The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1874-01-10


hitherto taken the lions share Of the pro
fits will disappear, for there will be 10th
ing for them do do. referred to the ele-
ment OF secrecy incorporated in the organ
lzatlon. Mr. SAUNDERS replied that the
secrecy did not amounet0 much that there
We're really no more secrsts among the Pa
irons Of Husbandry than there were in
families or in firms Of merchants or manu.
facturers. Undertaking to manage their
affairs through their own agents, it was
only proper that they should exercise a
due discretion and keep their matters to
themselves. Some of the transactions OF
the order are very remarkable, and show
what immense advantages the farmers may
reap from cooperation in purchasing. Mr..
SANDERS stated that in Illinois the State
Agent of the Grangers ascertained that a
favorite reaper, which the farmers had been
paying $3.50 for to agents Of the manufac-
turers was sold to the agents Of the manu-
facturersfo for S90eaeh. The State Agent ask
ed the manufacturer how many reapers he
could make in . year, and, learning what
the number was, he told him he would
take all he could make in q year at $50
each. Thus the farmers saved $50 ON every
reaper they bought. Another agent of the
order recently bought 1 800 sewing ma
chimes outright of the maker for $50 each,
saving S25 on each. In less than a month
800 Of the machines were taken off his
hands by members Of the various oranges
Last spring the members Of grange in
Vermont wished to bny some corn. Their
Secretary SO informed the Secretary of the
National Grange in this city, who directed
an agent in Iowa to buy some corn, hire
cars, load them. and ship the corn through
to Vermont. The Vermonter, upon re-
ceiving the grain, found that they had
saved lSI cents a bnshel, comparing its
cost with the price charged by their regu-
lar dealers. A few transaction of this kind
getting noised among the farmers last
spring gave the movement its surprising
impetus.
Lately the National Grange has interest
ed itself in assisting cotton growers in the
South by negotiating for large quantity
Of cloth for cotton bales. Four million
bales are used in the South each season,
and have hitherto cost the ralsers 81 20
each. Two or three old firms in the East
have the whole trade. An agent Of the
National Grange went to then and pro
posed to take large quantity of the ma
terial used at a reduced price. At first the
dealers were shy and Indifferent, but they
soon discovered that the agent was pre-
pared to give bonds for the fultillment Of
his engagement, and to pay cash on deliv-
cry, and they reduced their price several
cents yard.
Again. the National Grange proposes to
use a portion of its funds in encouraging
the invention of agricultural implements.
Take, for instance, cotton-ties. The only
good tie for cotton bales now in use is man
ufactured by an English tirm, which holds
a patent on it, and charges an exhorbitant
price. The Grange intends to encourage
American inventors to contrive a substi-
tute for this tie.
just now MR. SAUNDERS is seeking to
devise an improved method of insurance
for farmers Another of lis plans is to
have portion Of the funds of the Nation
al Grange which now amount to some
$50, ,OO0-expended for libraries for subor-
dinate oranges. Already the educational
interests of the order are in a measure
provided for, inasmuch as each society has
a regular officer, called the lecturer, whose
duty it is to give special attention to the
science Of agriculture and to the imI rove
ments that are made from time to time in
the departments in which husbandmen are
interested
Although So l.such has been accomplish
ed by the order during the past ten mont $,
both directly and indirectly, yet Mr..
SAUNDERS is confident that a comparative
ly small beginning only has been made, and
that, with hundreds of men on the alert to
devise and hunt up things for the good Of
the order, there is surely opening to the
husbandmen of America, through the in
strumentality he has formed, glorious fu-
ture Of prosperity and happiness.