The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1913-05-31
BIG VALUE OF COOPERATION
Great Potato Region Of Virginia Free
From Observation-Disclosures Ex-
change Does Work.

The great value of cooperative
work is well seen in the experience OF
the Eastern Virginia Produce En-
change, which has its headquarters AT
Onley. in AccOmac county. ! was
down among the potato growers last
week and had an audience of about
five hundred, writes W. F. Massey Of
Maryland in the New York Tribune
Farmer. The meesing was down in
/ the lower end of Northampton county,
Al Capeville. below t~a railroad ter
minus at Cape Charles City, though
/ there is a short line OF railroad run
( ming from Cape Charles City to the
real cape. The prosperity OF the sec
! ton is very largely due to the work
/ of the Produce Exchange.
! The operations of the Produce Ey-
J change take in he whole of the two
| counties. They have their inspector
! at every station to see that the prod
uce delivered comes up to the stand
! ard before the exchange brand, the
red star, is put on. Sales are made by
| travelling statesmen in all the northern
cities in carloads, and all over Can
ada, too. As high as $4,000 has been
/ spent in a single season for kilograms
! alone Every carload is sold and the
/ prices known before it leaves a sta
tiOE. II there is any complaint on ar
rival that the produce does not come
up to claim, a man is sent at once
TO investigate, and, if the claim -
Just, TO settle it. The exchange is a
joint stock company. They ship for
their members and any one else, and.
as the carloads are already sold, they
pay any farmer cash for his produce
on delivery, less ; per cent. commits
sion At the end of the season the
books are balanced, and half the
profits is carried to surplus fund and
half is returned in rebates to stock
holders in proportion to their ship
ments: and the owner of single 50
share of stock has as much rebate in
proportion to his shipments as the
largest stakeholder. and hence it is II
the advantage of all to get inside.
Last season the sales of this ex'
change amounted to s3,75O.000, and
they carried $4,000 to the surplus
fund. 1t has entirely done away with
shipping to commission merchants
and has brought prosperity to the
growers. In fact, it is stated that the
people of Accomac have more money
per capita than any county in the
United States. Accomac is the great
sweet potato section, growing a good
many Irish potatoes, too, while lower
Northampton seems TO be entirely
given over to Irish potatoes.
But seeing the whole earth planted
to one crop made me rather uneasy
for the outcome of this season, wher
there are so many old potatoes KEEP
over In the north. Last season, from
one station at Cape Charles City
nearly half a million barrels of 1risi
: potatoes went north. and every sta
5 ton along the railroad northwar,
sent in its quota to swell the vas
amount. AS | live in sight of tn
. railroad line | know what is done dur
ing the shipping season, when tn
fast freight trains run as close to
gether as they dare day and night o!
:. the double-tracked line. The seasol
starts with strawberries, and in a III
tie while the sidings will be line
with refrigerator cars waiting for tn
berries. Then the peas and cabbage
:, come, the Irish potatoes in June, an
II later the great sweet potato GRO
u loads the trains till frost. 1t is bus
u section, and the work is spreadins
y and it will be only few years ii
! the whole peninsula becomes tn
market garden for the cities aroun
the country.