Rocky Ford enterprise., 1915-04-02

farmer, but principally on account of
being pressed for money and per-
haps more or less inclined to disrc-
gard the associations they have had
because of the smallness of their
scope and consequently of the bene-
fits accruing thcrcfrom they have
not stuck.
This financial pressure would have
to be taken care of by the association
owning and conducting it's own banks
throughout the whole country. I'm
der present conditions when a farm
er needs to borrow little money
from bank to tide him over he is
inclined to approach the banker as
though asking favor, especially if
he is doubt as to his security getting
by. He has feeling akin to that
OF the deep-dyed sinner approaching
death: That is, you sweat blood
simply because you are compelled to
raise a few paltry dollars, and the
private banker is very apt to assume
the position that he is doing you a
favor in making you the loan.
OF course these association banks
must be conducted on the Safety
First, principle, yet the silver dollar
is not the only commodity in the
world with the face value of dol
lar, That is these associations must
have warehouses and cold storage
facilities in each district SO that the
and non-perishable crops and if nee
essary take their warehouse receipts
to their association bank, put them
up as collateral and get what cash
they may require to carry them until
such time as the association markets
the crop. Thus the farmer and the
banker work together for the general
good OF the association.
This, OF course, opens up a large
field, and it will require men of
large caliber to organize and conduct
it properly. But the United States
has lots of such men whom be-
lieye would welcome the opportunity
81 helping to put the farming busi-
ness-the biggest of all industries
in class where it belongs. as the
greatest and best organized business
in the whole world. We often hear
the men in the government, in fact,
think our efficient President Wilson
has advocated various means OF
helping the farmer, but we never
hear of the government suggesting
ways OF helping the steel industry,
oil trust or any of these fellows.
And what must we infer from this.
This is a little hard for the farmer
to swallow, but il simply means
that the farmer has not shown him
self capable OF helping himself
Pretty raw, isn't it? Yet we will
not admit that there arc men OF more
brains among these so-called wicked
trusts that the government is trying
to regulate and stop their ''robber"
tactics, than there are among the
men who are interested in agricul-
ture 1t only means that the selling
end of the farming business has been
sadly neglected. When your crop
is made you are only half through.
You must be able to dictate the
prices on your goods and through
data secured and kept on file by your
association officers, you must know
where and to whom you cansell your
products.
The carrying on of an organization
OF this kind, would, OF course, entail
considerable expense. but the in
creased prices that the farmer could
command for his produce with the
aid OF such an organization would
make each individual contribution a
very insignificant matter. Yet these
prices need not and of course must
not be exhorbitant; simply such as
will give the farmer a reasonable
profit on his produce and pay him
for his time and money invested.
Such control of the farming busi-
ness would also go far toward solv-
ing the present very veNing question
of farm labor. The association Off
GERS having at all times complete
knowledge of what's doing and
where, could very easily handle the
floating labor, sending it where it
was needed, when it was needed.
Please bear in mind that in writing
the foregoing article | have no per-
sonal AK to grind, and am not out to
get any money froua anybody in this
proposition. | have been in the re-
tail optical business since | was yet
a boy, and / do not contemplate
any change OF vocation during the
balance of my business life. am
interested in the farming business
first, because | was, ] am glad to say,
born and raised on a farm and last
but not least, | am interested be-
cause when the farmer is not pros
porous. we. OF the city business and
professional world cannot be pros
porous.
In closing, let me repeat: Why
should you, Mr.. Farmer, the greatest
seller of merchandise in the whole
world, be the only merchant who is
not allowed to mark the price tag
on your goods? Talk to your friends
about it. Get busy. organize. be the
trainers, instead of the framed on.
Let us have in the near future.
big. efficient organization, worthy
to be callcdc The American Associ-
alton of Agriculture