The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1913-06-25

| 900 plant for manufacture OF phos-
phate fertilizer, q storage warehouse
Tor distribution of farm implements,
and plant for manufacture of corn
cattle food: all built through CO.
operative effort and financed through
credit comparatively obtained. were
shown to the American Commission
on Agricultural Cooperation here to-
day.
The manufacture of compressed
corn cakes was an impressive dem
onstration of the utilization OF ev-
cry asset which Is characteristic
feature Of European agriculture. The
country about this city does not pro-
duce any corn. Cattle are raised,
however. and so corn has to be bought
from other districts. In the corn
grain there is an oil which has alb
solutely no nutritive value. 1t Is q
waste. But in Italy the corn ~ piac-
ed In hydraulic presses and this oil
Is squeezed out. The oil Is sold for
the manufacture of soap and the corn
Is pressed into cakes which are dis
tributed among the members Of the
cooperative institutions. The same
plan has been attempted in the Uni
ted States, but was not found COM
mercially successful. There Is not
proht enough in the sale of the oil
nor I'm the sale of the corn cakes In
competition with the grain. But in
the enterprise visited by the COM
mission profit Is not considered. So
long as there is any saving at all II
Is sufficient reason to adopt the plan;
Tor the entire work is carried on up
on a cooperative. n-prOfit seeking
basis.
In the manufacture Of the phos-
phate fertilizer II Is evident that the
farmers have gotten down to raw
material prices at every point. Iron
oxide Ia bought and roasted. The
freed sulphur Is employed In the
manufacture Of sulphuric acid. The
natural phosphate rock Is bought and
treated with the acid for manufacture
of the fertilizer. In this way the
farmers buy for themselves only the
raw material and conduct every step
o: the manufacturing process them
selves. 1t is a large undertaking but
IL has succeeded. The product Of the
plant supplies fertilizer for farms OF
$4,000 acres about the city.
The actual demonstration of the
ability OF community Of farmers to
thus initiate and conduct economical
ly a manufacturing business of this
size was the most convincing lesson
Of the practicability of agricultural
cooperation which the commission
has yet seen.
The enterprise Is carried on by the
Consortio Agraii. an association of
landowners. In this part of Italy the
soil Is mostly owned by large land
owners, and Is farmed through
tenant system on q share basis. Con-
sequently cooperation as 1t would
have to be practiced in the United
States Is not to be seen here. The
men belonging to the association are
landowners and the small farmers re-
ceive only indirect benefit from the
cooperative associations without en-
tering into their management. In
such an enterprise AZ the one seen
by the commission I'm Piacenza 1t Ia
clearly shown that an association OF
farmers or landowners are capable of
giving an economical administration
to business enterprise. There is no
paternalism nor leading strings con-
nected with the project. 1t Is such
business undertaking as would be
worthy Of the best of American enter
prises.
The association has erected q large
warehouse for storing farm imp,e-
ments. majority Of the machines
are OF American manufacture, but
the assertion so often made i'm the
United States that American ma
chimes can be bought at lower prices
In Europe than at home did not seem
to be borne out b. comparisons in
prices made by the members Of the
commission with the managers Of the
warehouse, although the prices quot
ed ut the warehouse were practically
Wholesale prices. since no profits are
sought in the sale of implements to
members OF the cooperative institu-
tons
Credit for operations Of this enter
prise are obtained through a local
cooperative bank. but not one of a
rural type. Ii is n cooperative bank
organized among the small trades
men OF the town as well az the farm