The Harrison times., 1914-05-16

Cooperative Concern In Copenhagen.
WHY DENMARK PRODUCES BEST BUTTER, BACON AND EGGS
courtesy OF W. b. Hatch)

Copenhagen, Denmark.-How has
Denmark, a little country with less
than fifteen thousand square miles OF
area, established itself as one of the
best agricultural centers in the world ?
Why Is II that Denmark produces the
best butter, the best bacon, the best
eggs, that have ever been placed upon
the markets of Europe? How can this
little country export each year fifty
odd million dollars worth Of butter
over four million dollars worth OF
cream and milk, thirty odd million dol
lars worth Of the finest bacon and
eight million dollars worth OF eggs?
Denmark has no rich mines, no great
forests, no water power The soil
the one resource, is not naturally fer
tile. In fact, Denmark is a lowlying
expanse OF wind.swept sand dunes
with here and there small stretches
OF richer soil. Much OF its more pro
ductiye soil is the result Of scientific
drainage, fertilization and rotation OF
crops, Chilling winds sweep over the
country the year around, and these,
with the prevailing fogs, render tho
climate an inhospltablo one.
Man has been no kinder than nature
TO this litslo country, In the eight.
oenth century tho nobility and the
crown owned all tho valuable lands,
while the peasantry were either serfs
OF tenants under impossible condl.
tons, Export duties made foreign
commerce Improbable, Early In the
nineteenth century economic oondi'
tions had only begun TO improve when
the Napoleonlc wars again spread dis
aster and poverty over the country,
Still O little later Denmarks Ger
manic nelghbors 10 the south took
from the already small nation the
province of Sohloswig. .Holsteln Then
Germany IN tho early eighties, built
up high tariff wall which excluded
Danish products. Tho commerce upon
which the people depended for their
revenues was gone, and the country
was still again grioVously stricken,
lts Present Prosperity
Yet today, In spite of all these handI
caps, Denmark Ia In proportion to its
population the weNlthlost country in
Europe, Elghty.nlne per cent Of tho
agrloulturlsts own their own land, Her
farmers have been called tho best
farmers and the most skilled rural
business men In tho world, Rural
Denmark produces the best bacon but
ter and eggs ever produced, their pigs
turn feed into pork moro seiontI1oal'
ly than the porkorB OF any other ma.
tlon their hons lay moro oggs and
their cows arc moro effective ~ milk
and butter producing machines These
farmers have worked out q system OF
cooperative marketing 80 effective
that II Ia estimated that over nlnoty
per cent Of what the consumer pays
for Danish farm products actually
reaches the pookotbook OF the man
who produces ia rather significant
figure compared with the generally
accepted estimate that the American
farmer gets only from thirty.Hyo to
forty.six per cent OF what the city con.
BumOr pays for his product
How has Denmark reached this posi-
ton agrleulturNlly2 Why Ia II that she
can produce the best bacon, butter and
oggB2 The answer seems 10 be First,
because she has an efficient cduca'
tIonol SYSTEM second, because the
government In giving aid which, while
effective, Is not unduly patornallgtle
third, because OF cooperation,
Danish Farmer an Educated Man,
II takes bruins TO raise the most
orstocmtic sort Of products that are
produced In Denmark No Ignorant
people could take the bleak sandy
plains Of Denmark and make great
gardens Of them, gardens supporting a
splendid aggressive, progressive, pros.
porous race II requires native
ahrewdneaa 10 do those things but II
requires something more II requires
In addition scientific agricultural
knowledge, q big conception OF the agfi.
cultural possibilities of Che country and
generous loyalty to state and com
munlty--an aggregate Of qualtloa that
mono but an educated man possesses
And the Dane IS indeed In very truth
In every sense o. the word an educated
man, lie has been trained 70 make
The best use Of himself and OF HIS ON
vlronment,
IA boy he was compelled by law
~ attend school until he was fourteen