missed this in parade magazine, please answer for me

man owns cows and chickens that total 30
when the son couned them his answer was 74 legs how many chicken did the farmer own
x=cows y=chickens
x+y=30
4x+2y =74
please finish for me

Solve one equation for one variable. Take the first one, it's easier. Solve for x. You'll get x = 30 - y. Plug this new value in for x in the second equation: 4(30-y) + 2y = 74. Now, solve for y. You should be able to plug in a solution for y into the first equation to get an answer for x.