The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1912-08-17
TEST CO OPERATIVE FARMING
Great Success Financially and socIalIy
Have Proven Economic Value
Of the Movement.

a8 vi aslC lie
Experiments in cooperative farm,ns
have not been numerous either In III.
country or abroad, yet their great sn,.
cess financially and socially provs,
beyond question the economic va,ns
OF the movement. About i've yeas
ago associations Of farm laborars 4
sprang up In Italy known as afittsnsa
collective, which rented and operatas
land either as single farm under 4
manager or In allotments to tia Il.
dividual members. These associations,
arose as a remedy for the lack q {
steady employment among farm 4.
borers, and from the start 80 pro.
nounced was their success ID keeDins
rural families on the land, rDakIng
farm hands more contented with their
surroundings, and particularly ii raIs.
ing laborers to condition 81 eco.
nomic independence, that they grew
at the rate of about fifty year and
spread throughout Italy and Sicily
says the Country Gentleman.
One striking feature OF the more.
ment in those countries where soeiat
ism is rapidly spreading Is the tn.
dency toward individualism III ID.
| operative farming. This Is shown ~
the fact that of $50 such farming d.
soeiations only about one-fourth werD
operated collectively under d man
ager, while the remainder were work.
led under the individual allotment
plan. Many societies grew 50 iast
in membership that they could nd
furnish allotments without renting
more land or cutting down the. sIzs
of the lot originally granted to each
member. These associations have been
highly successful In furnishing en-.
| p1oyment to the members and lii aha
financial returns they have obtained
from the labor. They are destined ii
become established permanently in
densely populated countries where
land is cut up into small holdings and
where farm 1aborers cannot Be Ell.
p1oyed steadily under the wage sya
tenn.
This, last aspect Of the associations
| has been demonstrated more clearly
/ In our own country. Practically ths
first cooperative farming plan vas
the Italian colonization scheme oh
swamp lands north Of Wilmington
4 North Carolina, which was begun
about six years ago. The plan con
sists OF central farm surrounded hH,
smaller farms, on which the colonistss
. at first are given employment In clear
ing wooded land and paid labor wages
Agricultural experts train the laborera
In American methods of farming and
! In the use Of farm machinery, and tho
land Is then sold on easy payments
Farm supplies are purchased and thu
products of the farms are marketed
comparatively BY the central farm. BY
this method iaborers are trained to bs
come independent farmers aS,ss rasi5s,,
owners, and -. net slnsisla lsr I
coIanfst to cls.-sstJ
e have their own community cns
school for the children and night
schools for adults. The plan is q a.
I sense phi1anthropic, but Is establish
. ed on strict economic principles Large
, tracts of cutover lands are being
: brought under the ploW IN this Tayys
!, and otherwise useless land il made 10
: yield good profits. So successful hss
! been this undertaking from the ecos
9 nomic, educational and moral points of
q view that a plan for the establishment
g of colony Of Hollanders on g l,0ee.
t acre farm in the same state has PEEP
e perfected. On a similar plan 2 FARM
q Homes association for establishing
r city and town people on large traess
: of unused land In Missouri has eeea
It launched, similar associations are Y
practical operation In Arkansas an aa
g cooperative farming IS being COZ.
} templated on the cutover timber lanas
q along the Columbia river IN oregon.
s This movement has acquired saca v Y
p impetus for the moral and social w
q lift of the laboring class that Y sta la'
/ forth as one Of the most praeuea1
Y plans hitherto put In operation ~ "
e strengthening the forces that mas ]
d for the conservation and extension =
our modern rural life.