Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1914-01-14

HOLSTEINS
tive society we have steady market
at good prices for all we can raise.
We are not rich, for this is not a
rich country, and never can be. There
are too many stones and boys in Don
egal for that But we are doing our
best, and we are going to reach a
point soon where every man can 60
up and down Dunglow and say that
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 five or
six-acre farm. We raise little patch
of oats for oatmeal for our family
Most of us get enough potatoes of
our little places to last us through the
year. We couldn't live without pota.
toes. You know the great famine OF
184S. 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
1t possible for the poorest farmer to
fertilize his potato patch and in.
crease the crop which he raises. TIE
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 1907 for seven stone of flour we
were offering the same -four 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 it
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 ($65 per year,.
Butter for about IS or 20 weeks In
summer, one to two shillings ($7 per
year,.
Sale Of cattle possibly II pounds
each year $3.50 per year,.
Sale Of sheep, one pound ($5 per
year,.
"A total Of $137 per year.
Besides this, the women earn a
little something by knitting sweaters
and making lace. etc.
Marketing Eggs.
"You will notice that eggs arc our
staple product. The average poor
farm family around here gets each
year from II to Is pounds out Of their
eggs, which is generally about half
Of their entire money income. Before
we took hold, however, egg raising
was not at all profitable. There was
no steady market, the farmers did not
understand poultry, and no one had
any ambition to learn anything about
it. They didn't take care Of their
eggs well and few were sold.
previously the local price was two
or three pence less than the price
quoted in the nearest market in Straw
bane and Derry. Now the prices paid
are from one to two pence above the
prices quoted In these markets. In
other words, we have increased the
value of dozen eggs from three to
four pence (six to eight cents). For
the entire district, this amounts to
quite sum. You must remember
also that. while we purchased only
one-tenth Of the eggs sold in this par
tsh, the fact that we at Dunglow are
paying the prices which we pay has
made It necessary for every other
buyer In the entire parish to pay the
same price.
Irish Lace and Knitted Goods.
Our cooperative company looks A.
ter a good many things besides sell
ing eggs and butter. We are helping
the girls market their lace and knitted
work. Two years ago we asked the
government department to send us an
instructor to teach the girls to make
hand-knit sport coats (sweaters).
They sent q man to look It up. He
talked with some Of the men here
who were not friendly to this coop
erative movement, Nothing was done.
Our girls were getting one shilling
six pence CSC cents) for knitting 4
dozen pairs Of socks, using up from
three and a half to four pounds Of
wool. These socks were purchased Of
the women by an agent of whole
sale trader. .-.:-: IT,
The cooperative society decided
they could do better by the girls than
these buyers. Since they started buy
Ing. the girls get seven shillings six
pence ($1.S7) from the society for
knitting sweater coat, using only two
pounds OF wool and taking only one
half as long as Z dozen pair Of socks.
Putting 1t another way, for the same
amount Of wool and the same time
spent IN knitting. the girls get Is
Is1hillinEl 2.1kl inataad Q5 Qp9 Chi
sss