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

The Fierce Struggle of the Purchasing
Societies.
The purchasing societies in Den
mark have had a very stormy but tri-
umphant history. Originally, they
seem to have aimed only at buying
feeds and fertilizers for their mem
bers, but they have now greatly eX-
tended their operations and deal in
a variety of supplies. They had to
light from the day of their birth, and
1t was for long time uncertain
whether they would survive. In Ire
land, when the cooperative societies
for buying seeds and fertiL IS were
started, the "gombeen meix time
merchants We're SO furious in
some cases they brought false c. $
against the promoters and had |. r.
arrested. These Danish co-operato"%
had almost as bitter struggle. The
merchants combined against them,
and by pressure brought the whole
SalerS and manufacturers into league
with them against the farmers. That
is to say, the merchants said to the
wholesalers, and manufacturers, I'VE
will not buy from YOU if you sell di-
rect to the farmers;" and in conse-
quence the cooperative societies
found themselves unable to purchase
the supplies they wanted, I'VE will
not sell to YOU" said the wholesalers
I'VE will not sell to YOU" said the
manufacturers
But the embattled Danish farmers
were not to be downed 50 easily
Very WE'LL they said to the manu-
facturers. decide for yourselves. If
you will not sell to us, we will build
factories of our own And that is
what they straightway proceeded to
do The darymen have co-operat-
i've factory for making their own
churns and butter tubs, and there are
q number of other cooperative fac
! tOries-rope factories, WOODEN fac
tories, fertilizer factories. coffee and
| rice mills. etc, etc. Just now ee-
ment factory is in prospect.
But the wise Danes do not rush
| blindly into any new enterprise of this
| kind They are strict business. Not
a brick will be laid for the cement
factory. not a cent Of risk taken by
! the farmers, until the guaranteed or
| ders from the cooperative stores are
! sufficient to insure its success.
The seed business Of these cooper
ative societies is naturally immense.
| and | was interested in visiting the
! chief seed farm located at Iyngby
hard by the agricultural college there,
The Danish Cooperative Wholesale
! Society sells one-Seventh OF al, the
! farm seeds sold in the kingdom, | was
tOld-S12, 100000 worth,-and an in
teresting feature is that all the profits
| are put aside as an insurance fund to
repay any member who may have BY
| anv means received bad seed. At
! Iyngby, however, there are test plots.
from which samples of the seed fur
nished by all leading growers are test
ed. and farmers complaint will need
| corrObOrative testimony unless the So
| cjety's own test indicates that the
seeds were inferior. It is said that
one result of the cooperative seed
business has been to greatly improve
the quality and cheaper the price OF
All kinds of farm and garden seeds.
\n Experience With the Money
Trust"
\ sugar factory is the newest CO
operative enterprise now assured
Thera have been six or seven sugar
factories in Denmark. all apparentlS
in a trust. and making about p pei
cent dividends according TO common
renort. So a cooperative sugar fac
tory was planned. a sufficient area
Guaranteed by the farmer members