Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1873-01-31
AGRICULTURAL.
HOW Farmers may Co operate.


Farmer Jones invites farmers Smith, Brown
and Robinson to drop in of an evening, and
they have chat OF course the subjects dis
cussed are those in which they have a common
intersst-stocks: crops, the results of labors
and experiences, and their hopes and plans for
the future The interchange of ideas is mu-
tualiy entertaining and instructive, and they
desire that the conference may, like Ledger
story, be continued, so farmer Smith asks the
company to meet at his house. Other friends
drop in, and thus it comes about in very
natural way, that farmers club is instituted
with no parade or noisegrows, in fact, like
Topsy fhs is the whole affair; rules, by
laws places OF meeting 10 accommodate grow
ing numbers, are mere matters of convenience
provided for as the occasion may arrive
Three years ago club at Elmira this State,
was commenced with seven members. 1t has
one hundred members now, who meet weekly
during Winter, and at longer intervals during
Summer; who possess already / 900 volumes,
and add yearly to the library fund 5000. The
result is that this club has introduced improv-
valuable experiments have been tried and their
issues noted and discussed A farmers club
in Connecticut has kept up its organization
for fourteen years continuously another on
Long Island has, during the past few seasons,
purchased at wholesale over $50 600 worth of
fertilizers for the use Of its members, saving
thereby third of that large sum. A recent
convention of farmers clubs in Illinois had
delegates from eleven local associations, whose
members aggregated l goo, ranging from IS
to 800 for each. Several of these clubs coop
Grated in buying supplies at large saving in
cost. Now these are Illustrative cases Of the
thousands Of associations amongst intelligent
aud enlightened farmers But only COM
mencement has been made as yet. This CO.
operation is not exceptional, and not until
there is a farmers club in every township
throughout America, or possibly several, will
the work attain completeness. Think of the
business TO come before the farmers in these
associations. Our English brethren have found
a vast profit in them, and many companies
own engines and plows worth $40, 900, with
which their fields are plowed at an expense of
81 per acre, and dividends of 25 per cent paid
each year on the cost of machinery Our
stock is in immediate need of Improvement.
Horses, CONS, sheep and hogs pay now not
half the profit they might if the best and most
suitable breeds were used. Thoroughbred an
finals cost much money, but by cooperation
may easily beprocured, as has been done by
the Elmra Club, before referred TO. Insurance
against fire BY such cooperative association is
common thing throughout Pennsylvania, and
in that way established the cheapest and most
trustworthy insurance company possible TO
conceive of. When there is no loss no premi-
nms are paid; when there is less it is divi-
ded among the whole number insured, and the
veriest trfe from each builds up the brothers
barn again or pays for his stack of grain 1t
is needless TO say more, but we urge farmers to
think of these things, see how they are done
and 'act accordingly. IN Y Tribune.