LIVE STOCK ON THE FAEM 95 



goats will live on brush; while animals of all 

 sorts will live on pasture land that could not 

 profitably be used in any other way. Pigs and 

 chickens, if permitted to run at large, will 

 gather much of their living and act as scaven- 

 gers in doing it. Grasshoppers, bugs, windfall 

 fruit, weeds, and deleterious seeds will be trans- 

 formed into eggs, broilers, and pork. Skim-milk 

 will be converted by the same means into sala- 

 ble products. 



The hens that are fed on these weeds, wastes, 

 and table scraps are looked after by the women 

 and children of the farm. Their food costs lit- 

 tle or nothing and the care is by unpaid labor. 

 Eggs raised under such a schedule of small cost 

 are sold at a low price ; and when one considers 

 that the main supply of eggs of the country 

 comes from these small farm flocks the difficulty 

 of the competition meeting the specialized egg 

 farm is apparent. The specialist must meet it 

 by improved breeds, systems of forcing egg- 

 laying, and higher-grade products. Fortunate- 

 ly for him, the owners of a few hens cannot af- 



