270 HAPPY HOLLOW FARM 



might as well let out a few notches more, just 

 for fun. 



If the increase of that one solitary hen were 

 continued at that rate for ten years, the end of 

 the tenth season would give us 488,281,250,- 

 000,000,000 hens, not to say a word about the 

 roosters. That would be about 500,000,000 

 hens apiece for every man, woman and child in 

 the United States. And yet there are folks 

 who talk gloomily about an early impending 

 shortage of foodstuffs in the world! Why, 

 every one of us would have to eat 57,077 hens 

 an hour for every blessed hour, day and night, 

 through the whole year in order to eat up his 

 share. We couldn't do it. Besides, what 

 should we do with those roosters ? And as for 

 the eggs 



Shucks ! What's the use of acting the fool 

 like this? Let's talk sense. You may not 

 think it, but I had a sensible idea in the back 

 of my head when I started this foolishness. 



If you've followed me carefully, perhaps I 

 needn't say that the chicken business isn't what 

 it's cracked up to be that the practice doesn't 

 come out at all like the theory. Every one who 

 has tried it has found that out. It seems some- 

 how inevitable that everybody whose thoughts 



