Putnam patriot. [volume] (Putnam, Conn.) 1872-1962, 1915-04-16
PUTNAM, CONN., FRIDAY, APRIL le 1915
COUNTY AGENT WORK
Organization of Cooperative Effort
Much Interest Shown in the Work

Mr.. Kennedy, the County Agent for
the windham County Farmers Assoc
citation, has found SO much interest in
co operation throughout the county
that he has been devoting considerable
time TO the organization of co-opera.
tive effort.
There is no doubt but the prosperity
of the rural community depends, 10 q
large extent, on the ability of the COM
munity to market profitably what it
produces, and until the farmers can
dispose of their entire output, they are
not disposed TO listen to any plans for
increased production; consequently the
county agent has before him as per.
haps his most i'm portant work the or
ganization Of the farmers, and the aid
ing of them in disposing Of their mar.
ketable goods.
A big step in the right direction was
taken Monday evening when npm-
Der of farmers interested in the pur-
chase of fertilizers met at The home of
Mr.. Harrison in Woodstock and or
ganized for the purchase Of this years
fertilizer supply. Mr.. Kennedy was
present and gave Information and ad
vice regarding prices and ways and
means of organizing for the purchase
OF the desired fertilizers.
As county agent Mr.. Kennedy is In
position to obtain satisfactory prices
from large concerns and to give the
farmers the benefit of his influence in
this direction. Such benefits can be
obtained, however,, only through or
ganized cooperation by the farmers
and by purchasing in large quantities.
The half dozen Woodstock farmers
who have already organized will bene-
fit to the amount of over $50 per car
load on their fertilizer bills for this
year. 1t is hoped that Others will
learn of this and will take advantage
of the benefits that may be obtained by
cooperating in a similar manner. AL
though IL is rather late this season to
organize and buy this years supply of
fertilizer, it may be possible for few
more communities to benefit in the
same way tibet the Woodstock farmers
have done.
Thete~gre many other lines of CO.
operative endeavor, however, by which
other communities may be materially
benefited, and it is hoped that the pro
gressive men in each community will
make use of Mr.. Kennedy IN getting
this kind of work under way as soon
as possible.
The following plan is the one which
Mr.. Kennedy has adopted in his or
ganization work:
Each community is to have its own
Cooperative Society, managed by its
own officers and doing business
through one of its members acting as
business agent. This business agent
may well be local business man.
1t has been the history of co-opera.
tive effort that societies beginning in a
small way and doing business in as
simple manner as possible are the ones
which have proven most successful.
A cooperative society should be or
ganized for some one definite purpose,
such as the purchasing of fertilizers,
grain, or other supplies, and each SO
ciety should confine its activities to
this one line at least until it has suf.
ficient experience, and until it has
won the confidence of its members to
such an extent that il is capable Of
taking up more than one line of work.
Local men must be the ones TO man
If the community has not confidence
in its local men it certainly can not
have confidence in an outsider and one
coming from outside can not know To-
cal conditions. 1t is, therefore, essen
! tia that all officers be men in whom
the community has confidence and
men who know local conditions
thoroughly. The business agent must
be such man also.
II is Mr.. kennedy's desire that each
cooperative society organized shall be
in a position TO do its business ipde-
pendently. They should be so thor.
oughIy organized and should be so ia
miIiar with the details of the business
that they can continue as an indepen-
dent organization and can do business
by themselves, if any thing should hap
pen to prevent the county agent from
giving his aid at any time.
1t is only in this way that this co.
operative work can be made perma.
nent. AS the work grows and as the
need arises for more business these
small local organizations may federate
and thus several societies may act as
one and thus have the benefits and ad-
vantages afforded by large organiza-
ton.