Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1913-10-10

esIdo1sned testing stations for thei-
eggs poultry, butter, cheese and ba
con, and placed men of high character
ana great scientific attachments in
charge OF these stations. They de
Vlsed a common trade mark. Tt
each local association was given the
rlght to use this trade mark so LONG
as the standard of it's products were
maintained. In this way everything
came from the Danish farmers in
condition for the table OF the most
tastldious. To give an idea of the
value OF such modern methods of pro-
auction and marketing, the Danish
farmers are today receiving 55 and
90 cents a pound for butter, where the
farmers of Ireland, England and Scot
Iand' who persist in the old methods.
receive about one-half that price. So
1t followed that when the Danish
products began to reach the markets
OF England and Scotland, ireland lost
these markets rapidly, and as a re-
SUIT, Irish agriculture became stag
hant' the people discouraged, and the
country fell into utter poverty.
There was, at this time, at least
one man In Ireland who did not lose
courage. This man was Sir Horace
Plunkett. Sir Horace had spent many
years In America ranching in Mon
tana, and had returned to Ireland to
try to redeem it. He was shrewd and
| patriotic, and he was also brave and
courageous. He has the courage to
tell the Irish people there was no re-
lief In politics for them, but that the
remedy lay in adopting modern meth
DDS, and it was he who waged a cam
paign in Ireland for the slogan which
appears as the first sentence Of this
article. ] visited Sir Horace at his
home near Dublin the other day and
had a long talk with him. He told
me that he held and addressed 81
meetings among the Irish farmers be-
fore he received the least token of
encouragement. But Sir Horace kept
pegging along, writing, speaking and
working. He had hit upon and work
ed out plan-the right plan-for re-
deeming Ireland, and nothing could
stop him.
In 1896 he secured a delegation to
visit Denmark and other European
countries and make a study OF the
agricultural methods and by this
means he was enabled to convince
the Irish farmers that they must or
ganize in order to produce better
grades of goods and get to market
through their own agencies with the
standard Of products the world is now
demanding.
no easy task. Sir Horace said that
it was then a common saying that the
Irish could conspire, but could not or.
ganize
He founded the Irish Agricultural
Organization society. This society
procured and trained men who went
out and organized farmers. They es-
tablished the same kind of organiza-.
tons as the Danes had employed,
namely, cooperative dairies, cheese
factories, bacon factories, poultry and
egg societies. They did not organize
for an indefinite purpose, but with a
very definite and immediate end in
view. They organized for the pur-
pose of producing something. better
and putting 1t in better condition for
market than they had ever done be-
fore and for the purpose of marketing
that product in an up-todate business
manner
Two things tell whether the orga-
nization of the Irish farmers has been
a success. So far as it has gone. one
is the very large and imposing build.
ing in Dublin, Ireland. known as the
Plunkett house, in which is conducted
the business of the Irish Agricultural
Organization society. This building,
which must have cost at least $3.50, 900.
was erected by the agricultural socie-
ties of Ireland for Sir Horace to car
ry on the work of further organizing
the farmers of Ireland The other
is, the great number Of signs one sees
in the show windows and on the
doors of grocers and dealers in Glas-
gov. Edinburgh. London and other
cities of England and Scotland, an.
nouncing that the grocer or dealer
within carries in stock Irish bacon.
Irish butter. Irish cheese. Irish eggs
and poultry" There are as many or
more such signs announcing the
presence of Irish agricultural products
as there are announcing Danish agri-
cultural products for sale
Both Irish and Danish agriculture
have succeeded in getting their prod |
ucts directly to market without the |
of middlemen, by assem- |
bling, grading and packing them |
selves This they did by organizing. |
All classes have profited by these |
kind of organizations and ! must pro-
nounce 1t good for the country
Ia the experience of these countries |
we have our own lesson. We in Tex |
as have no right to complain OF mar
keting conditions so long as CALI
fornia fruits, Kansas City eggs, ILL.,
nois butter. Wisconsin cheese, Iowa
and Kansas corn, Minnesota -four, |
Oklahoma hogs and cattle are sold in
Texas
We have no right to consider our
selves farmers when we let the farm
ers of other countries supply our home
or when we permit business
concerns to purchase our products.
assert, grade or manufacture them
Tor market. Our farmers can surely
10 as well as the Irish farmers have