Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-08-29

THE EV
possibilities, both to the producer and
the consumer. And 50 Jane has become
quite a parsonage in our community. A
meeting Is to be held at the schoolhouse
one night next week, and Jane is to make
a speech. I know you'll pardon me If for
a moment I drop into slang. The thing
gets my goat" year ago Jane was
so timid that her voice was rarely heard
even in our circle of intimate friends.
ers' rostrum at the schoolhouse and
make a speech to hundred or more
| people, Do you blame me If I rub my
eyes and pinch myself to be quite sure
I'm awake?
Jane Is Not Perturbed.
The surprising thing is that Jane
takes 1t all as matter OF course.
! She Is no more perturbed over the
speech she has to make than she Is
| over her next baking of bread. ! never
| made a speech and have no great ex-
| pectation Of ever making one But !
know that IL ] had a speech ahead OF
| me it would keep me awake nights and
that l should sweat blood over 1t:
| Rather than stand on my feet and
make a speech. even to my neighbors, ]
| would prefer to be known, as 1t seems
| possible ! shall be, merely as Mrs.
| James husband.
] where Jane got her large view OF
( things. I suggested that If We were
going to have poultry plant the plan
| of selling eggs in connection with
! those of our neighbors might interfere
| with our market Jane maintained that
| the more eggs there were to sell I'M
der the associations label the better
1t would be for all concerned. She
would hope. she said. that dozen or
| two dozen of our neighbors would keep
a thousand hens each. and then the as
| sociation could take over and sup
| ply the very best market in Wash
| ington for strictly fresh eggs.
+! Small fruits is another Of her hob
| hies. She is going to urge that each
| member of the association, should one
| be formed. devote at least one acre
and 3 much more as possible to small
| fruits, making red raspberres a spe-
| cialty. Chickens and berries she plans
| to make her standby. with other things
as a side line.
Following their animated discussion
| the other evening as to which should
and Mrs Brown went into executive
| session on the subject Mrs. Brown Is
| an enthusiastic supporter OF the CO
operative selling idea. and 1t was only
natural to assume that their confer
| ence had to do with ways and means.
Apple Butter as Capital.
Mr.. Brown and I sat outside talking
of the weather and things. until our
better halves came forth to report
Here Is what they had evolved: The
| association would have need of a work.
ing capital They had decided to mako
apple butter furnish 1t. 1t was to be
put up and marketed as an associa-
ton venture and the profits were to
go into the treasury. The bylaws
of the association were to bar apple
members might offer for sale, and
gradually apple butter would build up
a treasury fund that would have a
strong tendency to hold the association
together.
That. 1t seems to me. is the true civic
spirit. Jane and Mrs. Brown might
have sold their apple butter through
the association and made a good profit
for themselves. but they reasoned
that in the long run they and all
the other association members would
be the gamers by building up a strong
and enduring association.
All this talk of cooperative selling,
however. has not gotten us away from
Knoll things which may be sold at a
profit. Even should the association
become reality l can't see that it
would necessitate any material change
|
ourselves. We have set out to produce
eggs at the very lowest possible cost
and to sell them at the best possible
price. II the association will enable
net profit. all well and good That
doesn't alter the fact that we have got
to produce the eggs before we shall
have them for sale, and regardless of
our method of selling we have got to
produce them at the lowest possible
cost per dozen if we are going to
make a success OF the business. A
thousand such associations as the one
Jane proposes couldn't work a monop-
oily In eggs and make their production
most that could be hoped from such
an association would be to enable the
producer to grab off a part Of the ex
cessive cost Of marketing that now
goes to the middleman. and the old
problem of cheap production still re-
mains the secret of success
Still Dollar Per Hen.
So. while we may be dreaming of
splendid things when the selling asso-
citation is in operation. we are keeping
in mind that unit of a dollar per hen
cost for plant and equipment. The cost
of wheat and corn and oats and mill
feed remains to be reckoned with.
Here's where 1 get my oar in on the
cooperative business. If cooperative
selling is a good thing for US. why not
cooperative buying? 1t is being done
elsewhere. and is proving successful.
But in order to make this dual coop
GRAFTON successful two things are nee
essary. There must be more or less
uniformity in the things members
have for sale-the absence of too
great variety-and uniformity in the
things they have to buy. hundred
farm families each with large flock
of chickens could effect large savings
by cooperation in buying chicken
feed and other poultry supplies If
there was sufficien: similarity in crops
large savings also could be effected in
the purchase. of fertilizers in carload
lots. There are associations that sup
ply their members at cost with all
staple groceries and even fresh meats
and other supplies not produced at
home.
II it be logical to have store in
Washington for the sale of our prod
ucts. why not a store out in our
| neighborhood to help us reduce the
cost of living? Maybe I'll make a.
speech at that meeting. after all
T. S. NJ
ls