THE BEGINNER'S FOES AND HIS FRIENDS 425 



bitant amounts (judged by the common standard) of 

 money can be made in a back yard by any one with a 

 few hens. " Any one can do it," they say ; and no one 

 can give them the lie, without explaining at considerable 

 length just what he means. 



The basic truth referred to is, that, if every egg which 

 every vigorous hen lays is incubated and the resulting 

 chicks are raised and turned off as quickly as possible, 

 or the females turned into layers, season after season, 

 the astounding result is as sure as any other tremendous 

 growth by Geometrical Progression. 



Take just one "System" statement as a starter, and 

 see how easily we can figure a competence: " All well- 

 cared-for hens should lay an average of 200 eggs a 

 year." Fifteen such hens will, of course (since figures 

 do not lie), lay 3000 eggs ; which, if turned into chicks 

 and raised to maturity, must give the worker 3000 fowls, 

 worth at least a dollar apiece, when they are of the 

 right kind. Here is your $3000, from fifteen hens, in a 

 single season and not a hair turned ! Every inference 

 is incontrovertible as it stands. Haven't you proved it 

 by arithmetic, the most exact science known to man? 



But, here is another statement, which every person 

 living, be he chicken crank or just ordinary flesh and 

 blood, ought to ponder ; ought to ponder till it becomes 

 his full panoply against every false argument : Any 

 absurd and false assertion which any person may elect to 

 make can be proved (by logical argument) if the premise 

 upon which that argument is based is untrue, or misleading. 



It is upon the false premise that the deceitful " System " 

 is so securely based. Very many of them are based 

 upon the assumed premise that it is practicable for " any 



