Amarillo daily news. [volume] (Amarillo, Tex.) 19??-current, 1913-06-24
AMERICANS IN ITALY
SEE PHOSPHATE PLANT


special 10 The EsNs.
PfACENZA. Italy. June ga
| $3.50 900 plant for manufacture ol
phosphate fertilizer. a storage ware
house for distribution OF farm I'm
pliments. and o plant f1r manufact-
ur. OF corn cattle food lll built
through cooperative effort and o.
nanoed through credit comparatively
obtained were shown 20 the Ameri-
can Commission On Agricultural Co
Operation here today
The manufacture OF compressed
corn cakes was 1n impressive demon
gtratiOn ~ the utilization Of every
asset which g. n Characteristic feat
IRE Of European agriculture. The
country about this city does not pro
duco any corn. Cattle raised. how
ever. and 80 corn has 20 BE- brought
thCre II an oil which has absolutely
no nutriye value. n Is n waste But
IN Italy The corn Is placed IN hydrau-
lie presses ana this oil IL squeezed
out The oil Ia sold for the manufac-
ture Of SOAP aud the corn Is pressed
/ IN cakes which are distributed among
the members OF the cooperative In
situations The same plan has been
attempted IN the United States. but
was not found commercially success
ful. There ls not profit enoungh In
the sale " the oil nor Ia the sale OF
tho corn cakes IN competition with
the grain But in the enterprise Wis
tied by the Commission profit Is not
considered So long as there Is any
saving az all II Is sufficient reason
TO adopt The PLAN for the entire
work Is carried on upon co-opera-
tive. non-profit seeking basis.
Ia the manufacture OF phosphate
fertilizer II is evident that the farm
ers have gotten down 10 raw materi-
al prices 40 every point Iron oxide
Is bought and roasted The freed
sulphur Is employed in the manufact-
ure OF sulphuric acid The natural
phosphate rock Is bought and treat
ed with the acid for manufacture o,
the fertilizer ln this way the farm
crs buy for themselves only the raw
material aud conduct every step of
the manufacturing process themsely-
es. u Is large undertaking but
II has succeeded. The produce of the
plant supplies fertilizer for farms of
1000 acres about the city.
The actual demonstration OF the
ability Of a community of farmers to /
thus initiate and conduct economical /
~ manufacturing business of this /
size was the most convincing lesson /
OF the practicability OF agricultural I
cooperation which the Commission |
has yet seen.
The enterprise is carried on by the |
ccnsortio Agrari. nm association of !
landowners. In this part of Ithly the /
soil IS mostly owned gy large land I
owners, aud is farmed through ten |
ant system on a share basis. Conse- /
quently cooperation as Il would have /
To be- practiced In the United States I
Is not to Dee seen here. The men be [
longing 10 the association are land
owners and the small farmers re /
ceive only indirect benefit from the /
cooperative associations without en- /
tering into their management. In
such an enterprise as the one seen I
by the Commission In piaccnza Il IL 4
clearly shown that an association of Z
farmers or land owners are capable .
Of giving an economical administra-
ton To a business enterprise. There Il
Is no paternalism nor leading strings
connected with the project. II is
such a business undertaking as 4
would be worthy Of the best of Amer
lean enterprises
The association has erected n
large warehouse for storing farm i'm n
PIGMENTS. A majority of the mach \
ines are OF American manufacture.
but the assertion so often made In
The Unuited States that American
can be bought al lower pri-
res In Europe than az home did not
seem To be- borne out By comparisons
Ia prices made by the members or
The commission with the managers of
he warehouse, although the prices
luoted al the warehouse we're prac-
Ideally wholesale prices. since no
profits are sought IN the sale of inn
plements to members of the co-opera-
i've institutions.
Credit for operations of this enter
prise are obtained through a local
cooperative hank. but not one of
rural type. IL Is a cooperative bank
organized among the small trades
men of the town as well as the farm
RS. and though much of It's business
Is 10 deceniralize credit for the trades
men and so help the small dealer. II
Dursues the policy OF granting every
possible privilege 20 agricultural en-.
.erprise. The notes OF the agricul-
ural association are dicoun ed and
,iso the notes OF the farmers them
'eiNes on purchases made through
he association when guaranteed nv
he association.