Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1914-04-10
Operative Farm
Products Marketing
How 1t Is Done in Europe and May Be Done
in America to the Profit of Both
Farmer and Consumer
COOPERATIVE GERMANY.
BY MATTHEW s. DuDGEoN.

tion TO carving circumstances, more
thought for the production of money
and for the cultivation of the ager. 1t
is cooperation which has brought
about this remarkable change-mak-
ing men think, placing the use of busi-
ness skill and technical knowledge
within the reach of the humblest
among them, providing stimulating
contact
Water Supply Companies.
One form in which cooperation has
evinced its efficiency in Germany is
a rather unique one, and is one which
at least in some parts of the United
States is worthy of careful study by
American farmers. Scattered through
out Germany there are many co-opera-
tive aocieties for supplying water to
its members. There are in the prov
ince of Hanover alone, for example, 35
such companies. Whether the commu-
nifty has been large or small, these
supply companies have generally sue
ceeded.
attacking tie problem of water supply
have been thus summarized: by CO.
operation a sufficient sum of money
can be raised to enable source of wa
ter to be tapped, unquestionable as to
purity, softness and quality; 2. Co
operation ensures extreme economy in
maintenance and management; g. Co
-
nifty to provide itself with really
good water supply"
It is not impossible that there is in
this German experience a suggestion
for the irrigation companies in western
America, where mismanagement and
graft seem to have prevailed. Ger
tainly a truly cooperative association
ganized upon the one man one vote
plan, freed from all motives Of exces-
sive or speculative profits, and man
aged with the efficiency that is tradi-
tional in cooperative concerns could
never have made shipwreck of so
many fair prospects as have some of
the irrigation companies in the west
ern states
Flowing by Steam.
The owners of the big wheat farms
in the northwestern parts of the United
States might sit up and take notice of
some of the cooperative power plow
companies which are operating in Ger
many. At present there are 46 such
societies. The entire power equipment
is owned. by the society, and its mem
bers, even though they occupy COM
paratively small farms, are by this
means enabled to have the benefit of
the improved and cheaper work of the
power plow. Experience here shows
that the power plowing plant, consist
ing of a set of plows, tackle and steam
or electric power, cannot be main
tanned economically unless it has
something like 1900 acres upon which
to operate. The concerns are most care
fully managed. A good machinist is
always in charge of the outfit In ad-
dition to his salary he is allowed a
commission upon every acre p1owed.
He has entire charge of the operations
and requires all members to remove
all distractions before work is under
taken. The rates are carefully graded
according to the soil, the depth and
the accessibility. In some cases, also,
a less charge is made for blowing dur
ing the slack periods, the price being
raised as the demand for services of
the equipment increases.
Cooperative Automobiles.
It is said that every well-to-do Amer
lean farmer has an automobile In
Germany, where the acreage is small
and the farmer has less capital to in
vest In his equipment the farmer joins
with his neighbor to purchase an auto
mobile and large number of coop
erative motor societies have been
formed. These machines, however,
are not the touring cars and runabouts
that are ordinarily used by the Ameri-
can farmer, but are the most prosaic
>utilitarian motor trucks which can
move immense quantities of produce
over the hard level roads of the Ger
man provinces.
German scientists and inventors
have with great ingenuity produced
machinery that accomplishes with lit
tie effort almost everything which in
years past called for lard labor. The
demand for power is consequently
great and growing constantly. This
has led to the organization of cleo
trical supply works in connection with
other agricultural cooperative organ
! izations. OF these there are $40.
which are purely cooperative, al
though there are in Germany over
1000 companies which furnish more
or less electrical power to those inter
ested in agricultural pursuits.
Cooperative Societies Federated.
The cooperative spirit has not
ceased when it has led the farmer to
cooperate with his neighbors to form
a local cooperative concern. The Ger
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