The log cabin Democrat., 1916-08-23
FINDS COOPERATIVE
 MARKETING A FAILURE
Faulkner County Woman Writes of Difficulties in Selling Farm
 Produce.

I satisfaction? It has been my life long regret that I am neither an ed ucated, nor a business person. 1 was born and reared on the farm, and love farm life. Have always had an ideal farm home in mind which 1 hope to attain "some sweet day after while"
 But what puzzles me so is why is 1t almost impossible to get either the farmers or their wives to organize and at least try to help themselves and one another. 1 read in a Texas paper about the farmers organizing community egg circle" Each one takes all their produce to the house of the most centrally located mem Der the evening before and soon the next morning it is all taken to mar ket. At first they took turn about, but that didn't just suit all round, so they all agreed to give a certain member 5 or 10 per cent to do the marketing for them each week, sell ing direct from producer to con- sumer and they were getting two cents above market price.
 They are getting 32 cents per dozen for eggs, butter ditto, and as the more each one gets per dozen or pound the more profit the salesman gets, so he gets the best prices ob- tainable and takes time to find the best customers and all work together to keep them. And this plan is working to the entire satisfaction of all. Each one puts his name on every package so if anything proves unsatisfactory that member makes it good next time.
 l for one have been very tired for years of giving all the profit from all produce to the home merchants and the peddlers, so naturally I was delighted with the idea and set to work trying to organize a circle in this neighborhood. Did 1 succeed? We'll, mot so you's notice it."
 l Every one whom l mentioned the plan-with the exception of my two sisters and our blacksmth-seem to regard it with suspicion, seeming to think l would be the only one to profit by it, when it is plain to be seen that the one who had the most to sell would be the one getting the most profit, and all would get more than three times as much as we get now Eggs were 30 cents in Argen- ta last Saturday and have been some time. Here we get 8 and 10 cents in trade for eggs and butter. For small hens we get 20 cents and for flymoth Rock hens, 25 cents each. And the peddlers declare they lose money giving 8 cents for eggs and 10 cents for butter
 When 1 explained this to them they all said they hadn't great deal to sell but if you can get it up and it works alright we may join it after while; don't know yet; have to wait and see how the rest comes out first" etc, etc.
 So there it rests. Four members would not justify any one to buy auto trucks to carry our produce to Little Rock. When I unfolded the plan to our blacksmith he regarded it as l do and said it would be easy to carry out that way and if we could get it organized he would furnish the way to send the stuff to market He is always willing and ready to do anything for the advancement of his community. Would there were more like him. But he could see where it would benefit himself as we'll as his neighbors, and said, i've would get more than three times as much as we now get, and all would fix to have more to sell, all would raise pure bred poultry in order to standardize our eggs, and if we only had one chicken, one pound of butter or one dozen of eggs or any other little thing to sell each trip it would soon count up and we could, and would sell many little things from the farm that have always gone to waste for want of market"
 All the papers preach to sell a fresh article done up attractively and one will always get a better price than those who do not. This may be true Tn some places, but during the 2S years of my married life I have lived in and sold produce from the farm in two different states at differ ent towns and cities in both states, and both my mother and I are noted for the excellent quality of butter we make, yet neither of us get-nor have l ever known anyone else to get-one cent more for our good fresh butter with all milk worked out of it and put up clean and nice in every way, than did the one coming in with butter in an old rusty tin pail with a dingy or perhaps a col ored rag over it, and the butter smelling sour, with milk oozing out all over it. The same with eggs. l l have pure bred Rocks and gather , eggs at least twice a day in hot