The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1912-06-20
Agriculture in Denmark.
Interesting Story Of how Cooperation has
been Successful in that Country.

Interesting Story Of how Cooperation has
been Successful in that Country.
The wonderful story of how the Danes,
upon land but poorly suited to grazing
and in the face of repeated reverses,
have broug hit their country to state of
agricultural prosperity second TO Eng
land among the Old World countries is
told by DR.. Maurice Francis Egan, Amer
lean minister to Denmark.
u was sent to expose to dairymen the
methods by which the Danes have be-
come the most prosperous people agri-
culturally in Europe, mean by compari,
son, and taking into consideration the
obstacles they have had to meet and
overcome. The wealth per capita of
Denmark is comparatively next to that
OF England. There are no very rich
people there. Every man is fairly well
off. but the poorer he is the more
carefully does he conserve his resources.
''There is no illiteracy in the country.
Every man, woman and child over the
age of years, unless he be an idiot, can
read and write. The methods by which
they have achieved their present pros
perity are three: education-practical
educational perfect system of co-opera-
ton, and the intelligent assistance of
Government
For instance, the only means of liv-
ing which the Danes have is agriculture.
Denmark, like Julius Caesars Gaul of
ancient days, is divided into three parts
butter, bacon and eggs. Now, the
Government, being dependent upon the
farmers. does everything in its power to
increase the number of small farmers.
and this it has done by making money as
cheap as possible for the farmers. 1t
controls great series of banks, man.
aged somewhat after the manner of the
Credit Foncier.
can agricultural laborer in Denmark
who has worked on farm for five years,
who is poor, and who has character so
good that two reputable members of this
commune will certify to it, may obtain
from one of these banks loan of about
81, 5S2 in our money. He obtains this
solely upon his character and ability and
not by any material security he can offer.
With this money he may purchase a
farm of from IL to IL acres. This
farm means live and dead stock on the
land and the necessary implements for
the working of it. In Denmark land is
never sold merely as land. The farm is
judged by the value of its production for
let us say, at least seven years, in hard
corn, which represents its ability to sus-
tain dairy cattle and hogs.
Education is compulsory. 1t has been
compulsory for many years and the
awakening of Denmark to the careful
use of its natural resources is due to two
things-the Danish sense of the value of
practical education, and a series Of dis
asters.
1.-THE first disaster occurred in the
late 4O's, when the discovery was made
that the Danes had so impoverished their
soil by the continuous growing of grain
that bankruptcy threatened, even the
great landowners being in danger Then
came the closing Of British ports to
Danish grain and the growth of Ameri-
can competition, which killed off what
ever prospects of unlimited liability of
the cooperative society to the Govern
ment bank for the amount of the capital
borrowed. But the bank really exists
for the benefit of the farmers through
the cooperative societies, which they
themselves formed and which they them
selves govern.
To-day the Danish farmer buys moth
ing individually. He uses no seeds till
they have been tested by the experts
furnished by the cooperative society
He buys his fertilizers, soya beans from
Manchuria, cotton and meal from the
United States, through the cooperative
society. He even kills his own hogs,
though there are 500 hogs to every 1000
persons in Denmark, but sends them to
the cooperative bacon factories, which
were founded some time in the sos when
Germany refused the Danish hog because
of an outbreak of swine fever. The
Danes instantly founded, with the as
sistance of the Government, large CO.
operative bacon factories. In order to
make dairying possible the Danes had to
regenerate the land exhausted by the
lack of scientific treatment.
Denmark is not good grazing coun-
try. The climate for grazing purposes
is probably the worst in the world. There
are only IA weeks in the year when cattle
70's the Dane-lately in possession of his
land-found that he must root or die, or
become an exile, as the Irish were, for
the lack Of assistance from an intelligent
government. He rooted. That is, he
saw the roots-the turnip, the carrot,
and, above all, the great sugar-beet root
} could be used not alone for feeding his
dairy cattle, but could be made most use.
full in restoring his exhausted soil; but
he did nothing at haphazard.
"Being an educated man, he was an
open minded man and he induced his
Government to furnish scientific experts
who could finally answer any QUESTION he
might ask. As an example let us take
the small farmer with three cows, three
hogs, four head of small cattle, and a
horse or two. J He farms perhaps IL
acres. Now it is question with him as
to the rotation of his crops; it is ques-
ton as to the amount of butter fat that
cow should produce. He has, through
the cooperative society, the use of a
scientific expert, who visits his farm
every Is days and answers all these ques-
tions after consultation with him. Fur
thermore, he keeps duplicate set of
books for the farmer, so that the farmer
knows exactly the amount of butter fat
each COW yields every week, when the
cows are expected to calve, the value of
the service of every bull in use, and the
exact position of the farmer economical
ly and agriculturally. For this service
the farmer pays the expert 80 cents
yearly per COW, the Government paying
the rest of the experts salary.
Denmark is country which COM
prises 1900 square miles. It supports
at least $500, 900 persons in very good
condition, and sends out Of the country
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