The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1913-01-04
COOPERATION MEANS SPEED

Iowa township Teaches Lesson linz
portant In More Ways Than One
Work Done Systematically.
| There Is an Important lesson TO be
| learned from the story Of an Iowa
| township. That lesson Is important
In more ways than one. The story is
very brief and very simple, writes Il.
A. Williams in the Farm and Fireside.
It Is this:
| The township is located in section
OF the state that produces great deal
of very high-class live stock, corn and
other crops. In fact, 1t is township
of mixed farming done by well-to-do.
successful farmers.
| In that township there are six
thrashing outfits owned by partner
ships OF four to eight farmers. Each
outfit consists of a fully equipped
grain-separator and steam thrashing
engine with Water-tank. That Is all
that Is owned in the partnership. The
outfit is used only to do the thrash
ing on the farms owned or operated
by the members of the partnership.
One man operates the engine and two
others operate the separator during
the whole round of the various farms.
These men, of course, are either those
members Of the partnership most e1-
perienced at such work, or are expert
enced men hired by them for the
thrashing season.
The plan for distributing the costs
of the outfit for the season, among
the various members of the partner
ship, vary more or less in different
instances. But In each case 8 care
full attempt is made to SO divide these
costs that each member shall pay ac-
cording to the amount and the variety
of the work which was done for him.
The routine of the work done each
year is arranged systematically so
that, in the end, each member shall
have Jared alike. Various details in
the original purchase Of the machine,
the care, management, operation,
charges for various kinds Of thrash
ing done, and so FORTH vary somewhat
in the various partnership, under
stand.
One of the interesting lessons to be
learned is the fact that farmers can
cooperate AS / now look back upon
the days and years I was lad on
the old home farm, am much inl-
pressed with the lack OF mutual conf
dence and trust, and the inability CT
any two or more Of US to get together
on mutually satisfactory basis for
doing anything. One remarkable ex-
ception was the instance of one man
who spent nineteen years On rented
farm, and after the first year or SO
there was not even written lease in
existence. The renter lived across the
road from his landlord. They agreed:
both accounted his own and the 9th
ers' word as good as his bond, SO they
got along well.
i But there is growing spirit Of co.
operation among us farmers. We are
rapidly realizing that our interests
are mutual THIS IL good; good for
us, good for our business and good
for the world at large And this spirit
of cooperation and mutual trust will
grow only as we forget little things.
overlook small faults and eccentri.
cities End remember to look at only
/ the larger, more important. more
fundamental. things in each other.
A great deal OF expensive machin.
cry can be owned and operated in this
way. If separators and thrashing en-
gines can be successfully owned and
operated in partnership, then other
traction machinery can be owned and
operated In the same way. And here
In lies an important opportunity which
these different partnerships failed to
i grasp.
With but very little, II any, addi-
tional cost, the engines which were
purchased could have been general
purpose tractors instead Of the old
fashioned single-purpose thrashing
4 engine fitted to do only belt
work. Such an engine will do
the various kinds OF belt work Just
as successfully as will the single-pur-
pose machines. And in addition to
this, it will do all kinds Of field work
and hauling.
The additional expense for trac.
ton gang pillow would have equipped
a partnership for doing traction farm
ing on each of the farms represented.
The blowing could be arranged for in
the same routine, and paid for In the
same way, as was the thrashing. The
binders owned by the members could
be dubbed together and put behind
the tractor to do the harvesting; and
1t would be done better and quicker
than it could be done In the old way
with horses.