The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1912-09-10
(The Progressive Farmer

has done for Ireland mas Oeen III SUI
sidizing premium pure-bred horses,
cattle, sheep and swine exhibited at
the county fairs, and thereby enab-
ling the farmers to improve the Qual-
ity Of all lines Of livestock. MIR. Bill
linton, of the department Of asrlcui-
ture and technical instruction, tolu
me that the improvement in the stock
sold in Ireland each year, as the re
suit of the better blood introduced.
would amount to 100000 tnearly
5000, OOO) a year, the cattle export
ed to Great Britain being worth from
ST to $40 per head more than in the
days Of scrub stock.
From all this it will be seen that
the the Irish farmer has
been making has been symmetrical,
comprehensive, and we'll rounded.
Time was when it was thought that
if the Irish farmer simply owned the
land he titled, the increase in thrift
and industry that ownership would
inspire would also make him pros
his fellows recognized that more than
mere land ownership was needed.
Ireland Becoming = Land of Home
It is gratifying to find that Of the
total farming area Of 18,739.644
acres, the tenants purchased 2,50O,-
900 acres under land purchase acts
from 1870 to 1895. while under the
| vastly more liberal acts of 1903-1909
100000 900 acres and have proceedings
pending for the purchase of nearly
100000 more. the total purchased
outright, or for which purchase pro-
ceedings IRE pending, a~ggregating
11,421,44S acres as against only T.
31S.196 remaining undisturbed in the
hands of landowners.
Tn cnifo Of fhio vast Increase in
land-ownership, I repeal, the Irish
farmer today might be discouraged
instead of buoyant and hopeful il his
leaders had not realized that the land
not long remain in his posses
sion unless he developed qualities of
initiative, enterprise and self-help.
| Even as it Is, a considerable lumber
Of holdings purchased by the tenants
have come into the possessions of the
village "gombeen men," or credit
sharks. In fact. these "gombeen
INSTRUMENTATION merchants n
mercialism have threatened to be-
come the new aristocracy in Ireland:
men devoid Of the culture which dis
tinguished the old a~ristocracy and far
moro grasping and covetouss Editor
Russell, OF the Irish Homestead. is
vampires Of rura strength, whose po-
Iitical powers often appears to be
greater than that OF the farmers
themselves. For one thing, the mer-
chants are now trying-wfth some
prospects Of success-to prevent tho
cooperative agricultural banks from
being given h power to buy and sell
farm products
We Must Crawl Before We Can Walk.
Before leaving the subject Of these
Irish cooperative societies, one other
thought comes into mind that cannot
be too strongly emphasized-and that
is, that In this matter. as in all others,
we must learn to crawl before we
can walk. We have had in the South
too many big, Understanding schemes
} for financing the South's bulion-dol-
lar crop, and other such gigantic
schemes, and not enough attention has
been given to local business organi-
cations wherein the principle Of CO.
Operation might be tried out and a
way prepared for effective co-opera-
ton in larger things. This is a fact
which Mr.. E. e. Miller has frequently
urged in h Progressive Farmer.
My observation in Ireland has con-
WINGED me more strongly than ever
before Of the correctness of his teach
ing. What we need in the South.
what we need in our Farmers Union.
is a determined effort to organize
local cooperative creameries, poultry
societies. fruit growers and truck
6IO"cIS SOC1clAcS, CO-Op0TdClVo credit
societies, ETC., and through these
kneighborhood organizations develop
the business qualities and experience
which will enable us to grapple with
the mightier problem Of financing the
SOuth's great staple croa
An Ideal for the South.
. Last OF all, let us not forget the
three phases in Sir Horace Plunketts
brief motto-'Better Farming. Bet
ter Living" Better farming and bet
ter business must be simply the
means for better living. There ia a
new realization Of this fact in Ireland
!, now and this explains, In a larpe
: measure, the new interest in the go
; ciety Of the United Irish Women
= concerning which a paragraph by Ed
!, itor C. w. Russell, of the Irish Home
i stead, was published last week. It is
inspiring to read Mr.. Russell's book
"Co-operation and Nationality" from
l which this quotation was taken. ana