author
Cyril G. (Cyril George) Hopkins
1866–1919
A pioneering American agricultural chemist, he helped shape early scientific thinking about soil fertility and long-term farm productivity. His writing brought practical, research-based advice to farmers at a time when permanent agriculture was becoming a pressing concern.
3 Audiobooks
The Farm That Won't Wear Out
by Cyril G. (Cyril George) Hopkins
The Story of the Soil; from the Basis of Absolute Science and Real Life
by Cyril G. (Cyril George) Hopkins
Nitrogen Bacteria and Legumes With special reference to red clover, cowpeas, soy beans, alfalfa, and sweet clover, on Illinois soils
by Cyril G. (Cyril George) Hopkins
About the author
Born in Minnesota in 1866, Cyril G. Hopkins became an influential American agricultural chemist whose work centered on the health and productivity of the soil. He studied at South Dakota Agricultural College and went on to build his career at the University of Illinois, where he became closely associated with research on crop production and the chemistry of farmland.
Hopkins is especially remembered for launching the Illinois long-term selection experiment in 1896 and for his extensive work on the soils of Illinois. He argued that good farming depended on understanding what the land needed and replacing what intensive agriculture removed, helping popularize a more scientific approach to soil management.
He also wrote widely for farmers and students, including works such as Soil Fertility and Permanent Agriculture and The Farm That Won't Wear Out. His books and public work connected laboratory science with everyday farming, and his influence lasted well beyond his death in 1919.