The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1914-01-30

I ditions in Dunglow are improving. ]
| never knew an organization to do so
much for community as the Temple
crone Cooperative Agricultural soci-
| ETY. is doing for Dunglow. The So
ciety started in q little one-room cot
tage on a farm where ! lived. We be-
gan by buying manures and later
few groceries. We had fierce opposi-
ton at first from the gombeen man
and traders, as fierce as any communi.
ty ever had. Some of the members
we're in debt to the gombeen men and
had to come into the cooperative quar-
ters at night and over the back walks
in order TO conceal from the gombeen
man that they we're members. If
the gombeen men found out that any
one trading with them was trading
with US they refused him credit and
issued a writ II he owed them"
A Little Democracy.
I'VE wish no one any ILL., We do
not do business that way. We have
simply demanded the right to attend
to our own little affairs. We meet in
our little parliament here to discuss
our business. We have given some
entertainments which have brought
the people nearer together and given
them a good time. This year we or
ganized an industrial show in which
we exhibited everything which we pro.
duced here, including lace and knit
goods, as well as some OF our farm
products We did this to encourage
others to make these things. Now
we are looking around to get some
little local industry started. We need
something Of the kind badly so that
more money can come into the com
munity. Lace making knitting and
work Of that kind is important, too,
for every little helps here. We are
willing to work when we can.
On the UPGRADE.
The boys are learning to farm bet
ter than their fathers farmed. We
are raising better cows, and pigs and
chickens, and producing better eggs,
poultry and meat than We ever did
before. Through our little co-opera-
tive society we have a steady market
at good prices for all we can raise.
We are net rich. for this is not a
rich country, and never can be. There
are too many stones and bogs in Don
egal for that But we are doing our
best, and we are going to reach a
point soon where every man can go
rylp nd Fhof
he owes no man anything. Co-opera-
ton has brought us together, and we
are all good friends. We are not
fighting with each other any more.
We are helping each other. We are
still doing business on a very small
scale, of course. We are poor people,
and we must always be that. There
is no chance for wealth in a five or
six-acre farm. We raise a little patch
of cats for oatmeal for our family.
Most of US get enough potatoes off
our little places to last us through the
year. We couldn't live without pota-
toes. You know the great famine OF
lS4S, when so many died in Ireland,
was caused wholly by potato blight.
The children around here are almost
brought up on potatoes. They get
mashed potatoes with little milk in
it. before they are weaned They grow
up on it and sometimes have little
else. Cooperation has helped us to
sell what we have. and we are doing
first rate.
Cost of Living.
by purchasing goods direct from
original sources, this society has made
it possible for the poorest farmer to
fertilize his potato patch and in
crease the crop which he raises. The
seeds which come through it are test
ed and guaranteed as they never were
before. 1t has lowered the price and
improved the quality of tea, Indian
meal and sugar. In one case, for ex-
ample, where a rival trader was charg-
ing S3.07 for seven stone of flour we
were offering the same flour at $2.25
for the seven stone.
You may be interested in knowing
about what an average family here
has for an income, where he gets 1t
and what he has to eat l have made
out a little statement so you could
figure that out. To begin with, every
farmer has his own potatoes and oats.
Besides this, his income is something
like this:
Eggs and poultry, per week, about
five shillings 1865 per year,.
Butter for about 18 or 20 weeks in
summer, one to two shillings ($7 per
year,,
sale of cattle possibly 12 pounds
each year ($6O per year,.
Sale of sheep one pound ($5 per
year,.
"A total of s137 per year.
Besides this, the women earn
little something by knitting sweaters
and making lace, etc.
Marketing Eggs.
you will notice that eggs are our
staple product. The average poor
farm family around here gets each
year from IL to is pounds out Of their