The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1919-06-18
rom Page 81
The amount of machinery

rom Page o.
The amount of machiner,
,sary to operate the Association
.,resent farm of 1000 acres represent
less than S per cent of the value o
the land, without buildings and i'm
provements. Now compare this will
the average farm of 120 acres. ThC
government reports show this to b
the average size Of individual farms
and that the average general equip
ment for such a farm will cost ST.
500. Figuring the value of the land
at 500 per acre, without improve
ments, the same as in the first case
the investment in machinery alone
represents more than IL per cent o.
the value of the land. The compari-
son becomes still more effective when
the cost of buildings, wells. fences
and general operation is taken into
consideration.
Labor and Marketing
Another profitable point in this CO.
operative plan is that all of the ma
chinery, building materials, tools and
commissary supplies for the use Of
the farm and its employees are pur-
chased in large quantities and at
wholesale prices. The visitor at the
farms is impressed with the neat ap-
pearance and business-like manage
ment of the commissary. All standard
articles of food can be purchased at
this commissary, and many articles
which can not be obtained at quite
pretentious stores in small cities Of
Florida. The commissary is self
supporting, and brings in an annua!
profit to the members of the Associa-
ton.
Cooperation not only solves the
labor problem, but it means better
advantages in marketing. Many Of
the employees of these farms have
been working there since the first
clearing was done, and some Of them
have moved their families to Natal
and made it their permanent home.
The men are given the very best
treatment and improvements are con-
stantly being made to make their liv.
ing quarters more comfortable and
Last month the Association in.
stalled an Alamo Electric light plant,
and the old kerosene lamps are
thing of the past. They are now en-
gagged in connecting up telephone
line, and before you read this letter it
will be possible for Mr.. Haldeman
at the farms to talk with a member
in New York City or Tulsa, Oklahoma.
A cooperative restaurant has been
in operation for some months, where
workmen and visitors are supplied
with very good meals at an exceed
ingly low cost. In fact, the manage
ment is doing everything possible to
increase the efficiency of its men.
In marketing, cooperation becomes
an additional protection by securing
the best price possible and establish
ing a name for the product.
Another big feature of agricultural
cooperation as practiced on this de-
velopment is the equitable division o:
profits among the members. The
profits are not divided according to
the success on each individual tract,
but the crops from the entire acreage
are bulked and sold, and then each
member of the Association receives
lis pro-rata share, according to the
amount Of land he holds. Thus If one
4c acre tract should not grow one
ounce of hay this season the member
owning it would share in with the
total net profits of the entire farm.
By using the present carefully con-
structed system of farm operation,
there can be no doubt as to the future
success Of the Florida Natal Hay AS
ISOLATION.