The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-03-15
Editorial Correspondence to the Jack
sob (Mich.), Patriot.

second term or he will have been
succeeded, by Republican. Who the
latter will be is enveloped in uncer-
tainty. Whoever is elected, however,
forcs and factors distinct from pol
I itics will have the most to do in de-
termining the future of the Ameri
can people. 1t makes small difference
with them who fill the offices that
men struggle so hard to obtain
In my last letter reference was
made to the fact that cooperation
has made comparatively slow pro-
gress in the United States. lndivid-
ualism instead of collectivism. has
| characterized the general sentiment
in this country. Personal success has
been the goal of ambition and effort.
Each man owned and padded his
own canoe before the era of steam
ships and cooperation in navigation
arrived. and competition between in
dividuals was fierce and often cruel
"Lool, out for number one" regard
less of who was pinched, was the
accepted rule of action.
| Cooperation, under such social
conditions. could not get foothold
and prosper Nevertheless it had to
come Men began to see that they
could help themselves by helping
others. At first cooperative action
sociations Their measure of sue
cess is familiar to all. AS early as
| 1874 cooperative coopering asso-
citation was organized in Minneapolis,
the flour city. In 1882 students of
Harvard University formed a society
A., to supply themselves with books. sta
tionery and other articles. It was
an economic success. and was imitat-
ed at Yale and other colleges.
A few years before the present war
in Europe, at a congress held in
| Karlsruhe, Germany, the number OF
cooperative societies reported was
11,S5i- banks, dairies and other or
CARNATIONS and they kept on in
crcasing year after year until the
wicked war stopped all progress.
1t is an ACKNOWLEDGED fact that
the cooperative movement. so far as
it had gone, was real and an ef-
fectual training of the intelligence,
business capacity, and moral char
acter of workingmen especially 1t
taught them thrift. foresight, self
control, and the habit of harmonious
combination for common ends. Fair
dealing is essential to success. 1t
improves social conditions and makes
better citizens.
The South, in my opinion, from the
character and demand for its chief
products, is admirably adapted to
co operative agriculture and horti-
cheap, and it is capable of producin Q
very profitable crops, giving encour-
aging rewards for intelligent cult
lvation.
Cotton is a leading staple; corn
and other grains give satisfactory
YIELDS FORAGE crops and short win
tiers make cattle raising and dairying
profitable; fruit and the canning in
dustry will pay well; vegetables in
great variety and of excellent quail
ity are produced and all are well
adapted to cooperative labor for
raising and marketing them.
Cotton is a fascinating crop. Every
fiber and seed is readily turned into
other staple product of the farm
With scientific cultivation a bale of
500 pounds can be easily grown on
an acre. Instances are of record
where an acre has yielded four bales.
With one bale ten acres would bring
from 500 to 81, 900 for the lint and
seed. The fiber consists largely OF
carbonaceous matter drawn from the
atmosphere, and is one of the purest
forms of cellulose NJ thrives best
on dry and sandy soil.
For cooperative investment and
to bring profitable results, combined
with DEMONSTRATING crops, the joint
ownership of land in such healthy
states as Georgia and Alabama
where the best of vegetables and
grains are produced, the cotton belt
present many attractions for coop
erative effort.
Growing and marketing Florida
citrus fruits also present an inviting
field for cooperative effort. Already
marketing the fruit through the
agency of the Florida Citrus Eek
change is a pronounced success. TIL,
Tampa Tribune's Year Book for 1915
gives to Polk county the credit of be
| ing the DdHHeE CltIuS sio"ihS Souh
ty in the state. It says mot onl!
are both soil and climate especial!
adapted to the business, but the resi-
dent growers are a live. wideawak'
class of citizens, who are fully awar'
of the advantages of cooperation ant
organ ization-hence Polk county i
also the banner county in the Flor
ida Citrus Exchange"
In its upwards of one million boxe