Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1876-02-24
A Field for Cooperation.

That there is need for improvement
in our live stock as found generally
on farms, and that one of the mos
available and rapid ways OF affecting
this is to be found in the use of gooC
sires, are facts which we may take
for granted. A further fact is thai
many farmers do not feel able to pur.
chase such sires as they would like tC
use; oftentimes they have not suffi
cient use for one to justify the pur.
chase, and do not care to take the
risk and trouble involved in relying
OH patronage of others.
Here then is a practical field for
practical cooperation. 1t is more
pleasant for farmer to own his own
stock in his own right, but if he can
do better otherwise, he can afford to
put up with little loss of personal
control. Let farmers unite in such
numbers and under such regulations
as the circumstances may suggest,
and purchase superior sires, which
may afterwards be exchanged for
others. Two or three farmers may
share the cost and the use of a boar
or ram half dozen may unite in
the purchase Of bull; twenty or
thirty may form a company and pur-
chase a stallion.
This plan has, Of course, been tried
and has, in many cases, worked well.
Notably has this been true with COM
panies formed to purchase draft stall
ions. Costly animals have, in this
way, been introduced into neighbor-
hoods in which no one man would
have been willing to have taken the
risk involved in an individual pur-
pose ; twenty or thirty stockholders
have secured the use of stallion such
as they desire at comparatively low
rates, and the charge of outside par
ties has, in some cases, soon repaid
the cost of the horse.
In other cases, where this course
has not seemed advisable, the same
general result has been secured by a
club or body of farmers pledging
themselves to pay given sum for
service of given number of females
if suitable sire was purchased by
some one of their number. In such
a case the risk or loss by disease or
accident falls on one person instead
of many. Otherwise it is, perhaps, a
better plan than the first named
A third plan worthy of trial is
sometimes adopted in Great Britain
that offering a considerable pre-
MUM to secure the service of stall
ion. Thus the English agricultural
papers now contain an advertisement
announcing that the Prone District
Agricultural Society will award pre-
MUM of ECO to the best cart stallion
to be exhibited at Frome, Feb. 6tn,
the prize horse being required to travel
in that district this season, the society
guaranteeing ninety mares, at fifty
shillings, half when served and half
when known to be in foal, An award
of fI0 viii be made to second best
stallion. The entrance fee is 10 shil-
lings. Premiums from 9I0 to 95 will
be awarded to the best mares shown.
There is some objections to this
plan, as, for instance, that the decis-
ion by the judges might not coincide
with that of many of the numbers Of
the society who might prefer another
horse, yet would feel obliged from
their guarantee to use the prize horse !;
yet, with some notifications, the
plan might be carried out with ad-
vantage in the country. Thus spec
ial premium might be offered for best
stations of various classes condition
ed on their making the next season
in the town, country or district, at a
price not exceeding fixed amount.