Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1914-03-04
BY MATHEW 8. DUDGEON

, Social Center schoolhouse.
gle fruit tree that had been planted
prior to tho acquisition Of the land by
the tenant purchasers. In fact there
arc no mature fruit trees here. WHARF
we have seen a new farm building or
any permanent repairs on old build
ings or any other farm improvement
inquiry invariably has revealed that it
had been added since the farm went
into the hands Of purcasing tenant.
In other words, Meeghan and other
tenant purchasers feel now that in
making repairs or improvements they
are working for themselves, adding
value to their own property, where for
merly any improvements made were
for the benefit of the landlord for
whom they had no particular liking.
Farmers Views on Cooperation.
We asked him what he thought of
the cooperative society and what use
he had made of 1t. Before the COOP
erative society was organized" he
said, 1T was difficult to procure fer
tillzers. While the department Of ag-
riculture analysed the soils and
taught the farmers, by bulletin and
otherwise, the elements which must
enter into fertilizers it was absolutely
impossible for the tenant to procure
of the. dealers fertilizer containing
these elements in proper proportion.
Fertilizers were high too"
Now, as he explained, the co-opera-
tive societies buy the elements going
into the fertilizers and themselves
mix them In the proper proportions.
The cooperative association not only
guarantees the quality of the fertilizers
furnished to their members, but sells
them at a greatly reduced, price. That
they are better than the manures pur-
chased of the regular traders Is evil
denced by the actual effects upon the
crOpe.
Cooperative Credit.
It was evident that in Meeghan's es-
timation the greatest benefit to the
members of the local organization ia
from the credit society branch of it..
The farmers in this vicinity had been
well taught and were anxious to i'm
prove their stock to get better imple-
ments, to use commercial fertilizers
properly compounded, to plant better
seeds. Before the cooperative credit
association was organized they were
unable to do anything of this sort.
Since the cooperative organization
has been in operation, however, it is
easy to get from the society q small
loan for any Of these purposes and the
farmers were in consequence steadily
improving their property. In other
words he seemed to think that the i'm
provements in rural agricultural meth.
DDS which we see everywhere would
have been absolutely impossible with
out this little local credit society.
Meeghan himself through loans Sc
cured Of the cooperative credit society
had been enabled to purchase blooded
stock and had bought improved imple-
ments and tested seeds.
We found upon our return to the vii
lage that school was just closing and
Quinn went with us to his home, which
although modest, was as trim and COM
Portable as any village home which we
have ever been privileged to visit in
America. He talked freely of the at
fairs of the society, showed us the
books and records and explained the
methods and practices employed in the
cooperative conduct of the business.
A Simple Organization.
The cooperative society has no
headquarters and consequently has no
rent to pay. The home Of the secre-
tary Is the Office Of the society. There
the banking business as we'll as the
other affairs of the society are con-
Quoted by him out of school hours. The
little society has 500 members, each
member having one share upon which
he has advanced about sixty cents.
The credit society, a branch of the CO.
operative association, has 161 mem.
bers.
"'The society meets" he said, -four
times each year. At those times the
members give US orders for these
goods which we handle comparatively,
including seeds, manures, Implements
and occasionally other articles. We
go over the old accounts and arrange
for their payment or extension. We
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