' The upper portion, of this field has been reclaimed. A rational cropping program car? forestall 
tragedies as shown in the foreground. Legumes and grass are the farmers best friends. Use more of 
them. Soil Conservation is the art of doing yourself a favor. 
SAVE YOUR SOIL 
BUILD ITS FERTILITY — DO YOURSELF A FAVOR 
Soil conservation is much in vogue today 
and well that it is, for the turbulent days of 
depression, drought and lean harvests have 
spoken in no uncertain terms. Fertile soil 
is permanent agriculture. Permanent ag¬ 
riculture is the key to local, state and na¬ 
tional prosperity. 
Do yourself a favor. Be a good field hus¬ 
bandman. Build your soil fertility with a 
good crop rotation, legumes, limestone and 
and phosphate. Use catch crops and cover 
crops. Keep the soil and its fertility at 
home. Stop washes; terrace if necessary; 
spring plow rolling land and work with due 
respect for contours; care for permanent 
pastures by reseeding, fertilizing and ra¬ 
tional grazing. These practices will help 
you build a rich heritage for your children 
and your children's children. 
After all. Soil Conservation is not just a 
passing fancy or popular fad. As we see it, 
in our contacts with thousands of farmers. 
Soil Conservation is the art of doing your¬ 
self a favor. 
Plant Food Elements Added and Removed by Various Crops 
Crop 
Acre 
Yields 
Nutrient elements per acre 
Added 
Nitrogen 
Removed 
Nitrogen] 
! 
Phos¬ 
phorous 
Potas¬ 
sium 
Calcium 
iMagne- 
, slum 
lbs. 
i lbs. 1 
lbs. 
lbs. 
lbs. 
1 lbs. 
Corn . 
40 bu. 
40 1 
7 
8 . 
.40 
1 2.8 
Oats . 
40 bu. 
26 1 
4.5 
6.5 
.8 
1.6 
Wheat . 
25 bu. 
36 1 
6 
7.5 
.50 
1 2.00 
‘Soybeans . 
20 bu. 
16 
1 
8 
25.0 
2.80 
1 3.00 
“Soybeans . 
2 V 4 tons 
, , 
30 i 
13 
80.0 
72.00 
1 31.00 
“Alfalfa . 
3 tons 
1 
13 
96.0 
120.00 
i 24.00 
“Red Clover. 
2 tons 
10 
60.0 
64.00 
1 18.00 
‘Soybeans sold — straw returned. “Hay sold — no manure returned. 
This little table was taken from a pamphlet issued by the Department of Agronomy, 
Illinois Agricultural Experiment Station, Urbana, Illinois, March, 1937. Note how much 
nitrogen grain crops take from the soil. Also how much potash and calcium legumes 
remove. All crops remove considerable quantities of phosphorus. These figures are con¬ 
clusive proof your soil fertility problem is of prime importance. 
