The farmer and mechanic., 1915-06-29
COMMUNITY COOPERATION AS Il
ADVOCATED BY POE, BACKED BY
DERBY AND APPL led BY ROSSt
The First Spreading the New Gospel for Rural Development the Second
Making Practical Example Possible and the x~rd
Putting the Ideas Across. r.

norea rec b before Su 'fhe'ipns the pzt sch. sion
is finished.
About 120 children are in sight at |
the present, and it is hoped that as
the country develops the community
school will have enough pupils in the
community to broaden the system of |
operation materially. The purpose is |
to widen the influence of the new
school as much as possible. but it is |
expected that its field will be confined |
to about the area that is embraced |
in the three district. But the pro-
position is that no matter how many
children may in time come to the
districts they will be cared for at the
central school which will use all its
facilities and means to make the best
school possible for the entire region
served
This cooperative scheme is not
confined TO Drowning Creek. From
Raleigh comes a lot Of it's stimulus
The Beef Breeders Association, which
is back Of the Sire Owning Associa-
| ton Of Drowning Creek, has for it's
! secretary r. S. Curtis, of West Raj
| eigh. The Dairy Association has w.
| IL. Eaton for secretary and the Swine
| Breeders Association has Dan T.
| Gray of West Raleigh as secretary.
| The various departments Of the State
| and Federal governments have their
|
Of the State and all of them are work.
| ing with the communities.
It is interesting to look into the
beef feeding experiments that have
been going on at the Drowning Creek
plantation. For two years Mr.. Der
by has been buying feeders up in the
mountain counties and feeding them
spring. They have turned off good
beef stock, and have brought good
prices in the Northern markets, set
tling beyond all peradventure the pos
sibilites of beef production in North
} Carolina This experiment Of cattle
, feeding in the Piedmont and low sec
!. ton of the State has gone so far that
there is no longer any question Of
the ability Of the State to make beef
, Of the best quality. Therefore it was
a little surprising to hear Mr.. Derby
say they would not feed many more
mountain cattle on his place. 'The
) margin is too SMALL" he said. 'Wher
we go up to the mountains and buy
our cattle, freight them down, with
: the attendant loss in weight and cost
Of moving, and then run them through
3 the one season we do not have enough
e Of profit on the transaction to pay ths
e cost Of the work. No. we are not go
e ing to quit the production Of beef, a.
e the two shorthorn bulls there in tn,
e raise the cattle here in this neighbor
4 hood, and become cattle raisers ant
Y feeders instead Of simply feeders"
: One thing that is noticeable here il
: this cooperating community is tn
j prudent way they have Of going slov
and learning some Of the things the,
VI are undertaking instead Of runnin,
: away in the wild optimism that char
r aCteriSeS some movements. Tn
: Drowning Creek community propose
v to raise cattle. but the Drownin,
n Creek farmer is not expecting to bu,
z big herd and go at something h
Il knows nothing about. I'VE have n
e revolutionary schemes said MI
Derby. The idea is to move alon
in better ways rather than to fire u
It with a big head Of steam and max
g a lot of fuss and perhaps not get any
il thing done. For instance il. our StOci
IS raising plan l expect the farmers t
e interest themselves in two or three o
t, four or FIVE or half dozen COWS
d They will be more interested in breed
e ing up that amount of stock an
1T gradually coming to have in the com
le munity a common stock of a goo
e grade than to have many cattle o
9 any individual farm. We are look
e ing to the day when we can pick u
IL q car Of uniform steers from tn
r. farms Of the neighborhood, and hav
,e them so nearly of a common weigh
,e and type that Drowning Creek com
n munity cattle will attract buyers an
id Continued on Page Two.)