FOURTEENTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART X. 701 



Nor do we forget that there are thousands of happy farm homes in 

 which the merry cackle of the hens has a deeper significance than the an- 

 nouncement of another payment made upon some article for convenience, 

 adornment, comfort, or pleasure. I refer to the many instances in which 

 the hens have literally pecked away or are pecking away the mortgage 

 which threatened the very foundation of the home. Like the drops of wa- 

 ter which gradually wear away the hardest rock, so must the most ob- 

 stinate mortgage finally lessen before the persistent attack of a flock of 

 hens. Taxes interest and rent come around with relentless regularity, 

 but they are no more regular than the income from the American hen. 



Furthermore, this wonderful bird has shown us how to "return good 

 for evil." She recognizes the fact that automobiles are not to blame for 

 the depletion they make in her family, but rather the heartless and 

 reckless drivers; consequently she continues to purchase motor cars for 

 the farmer and his family. 



The American hen produces an immense amount of' wealth every year 

 — more than the gold produced in the same length of time. The 1912 

 Year Book of the U. S. Department of Agriculture makes the following 

 comparisons: 



Value of poultry products $ 570,000,000 



Value of gold produced in Continental United States 92,989,000 



Value of silver produced in Continental United States 63,761,000 



Value of gold produced in the world 474,333,268 



The question which should occur to each farm home is "are we get- 

 ting our share of this wealth, and if not, why not?" 



Poultry raising in the U. S. has thus far been a side-line to farming 

 and has almost invariably paid well for any labor and attention given 

 it. The great mass of poultry and eggs comes from the farms, while 

 the specialists furnish but a minor portion. Farm poultry raising is 

 on the increase and it would be well for every farmer and farmer's 

 wife to thoroughly consider whether they could not enlarge their poultry 

 business with profit to themselves. They have the land, the feed, and 

 the labor. All that is required is a little more study and application. 

 Expenses will scarcely be increased from what they now are, but the 

 profits will multiply exceedingly. There is no kind of farm live stock 

 which pays greater dividends in proportion to capital invested, provided a 

 limited amount of care is given. 



GROWING CATTLE IN THE CORN BELT. 



(Wallaces' Farmer) 



Whether we like it or not, and whether we are willing or not, there 

 are great forces at work that will compel us sooner or later to grow 

 more cattle in the corn belt — to grow as well as to feed them. Fifty 

 years ago, forty years ago, thirty years ago, we grew a great many cat- 

 tle in the corn belt. There were vast areas of land, raw prairie, covered 

 with blue-stem and other nutritious grasses, on which in many parts 



