The daily commonwealth. (Greenwood, Leflore Co., Miss.) 1916-1919, 1917-03-01
PRACTICAL FARM COOPERATION.

This is admittedly an age OF improved ma
chinery and advanced methods in farming. No
longer is it possible for the man who farms by
the old methods and with old tools of our fathers
to compete with his more progressive n~eighbor-
Ii he undertakes it he is sure to go down in de-
feat.
But right at this point the advocate of ad-
vanced and more up-to-date methods and
improved machinery is met with a staggering
opposition. Thousands Of small farmers tell
him point blank that they can not afford the great
outlay of money necessary to stock their farms
with the latest labor saving implements.
And it is the solemn truth. They can't afford
it. 1t would bankrupt them to undertake it.
What, then, is the answer?
One wordICO-OPERATION! Cooperation
in buying and using the more expensive imple-
ments.
Consider the number Of days in the year you
would use a wheat drill, or a disc rlow or harrow,
or binder or a mower, or any one of a large num-
Der of implements that are absolutely essential
to successful farming today. The United States
Department of Agriculture has figured this out,
and the result is calculated to make one think
twice-and then again. The department esti-
mates that on the average small or medium sized
farm the following implements are used annually
the following number of days and fractions there
of: Walking pillow, 1872; sulky pillow, lat; spring
tooth harrow, &C.; spike-tooth harrow, 81; disc
harrow, AZ; grain drill, 4.6; land roller, At; corn
planter (1rcw), 10; corn planter e row., 8; corn
cultivator, Il ROW., Al; corn cultivator q row.,
Sc; mower, 81 hay rake, &c; grain binder, 3.4.
1t will easily be seen that unless a man is so
weIl-todo that he could afford to have capital tied
up and lying idle, the plea of the small farmer
that he can not afford the modern tools is the
sober truth.
But there is a remedy in cooperation owner
ship. In fact, the plan is in operation in many
sections of the country and is found to
work admirably.
A glance at the list will convince anyone that
there is not an implement there that could not
be shared between two or three farmers, and
many could be made to do service for five or six
some, even, for a much larger number.
What, then, is the necessity for each one bur-
dening himself with a heavy outlay to provide all
of the needed tools when the burden can just
as we'll be distributed among a number with the
same satisfactory results?
Aren't there a number of farmers in this com.
munity who could profit by this plan?
If you do not want a partnership ownership,
fearing possible disputes and resultant ill feeling,
let one buy a corn planter, another drill, and so
on down the list. Then lend back and forth, and
you get the same results. But make it co-opera-
tive, decide in advance just what tool each is to
buv. and GET EVERYTHING THAT WILL RE-
DUCE EXPENSE AND INCREASE YOUR
YIELD.
Think this suggestion over, friends. One or
two or three hundred dollars saved on equipment
could be well invested in live stock and other nee
e~ssities on many farms.
It is safe to say that no other class of people
in the country carry as much dead" capital as
do the farmers-the very class who can least af-
ford it.
The logical way to release this capital and put
it to work is through cooperation as above out
lined.