156 EGGS AND POULTRY 
The others are not far behind, but all of them 
far beyond the others set outside the yard. 
Hen manure is one of the best fertilizers. 
When to the droppings which enrich the soil, 
the scratching and cultivating of the hens is 
added, you have an asset added to your 
orchard that means considerable. The grow- 
ing orchard in return, gives shade to the 
chickens during the hot summer weather. 
On the other hand, do not plant berry vines 
or currant bushes or any other low stuff, or 
the hens will clean out all the foliage and 
leave nothing but bare stalks. Chickens are 
crazy for green food, especially during the 
summer when most plant life is either dried 
up or tough. No vegetation will last long 
when a flock of chickens has access to it. 
The question may be asked as to how much 
space is required to keep 500 hens. The an- 
swer is that 500 hens can be kept on a quarter 
to half an acre, in a house 100 feet long with 
a yard of 100 feet, which would be one- 
quarter of an acre; but 500 little chickens 
could not be properly grown on less than an 
acre. 
The past season I had 400 hens in a long 
laying house with a small yard. Then I 
raised Qoo little chickens to maturity on two 
