Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1875-04-23
The Progress Of Association.

The answers TO questions relative TO the
advantages TO be derived from corporation
OF farmers in selling. buying, or for mutual
advantage otherwise, ARE various in tone and
tenor, indicating general desire TO associate
Tor mutual protection and advantage, but a
great diversity in the degree of effort made
in that direction and in the measure OF sue
cess attained. These efforts MS made by
the Patrons of Ilusbandry, by agricultural So
cieties, and local clubs, have been most gem
eral northwest, frequent in the South, and
less so in the Middle and Eastern States
The purchase Of commercial fertilizers by
the quantity has saved much to southern
planters, and much more would have been
saved if ready money had been more gener-
ally in possession. In Culpeper, Virginia,
an enterprising farmer saved to his neigh
bors $500 on 100 tons commercial fertilizers,
$3.50 on 100 tons of plaster, and $3.50 on $50
bushels of clover seed. In Wake County
$1,000 was saved in the purchase of guam
tity of certain fertilizer made from the
formula of one Of the club, costing $50 per
ton. The Piedmont Mill and Produce Asso-
citation has saved respectable sum in the
marketing Of their produce. In portions of
the cotton states there has been quite II saw
ing in the purchase of supplies; for instance,
in Claiborne, Mississippi, -four was obtained
in st. Louis for So which had brought Sl4, and
meal cost S425 per barrel instead of $3.50,
and corn IS cents instead of $3.50. The
county Of Eauderdale, Mississippi, claims q
saving of $4,000 by cooperation. Other
counties in the South and West report $40,-
600 or less and the larger number refer to
an indefinite, though considerable, saving.
There are others that report no saving what
ever or attempt at cooperation. In some
cases.it is asserted that losses have occurred
from attempts of farmers to do business in
the sale of their surplus and purchase OF
their supplies. Many business enterprises
have been undertaken by oranges and other
associations, sometimes with positive adj
vantage, and occasionally at II loss In some
cases the capital employed has been wasted,
and additional assessments have been re-
CURED. Probably the greatest advantage
derived from these attempts to avoid the
services of middlemen rs much rs possible
has been che habit formed Of purchasing for
cash aud avoiding debt. Among tho many
examples given of these enterprises, some In
California are most prominent. The farm
ers Of San joaquin. connected with the Pat
rons of Husbandry, have an Incorporated
company; have their own warehouse to
store their grain; and an agricultural ware
house where they sell all kinds of agricul-
turai implements. BY this means they have
reduced the price of implements from 10 to
Is per cent They have also reduced the
price of storage on grain about 30 per cent
They have grangers bank in San Francisco
that will advance money on warehouse-re-
ceipts for grain at low rate of interest,
thereby enabling the farmer to hold his grain
for remunerative price. There is also an
other advantage in storing grain in the
grange warehouse. 1t is this: the farmer
receives the same number of sacks he de-
livered to be stored. Formerly he only re-
ceived the same number of pounds that he
delivered, and rs the wheat is generally
stored Immediately after harvest, when it is
very dry, the gain Gf left in the warehouse
any length of time) is very considerable
Sometimes the gain i'm weight between
Stockton and San Francisco is equivalent to
the cost of transportation between those
points. BY cooperation these farmers
claim to have saved the past year in Pur-
chasing sacks for grain. agricultural nipple
ments, advantage in storing, procuring sup
plies, &c, not less than $50, o0.-Report OF
The Department Of agriculture.