The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1915-05-29
COOPERATE IN MANY WAYS
Whole sor'h Is Thoroughly Walked
Up and Farmers Are Doing What
They Had Been Told to Do.

man or woman will not always DO
what they know they ought to do.
1t Is usually some circumstance that
compels them to act. Individually, we
won't even consult doctor until we
are really sick, and meanwhile keep
up a manner of living that our better
judgment should teach US will newt
ably result in a call for the doctor
and serious illness.
Several illustrations of this general
truth come to mind, says Utah Farm
er. Take, for example, the farmers
Of the South. They have been going
for many years against the advice OF
the agricultural papers, Of every teach
er of agriculture, and Of the leaders OF
the farm demonstration work. None
Of these classes could foresee this war;
but they could foresee the end of the
prosperity 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-
state more or less cooperation, not q
cooperative society-but cooperation.
They are calling special meetings OF
the legislatures. Some are advocating
the reduction of crop area by law, otn-
ers, and we think more wisely, by the
active cooperation of the farmers,
each agreeing to cut down his area a
certain per cent. Some are present.
ing petitions to the members OF the
legislatures and of congress. All In
wolves cooperation, and without CO.
operation of some kind nothing can be
done.
The farmers of the West are not
as much in advance as they sometimes
think they are. In a place or two we
have had hog cholera, some OF US
looking upon the entrance OF the dis
ease as a stroke of bad luck, hard
lines. Those more piously inclined
look upon it as dispensation of Provi-
dence. The fact that hog cholera has
done so much damage for the last few
years is simply due to our method
of growing hogs. We have simply al
lowed the disease to find an entrance
through filthy stockyards. along
streams and railroad lines, and to
spread out over the country because
we violated every principle Of santa
ton and often of breeding. We made
no Roadway against 1t as long as each
man worked individually and indepen-
IDENTIFY; but when we began to enlist
the aid of the state and Of the nation,
when we began to get together and
work together with one end in view
and to follow directions, We made
progress. 1t was the working togeth-
er, the cooperation Of farmers under
the spur of necessity, that enabled US
to achieve the mastery that we now
have over this disease in some Sec
lions.
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
1--WE speak now Of general farming);
but the counties where farmers got to-
gether and co-operated in employing
advisers, and did not stint their mon
ey, are getting ahead much faster
than counties where each man works |
out his own agricultural salvation. It |
Is only by farmers working together
we call 1t cooperation or not |
that they can achieve any marked
success; but the man who has studied
human nature understands that farm
ers will not do 1t until circumstances
compel them to do so.
There are many lines of farm life in
which we should cooperate. What
about the old methods of marketing
our milk or butter as compared with
those of today?
Take 1t In another line-the breed
ing of live stock. Breeders are begin
ming to understand that they can sue
coed only by a sort Of cooperation.
They group themselves together at
some point with good railroad con-
and then, instead Of COM
peting with each other. they cooperate
cooperate In the use Of sires, CO.
operate in advertising. cooperate in
selling. They have found out that
farmers in search of improved live
stock 60 to some point where there
are a number Of herds of the breed
they want; and the various owners
find out that 1t Is not wise for them
to do their very best to sell their own
but that 1t 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. II is difficult for any
man with any breed Of live stock to
succeed, where he is alone and does
not have the cooperation and support
md help of his neighbors. In fact
when we begin to work along these
ines we begin to succeed. Until we do
hat we usually find 1t hard shedding
n these days.