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rows in front of the houses, thereby affording plenty of shade. By 

 the time the oats in the orchard are too far advanced for the hens, the 

 corn will be tall enough so they may be turned into it, thereby getting 

 a great number of bugs and worms if the crop is cultivated correctly. 

 If there are enough oats to pay for the trouble, they could be cut and 

 stacked for scratching material for winter, and the orchard then 

 sowed to cowpeas. These make excellent hen feed and also enrich the 

 soil, and by the sowing of them and using hen manure, a large quantity 

 of green food can be grown in a small area. The corn or Kaffir corn 

 could be shocked in the south yards, in early fall, and wheat or rye 

 sown around the shocks, or it could be cut and hauled out of the 

 yards and shocked north of the feed house. 



BREEDING PEN YARD. 



The hens to be used as breeders should be put in the yard by the 

 first of December, so their eggs can be used in January for incubation. 

 For this reason, this yard should be seeded down late in the fall to 

 rye or wheat, so that the hens would have an abundance of green food. 

 By the first of May, when hens are returned to main laying houses, 

 the yard should be plowed and another crop, such as oats or millet, 

 be sown, so it might be used as a cockerel yard. 



ALFALFA FIELD. 



As this place was to be taken the first of January, I would cover 

 this acre with a good coating of manure sometime during the spring, 

 and in June would plow it thoroughly. Then harrow and cross-harrow 

 enough during the summer to keep down weeds and make a good seed 

 bed. As soon as possible after first rain in August work ground and 

 plant. Get the cleanest and best seed and plant enough to produce a 

 good stand, as this field is to be used for colony houses. I would also 

 plant the one-fourth acre surrounding the feed house and incubator 

 and brooder house in alfalfa, as it would be very little extra work to 

 prepare the ground and would be convenient to tend with main field. 

 The next year the cuttings would be small, as growing stock from 

 colony houses would eat a great deal, but by its second year there 

 would be some to cut and save to be used in mash for laying hens. 



GARDEN PLOT. 



This acre is to be used for growing vegetables for winter use for 

 laying hens. Cabbages, sugar beets, turnips, carrots and potatoes 

 would be good. By using sufficient hen manure, good seed and con- 

 stant cultivation, a great deal of winter supplies can be raised on 

 this acre. In one corner I would have a lettuce patch for little chicks 

 in brooders. 



TREES. 



The three trees in front of each breeding house and feed house 

 are cherry trees. The fruit does not drop on the ground so readily 

 as other kinds, and they make a good growth in short time. The 

 trees in the orchard are various kinds of fruit trees, apples, plums, 

 pears, peaches, apricots, etc. They are set out in rows one rod apart, 



