The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1912-12-31

How many kinds of cooperative
societies there are in Denmark l have
no idea. The new 1912 Government /
"Aarbog' ("Year-book") lists COOP
eratlve creameries, cooperative egg
packing societies, cooperative stores I
cooperative slaughter-houses Coop
erative fertilizer associations, COOP
eratlVe sugar factories, societies for |
cooperative accident insurance, the (
Cooperative Association for Buyine
Agricultural Machinery, the Co-Opera-
tive Association for Creamery, Acct
dent insurance, and enough more to
leave one gasping for breath. Mr..
Monrad told me that in NOerum, they
have a cooperative bakery, where the
bread for all the members is baked
in enormous ovens.
Nearly all of these societies are Of
hardy outdoor grOWth-nOt an exotic
growth forced into an unnatural de-
Velopment through artificial stimulus.
The farmers OF Denmark have not
sat idle waiting for the government
10 do something for them. Mr..
Roosevelt once said that our attitude
with regard to the negro ought to be,
Help him if he stumbles, but if he
lies down, let him stay and this eX-
cellent policy has been steadfastly OBJ
served by the Danish Government in
it's relation to agricultural organiza-
tions. 1t has stood ready to help,
but not to cOddle, ready to supplement
the farmers own contribution, but not
to Supplant it.
How the Government Helps the
Farmer.
Only in the case of the societies for
the improvement of stock and the
there been any notable government
appropriations. The control So
.ieties'' or COW testing associations Of
which there are $50 local OrganiZa-
tiOns, get $50, from the govern
ment, and the money is certainly we'll
expended | have already explained
the plan in brief: once every IS or 20
days the representative OF the society
tWhO is, of course, q thoroughly train
ed, technically educated dairyman--
or sometimes woman) visits each
farmer, aSCertalnS each cows milk
yield and the percentage Of butter-fat.
and advises the farmer with regard
10 her feed and all matters of COM
mon interest. The farmers pay about
81 to 54 cents a cow annually Tor the
service and the government supple
ments the amount from the S32,4OO
appropriation L have just mentioned.
In somewhat the same fashion tray
cling agricultural instructors, corre-
spending somewhat to our demon
stration agents, are employed through
ernment paying half their salaries and
the farmers one-half. The National
Danish Creamery association also gets
a subsidy Of about $1,000 year, one
feature Of it's work being the encour-
agement of Pail Shows" or Butter
shows. About every two or three
months each local association. COM
prising say ten, twenty, or tnlrty
creameries. will have an exhibit,
of butter from each creamery belnS
tested and scored
There is also through some orSanl-
zation. general oversight into the
quality Of output OF each creamery.
The surprise" element or this inquiry
is its fine feature. Without warning. a
creamery will get telegram requlr
ing it to express a sample OF that DAY
product to Copenhagen. In cheese
making it is Of course not practlcable
to act so quickly, but mold Is Sent
by mail with the requirement tnat II
shall be returned next day. and the
cheese bearing it's imprint 1orWarueu
later. No ceamery can afford TO
turn out anything but clean and
wholesome butter and cheese, ior the
manager never knows when, Dy tnls
or other surprise methods. the search-
light of official scrutiny Will be turn
ed fun upon him. 1t is to the interest,"
of every dairy to require every other
dairy to produce high quality pro-
duct. for all Danish export butter
bears the government trademark. and
the good name it has gained is indeed
rather to be chosen than great riches
The horse breeding, cattle breeding
and pig breeding associations nave
perhaps had a more rapid groWtf
these last five years than any othel
sort Of cooperative organization, AND
to them the government mas peer
especially liberal The general pla1
is that if a sufficient group of farm
ers join together to purchase a prize
winning animal approved as worthy
by expert Judges, the government vii
Itself pay a part OF the purchase price.