Arizona republican., 1918-02-17
The Case for the Hen
By Frederick J. Haskin

WASHINGTON, D. C., Feb. 14.- Keep chickensl
 This mandate now goes forth from the department of agriculture. The Bureau of Animal Industry, by CO., operation with state agricultural col leges, is putting a corps, of forty pOul- try experts into the field, for the pur-. pose of stimulating the people to keep chickens and raise chickens.
 This effort is not to be confused with the Poultry club work, which has been going on for some time. This is a new project. And furthermore, it is not to he taken lightly by the city man, as something that concerns him little or not at all It is addressed to the city and town dweller as much as to anyone else, if not more so. It is a war measure-one more appeal to the complete patriot. If you would do your full duty by your country and civilization, you must keep a hen!
 Already a number of American cities have lifted the ban on chickens bY so amending their laws that poul- try may be raised within their limits. Many more cities are expected to fol- low suit, as the federal battery of poultry orators gets into action. These prophets of the neW/chicken coop will address chambers of commerce, church sociables, business mems clubs. schools-all sorts of organizations. They will furnish interesting and time lS poultry news to the press in their respective districts ConVincingly and fulsomely they will set forth the case for the nen.
 They are not talking to the pro- 
 of this wiley gentleman are sufficient ly and unalterably regulated by the condition of the market He produces what he can sell, and he knows what and how much that is better than anyone else. Furthermore he buys grain in large quantities for his chick ems, and that grain would otherwise be used for human food or converted into some other kind of meat. There is no real saving of food values that would otherwise be lost in his operations.
 But very different is the case of the small farmer who raises chickens incidentally, and still more so the case of the city or town dweller who keeps a few hens. Both of these classes and especially the latter, are annually | throwing away great quantities of food in the form of table waste It is well good chicken feed There is believed to be enough of it available to feeC about two hundred million chickens And the department hopes to actually 1 increase the number of chickens ir the country by perhaps a quarter o1 that number.
 The laws which prevent the keeping of chickens within the limits of cities are the most formidable barrier to the increase of poultry, and the conversion of garbage into eggs. The cities anC towns must change their laws. Fol upon study of the question, it is found that the hen is not the party wht brought this legal disability upon he kind. It was her noisier half. It wa. the growing rooster who was exiled
 He must stay in exile. The ideal nun
 icipal law with regard to chicken! provides for inspection of all poultr, yards to see that there are no roosters and that they are kept reasonabl, clean The hen is certainly a muci more cleanly animal than the bullpul who eats the scraps in~so many house holds, and a more useful one than, tn parrot who consumes expensive feed in so many others.
 Neither of them, you will say, is a much expense and trouble as d flocI of chickens. But there you are wrong For you are not asked to keep larg flock Two hens for each member c
 the family is about right The tabl
 scraps will keep these with very it
 tie grain and green feed to supplemen
 it. You will buy the hens in the mar ket-young hens if possible. They wi provide about an egg a day for eac | member of the family. That is mor than the average family eats. To b exact, the average consumption DC