The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1913-02-22
REASONS FOR FEW FAILURES
Former Dairy Commissioner Of n.
sas Tells Why Some co-operativ,
Enterprises Failed.

Mr.. Dallas S. Burch, recently st.,.
dairy commissioner of Kansas oYe,.
some suggestions as to the reason,
| for the failure OF cooperative ente,.
prises in some localities. While tho
same sort of organizations achieve
brilliant success elsewhere. His let
ter follows:
| have watched the success or IAN
ure OF a score of cooperative orgarL
cations during the past five yeax
and have come to definite conclusions
as TO why things don't always turn
out as we think they should. | have
found that many of the reasons for
the success of cooperative enter
prises are not as important as former.
ly thought, and in the debris OF up.
successful projects | invariably found
something had not been looking for
Being something of a dairyman. I
am interested in cooperative cream.
cries and in breeders associations
In Wisconsin about a fourth of the
creameries are successfully conducted
on the cooperative plan. while in
Kansas not single cooperative
creamery has been able TO make a 20
of it,
The Kansas farmer is fully as in.
telligent and Industrious and wealthy
as the Wisconsin farmer, but he cant
make cooperative creamery rune
profitably. Take breeders associa,
Citations as another example. Wis
consin is full of them. and Kansas can
scarcely develop enough enthusiasm
to keep alive the few that institute
workers have started
The natural conclusion is that Wis
consin farmers will cooperate and
farmers will not, but that the
DRY is wrong. Kansas farmers have
their farmers unions, their good
roads clubs and their wheat and corn
clubs. cooperative enterprises. and
good ones. Yet they can't, or won't
DR. don't get together on dairying.
This is the reason: People do not CO.
operate successfully on side lines to
heir main business. In Wisconsin
1alrying is the chief source Of in.
,ome to the members of the cooper.
i've creamery associations, while in
Kansas wheat and corn are the main.
stays OF the farmers belonging to the
wheat and corn organizations.
When a farmer gets over half his
income from one source. you can't
sidetrack his interest to
else in which he is only
usually interested-for example.
airying in Kansas. But as soon as
e gets interested in his COWS and
he market for his dairy products he
vii spontaneously develop the Co
perative spirit along the line of dairy
Or course, good management and
beral support are necessary to the
uccess OF any enterprise. but they
re the natural results of interest and
nthusiasm along any line Organiza-
ons follow every form OF industry;
hey do not create the industry. The
'estern fruit growers associations,
ne eastern milk shippers associa-
ons, breeders organizations and al
Imilar enterprises are a direct out
rowth Of interest in a main source Of
lcome. Such organizations succeed.
hose which are based on side lines
fail. regardless of the most
Ivorable circumstances under which
ley are organized. My conclusion
, Don't pin your faith to coopera-
We project unless 1t represents the
rincipal source of income of those In
rested. Cooperation as a sideline
fails"