Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1873-04-02
Correspondence.
Cooperation SlIIl.

marks through your paper on the subject
Of cooperation or combination among
farmers. have been much interested
in the communications Of Judge r. s.
Page (as | .uppOsel on the subject of
farming in which he so clearly sets forth
some Of the hindcrances to successful aud
profitable farming. and the errors Of
farmers, in allowing, by their carelessness
&c, 80 many leakages to drain so heavily
upon their scanty income. would hear.
tily ageee with him in censuring such mis-
management and sloih, also. his sugges-
tions in regard to his proposed remedy for
these hindrances, by the requirement Of a
more thorough knowledge of business !;
trying experiments, are well timed and
worthy of the careful consideration Of ev.
cry farmer But here let me ask one
QUESTION, aud let every reader answer for
himself. Cannot much greater progress
he made in the requirement Of thorough
knowledge of the great principles of az
ricultnre, and Of tho steps necessary to be
taken to ensure success in farming, by a
hearty united cooperative effort among
| farmers, than by individual effort alone ?
So in every great enterprise, corporation
becomes necessity, Look at our cheese
aud butter factories, as specimen of
what can be done by very limited effort
in that direction; yielding to their pat
rons much larger profit, than they would
have received. had each nanaged his own
private dairy, with great saving of
labor.
But | need not say more on this point
for | see the Judge recommends in his
closing remarks, that farmers help and
encourage each other, which, is virtually
cooperation, as far as it gees.
In your issue of the l2th inst. MIR.
P.-says, 81 don't believe the farmers
as class are such say-nothng, count
nothing, weigh-uothiug and know-sothing
set Of men as represented | will simply
say if | represented the farmers TO be
such set of men, it was uuintentienal.
for had 10 such idea. | believe with
him, that there is quite as good talents
found among farmers, as among any other
class but, that the talent among farmers
is not as generally calculated. AS among
other classes, | believe is equally true.
Masy farmers in years past have not
properly realized the advantages Of edu-
cation, aud many Of those who did, were
prevented, BY limited meaDs, from giving
their SOUS and daug ghters the educational
taclli,ies that other classes have received
hence, we Justify ourselves fer calling
them unthnking, or unsophisiicatcd; OF
course we have no reference to that class
of farmers who like 4he judge were
highly educated and having spent the
greater part of their lives in the merchau-
tile or some other speculative business,
acquired handsome fortune and invested
it in farms for safety, may pow claim TO
belong TO that class called farmers. But
let us glance, for moment, at his remarks
in relation to the Patrons of Husbandry
He think it is only the old Protective
Union in new dress, or in other words,
the old protec ctivc Wolf in sheep's cloth.
ing, aud fears it will exert an influence
tending 10 lead to jealousies and distrust;
and drive business men away from our
growing villages. This [ presume il
claimed only as consequence of coop
GRAFTON III buying and sellimg which is be-
ing practiced to some extent by the Pat
rons, although understand it was not one
of the original aims or intentions. OF the
order, but has grown out Of it.
But suppose men do club together and
buy goods, or sell produce; have ethey not
perfect right to do il? Is that any sui-
fcient reason for hardness on the part oil
the merchants or dealers? The very meth
oil in which trade is carried on at the
present day, is strong inducement to
men of limited means to unite aud there
by purchase in large quantities Let US
illustrate by transaction which took
place not lcng since in this town, and
which is not an exception, but the rule
among dealers; A farmer goes to the
store for dollars worth Of sugar; it is
weighed out and paid for Another man
comes in and buys ten dollars worth, and
receives eleven times as much; or at a
discount of ten per cent. virtually telling
the poor man that because he is poor he
can receive only ninety cents worth foi
one dollar. He goes home feeling that he
is wronged, and that his only redress is in
getting his neighbors to cooperate with
him in order to get the full worth OF his
money Then let fifty. or any number Of