6 The Hen at Work 



otherwise wasted, the full value of such an effort 

 can readily be seen. 



Entirely apart from the war and its consequences, 

 a flock of chickens in the yard will help solve a food 

 problem that was steadily getting more complex 

 several years before the war began. The price of 

 fresh eggs was rapidly putting them beyond the 

 reach of the common people. The cost of poultry 

 was likewise prohibitive -under normal circimi- 

 stances, and would have remained so in the absence 

 of any definite change. The time to make this 

 change is now, and the means lie in the power 

 of the millions who have back yards now lying idle. 

 Buy a few hens, learn their nature and their needs, 

 add your quota to the visible meat supply, add a 

 delicious and valuable food to the family menu, and 

 you will never again be willing to return to a condi- 

 tion where your poultry and eggs are of doubtful 

 quality and difficult to obtain. 



