to com- 

 plete- the development. 



"Why is it that we can't get any plant food?" 

 feebly asked one pale, sickly corn stalk of one of its 

 companions. 



"It's because that cockle burr is robbing us," 

 answered the other. 



"I wonder if he wouldn't divide with us if I asked 

 him," suggested the sickly one. 



"Say, Mister Burr, won't you let us have a part 

 of the plant food that you are taking? We are about 

 starved, and if we don't get something soon we will 



