One day the rich man died.  The young man appointed several caretakers for
the farm and continued his life as before.

Revenues from the property declined.  The young man was forced to
economize.  He did not like that.

So the young man made a trip to a distant mountain known to harbor a very
wise man.  The wise man told the young man that the problem was the
deficiency of the very best fertilizer.  The wise man gave the young man a
wooden box with a very small hole in the bottom.  "This box is full of the
very best fertilizer.  It must be shaken over the entire property in the light of
the rising sun.  But be aware that although the fertilizer is potent, it must be
applied frequently.  This fertilizer is of greater value than gold, so never let
it out of your possession.  Finally, this box must never be opened as the
power of this fertilizer can kill instantly."

The young man was anxious to increase his income so he could return to the
City.  He traveled back to the farm and started the fertilization program the
very next morning.  History does not tell us what he saw as he walked about
the fields and shook the box.  Perhaps he noticed that the tenants and
caretakers were not arriving at the fields until mid-morning.  Perhaps he
noticed that the drainage ditches had fallen into disrepair and the flooded
fields were not ready for the planting.  Regardless, the young man was
observant and realized that no fertilizer, no matter how potent, would work
if the fields were not planted.

Many years passed and the young man prospered.  He did not return to the
City, there was always too much to do.  Then, one day, he lay on his
deathbed.  He called to his most able assistant and told him to bring the box
and an ax.  Then he dismissed him.

They found the man the next morning.  He was dead.  The box had been
smashed open.  Inside the box were a few grains of sand and a script that
read, "The best fertilizer is the sound of the master's footsteps"