156 AGRICULTURE OF MAINE. 



it came to buying fertilizers. Only a few companies, therefore, 

 were working with the Central on this deal, but even then 

 2,283 tons were handled. This fertilizer was bought at a sav- 

 ing, compared with the lowest price quoted by any agent, of 

 about $3.00 per ton. Fertilizer agents assured the companies 

 that they would guarantee them as low a price as the Central 

 could get them, and others advertised openly in the press that 

 they would supply fertilizer at even lower prices than could be 

 obtained through the Central. 



Thanks, however, to the business acumen of the managers, 

 the fertilizer agents were soon glad to withdraw those adver- 

 tisements and the companies who stood by the Central were 

 able to divide a net saving of $6,800.00 on their fertilizer deal. 



I know some companies whose lack of faith in their Central 

 cost them $4.00 per ton on their fertilizer supplies. One should 

 not be too ready, however, to blame those companies ; after all, 

 it was only an experimental year and it is not strange that some 

 should look askance at the idea of giving their order blindly 

 without knowing how much their goods would cost them. At 

 the same time all the more credit is due to those who were suf- 

 ficiently imbued with the right spirit of cooperation to do this. 



The great thing for the individual to remember, however, 

 in a cooperative movement, is that after all it is not a Central 

 Association selling you material ; it is you yourself buying ma- 

 terial at first cost through your own buyer, that is, your Cen- 

 tral Association. The Central did not work to make any profit 

 out of the affiliated companies. Supplies were distributed at 

 cost and apples were sold at cost. A small levy was made on 

 all apples sold to cover the expenses of the Central, but owing 

 to the economical manner in which things were worked out, 

 money being earned by the Central in various ways already indi- 

 cated, the entire business of the companies was handled at the 

 ridiculously low cost of three-eighths of a cent per barrel. 



Thus did the leaders of this movement demonstrate to the 

 farmers what could be done by cooperation. 



During the winter months a special bill had been prepared 

 to enable the Central z\ssociation to be incorporated. This bill, 

 with certain modifications, was passed by the House of Assem- 

 bly at Halifax. 



