The Monticellonian., 1915-02-11
COOPERATION IN THE SOUTH
Farmers Are Thoroughly Aroused and Are Devising Ways and Means
 to Help One Another.

It has been a favorite saying with us for good many years that the average man (and We might add, woman), whether on the farm or in town, won't do what he knows in his heart he ought to do, until he has to, or until circumstances compel him to. Individually. we won't even consult doctor until we are really sick, and meanwhile keep up manner of living that our better judgment should teach us will inevitably result in call for the doctor and serious illness.
 Several illustrations of this general truth come to mind Take, for exam pie, the farmers of the South. They have been going for many years against the advice of the agricultural papers, ef every teacher of agricul- ture, and of the leaders or the farm demonstration work None of these classes could foresee this war; but they could foreaee the end of the pros perity of southern farmers, though no one could tell when it would end.
 Now they are doing what they have been advised to do by every person whose advice was worth listening to; and in doing so they are forced to CO., operate in various ways. The whole South is thoroughly walked up. They are devising ways, all of which neces- sitate more or less cooperation, not cooperative society-but cooperation. Tbay ara na1Iino snonial tnae+inps of the legislatures. Some are advocating the reduction of crop area by law; others, and we think more wisely, by the active cooperation of the farmers. each agreeing to cut down his area certain per cent. Some are presenting latures and of congress. All involve cooperation, and without cooperation of some kind nothing can be done.
 The agricultural press, the expert ment stations, and the United States department of agriculture have been teaching better methods of farming. Here and there an individual grasped the ideas and put them in practice (we speak now of general farming); but the counties where farmers got together and co-operated in employ ing advisers, and did not stint their money, are getting ahead much faster than counties where each man works out his own agricultural salvation. It is only by farmers working together whether we call it cooperation or not that they can achieve any marked sue cess; but the man who has studied hu- ,man nature understands that farmers will not do 1t until circumstances com pei them to do so. This is enforced cooperation.
 So long as every farmer kept few COWS and milked them, and his wife made butter and traded it at the store, we never got anywhere. Our butter was of all sorts and co1ors and flavors. and only the best of 1t was sold for what it was worth Now that we have ereameries, we have demonstrated to the world that the corn belt can make first-class butter and as much of it as can be found anywhere in the world.
 Take it in another line-the breed ing of live stock Breeders are begin ming to understand that they can sue ceed only by a sort of cooperation. They group themselves together at some point with good railroad. con nections, and then, instead of com peting with each other. they cooper ate-co-operate in the use of sires, CO., operate in advertising cooperate in selling. They have found out that farmers in search of improved live stock go to some point where there are a number of herds of the breed they want; and the various owners find out that it is not wise for them to do their very best to sell their own animals, but that it pays to help their neighbors to sell by pointing out the best points of their own stock and helping visitors to see the stock of their neighbors also. In this way they succeed. It is difficult for any man with any breed of live stock to sue ceed, where he is alone and does not have the cooperation and support and help of his neighbors. In fact. when we begin to cooperate in any line, we begin to succeed Until we do that, we usually find it hard sledding in these days.-Wallace's Farmer