Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1911-08-24
HOW FARMERS MAY BENEFIT
Agricultural Cooperation Leads All
Other Lines of Mutual Business
in This Country.

extent and importance OF co-OpeTdllOn
among farmers in this as we'll as In
other countries. OF course, everybody
knows that the organization OF any
business depends upon cooperation.
The necessary good will between sell
er and buyer in order to transact a
bargain, the necessary harmony De-
tween employer and employed in or
der to produce and handle goods, Is
cooperation as far as 1t goes,
Where cooperation begins to dimin-
ish Reorganization sets in, says o
writer in an exchange. But what has
been known as cooperation for l4O
years, since the days Of Robert Owen,
is free cooperation. Free cooperation
Is, Of course, on the basis Of mutual
aid and equal rights.
Agricultural cooperation OF this
type leads all other lines Of mutual
business in this country Just as It
does in the rest of the civilized world.
Speaking more particularly, a quarter
of all the cooperative societies In the
world among people of 25 languages
are agricultural companies. France
leads, but the United States Is making
steady progress in this department Of
mutual enterprise.
Observations Of the working Of rural
cooperative societies throughout the
United States led President Roose-
velt's country life commission TO n
Of their two chief conclusions, that
future economic betterment Of the
rural population depended upon fur
Their development Of cooperation.
Agricultural conditions the world over
are peculiarly adapted to this mutual
way Of doing business in buying and
selling, in banking and in some lines
of production, as, for example, cheese
and butter making.
Cooperation in the United States is
traced historically to the influence Of
Brook Farm, a communistic expert
ment in the early forties at West Rox-
bury, by some literary people and re-
formers, Nathaniel Hawthorne, in
writing Of 1t, said: I'VE sought our
profit by mutual aid" And this ex-
preston of purpose was in the agree
ment of members: ITO institute an
attractive, efficient and productive
system Of industry"
Although that particular undertake
ing failed, the principles there laid
down have been taken up by success
sive associations Of all descriptions
from that day to this increasingly.
Among farmers there are very eff
cient organizations for shipping, mar
keting and selling produce in many
special lines, as in the eases Of the
powerful tobacco and fruit grow er+
associations in several parts Of the
country; for buying seeds, fertilizers
implements and farm supplies, and fol
securing credit at low rates of inter
est.
The object of cooperation In selling
has been to eliminate the mlddleman
who apart from the cost of transpor
tation, usually absorbs half the cos
Of goods to the consumer. Co-opera
ton In this line, however, has result
ed in standardizing commodities a
better prices. The farmer has bene
flied by getting more money for fine
stuff at the cost of the consumer, thu
status Of the middleman remaining
about the same. The country ii
thought to be greatly in need Of
credit system available to farmers
which our banking system does no
supply. The few cooperative agricul
tural banks which we have are sait
, by the experts to Just fill the bill.
Some idea Of the extent of the agK
, cultural cooperation already existing
In this country may be gathered iron
I some government statistics three O
t four years old relating to the leadinI
mutual associations for rural better
J ment. For irrigation enterprises alon
there were at the time 10000 assc
Citations. The rural insurance assC
Citations took second place with som
10000 societies. Rural telephone serV
ice had $4,000 cooperative associt
Q lions; buying associations, 1000; sci
e ing unions, 5000; educational, 1000
r production, including dairying an
fruit drying, rs; cooperative %colonieI
so. The grand total was $4,000 8,
cieties enrolling over 1000, 900 person
= The principle and practice of mutu;
aid It was reported is steadily pen.
3 trating every branch Of farming an
into every part Of the country.
The agricultural cooperative 8
cieties Of the United States are
U groups centralized in sections Of II
q country: Creameries in the mort
central and western states, particula
- ly in Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota
Il fire insurance in New York, Pennsy
~ vania and the north central, irrig
! ton in the Rocky mountain and P
cifc; fruit marketing In the west, pa
- t~icularly In California, where 80 D
"a cent. Of all the fruit is cooperative
h. graded, packed and sold; vegetab
r. selling in New Jersey, Ohio, Illinoi
ar Missouri, Texas; Louisiana, and
i. some extent on the South Atlant
n coast; milk in New England and Ne
10 York; wheat in the northwest, al
i. farm supply buying In Utah.
O. Altogether this is a showing I
agricultural cooperation which CO
a mands respectful attention. especial