The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1914-04-10

Berlin, Germany.-The German
farmer calls upon cooperation to sell
him his supplies. He asks it to mar
ket his eggs and his butter. 1t dis
ills alcohol out of his potatoes and
makes wine for him out of his fruit
Everywhere in Germany you will find
cooperative elevators and warehouses
for storing grain, cooperative soci-
cites for improving the breed OF live
stock, cooperative banks for furnish
ing loans to members, cooperative in
surance companies for insuring
against every imaginable damage. Co
operative societies are formed to meet
the needs of agriculture at every turn
producing the raw material, convert
ing the raw material into salable form,
and placing the finished product upon
The market.
Agricultural cooperative societies
nave become so numerous in Germany
as almost to jostle one another. There
are at the present time more than 20
300 of them" These are the words OF
Henry Wolff, the great authority upon
agricultural cooperation. and we have
found his statement true. These 20
700 societies have nearly two and
aalf million members. Over half OF
these societies are credit associations,
which have a working capital of over
S40G GOO Goo Moreover, the number
1f societies and the number OF mem
oers are constantly increasing. The
German farmer who in his way is an
lndiyidualist and as Independent as IS
he American farmer, has learned that
cooperation is his salvation and be-
ieyes in alIying himself with his neigh
oors for the common economic de.
,ense.
How German Farmer co-operates.
Everything the German farmer does
ae does comparatively. If he wishes
% purchase farm he gets so or 30
rear loan from Landschaften bank.
When he finds it necessary to Dly
IMPLEMENTS or live stock, or seeds, he
,ses money borrowed from co-opera-
i've credit society, making short time
oans. He gets his equipment of CO
lucrative store which furnishes him
guaranteed article at the lowest pos
sible price. For when cooperation sells
% the farmer, everything from garden
.eeds to threshing machines Is guar
anteed If he wishes to insure his
aroperty he goes to cooperative IN
;urance company, which will insure
MS crops against loss by hail or vino J
mother cooperative insurance agency
nsures his house against flre, Whlie
another insures his live stock against
sickness accident, or legal destruo'
ian following the discovery OF tuper'
.ulosis or other contagious disease
His stock cattle come to him iroH
cooperative breeding farm. From co
operative associations he gets MS SCI
sntifie instructions as to the care y
his cattle, as to the best feeds' as :
the cure of animal diseases, as 10 th'
valuation of crops, as to fertllizers
His milk and cream he takes 10 CO
operative creamery, from wnlch -
sold comparatively. His very heh
lsv co-operative eggs which within a.
hour after they are laid may pear ~
stamp of co operative organization
Even the farmers wife has tei
dency toward cooperation and IS a
alive to it's advantages as Is the iarn
er himself. Everywhere we ma u
women intelligent and conducti I,
their domestic affairs as sctentincaii
as do the men their farms.
water supply Companies.
One form in which cooperation 10
evinced its efficiency in Germany
a rather unique one, and is one wnlc
at least in some parts OF the uni' :,
States IS worthy of careful STUDY !
American farmers. Scattered throus
out Germany there are many cooper,
tive societies for supplying water
it's memlers. There are in the pro
ince az Hanover alone, for example,
such companies. Whether the comm
nifty has been large or small, the'
supply companies have generaiis 81
ceeded.
The advantages Of cooperation
attaching the problem Of water supp
have been thus summarized; nS
operation a sufficient sum OF mon
can be raised to enable source q y
ter to be tapped, unquestionaoie as
PURITY. softness aad quality; =