416 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



ucts as it costs to make them. Merchants appropriate a large per cent, 

 of tlieir receipts to advertising and display to make good markets. Pro- 

 fessional men pay liberally to protect their professions, and laborers turn 

 a considerable percentage of their wages into their union to insure per- 

 manency of good wages. So it is with every class and with every industry 

 but farming. The farmer and his family work as hard as they can, long 

 hours at the hardest labor to produce as big crops as possible, and then 

 dump them into the hands of a set of non-producers who are the slickest 

 set of individuals in the world to hold and manipulate until the world 

 wants them for consumption. It is strange but true that in the enormous 

 effort farmers are making to increase the production of their crops, which 

 is the most approved method to commit suicide (the larger the crop the 

 lower the price), they are goaded on and encouraged by the farm press, 

 agi'icultural colleges and farmers' institutes, which never liave a Avord of 

 advice as to how to get a good price for the crops. 



Former farmers' societies were organized primarily to buy cheaply. 

 In other words, to pull business down to a level with agriculture. The 

 American Society of Equity is being established to secure a profitable 

 price for every crop farmers grow; in other words, to build agriculture up 

 on a level with the best business in the country. The first and great ob- 

 ject of the society is to secure profitable prices for all farm products. 



No difference how much a thing may be desired, if it is impossible of 

 attainment, expense and effort to accomplish it will be lost. The first 

 object of the American Society of Equity is desirable, and it is possible of 

 attainment. When it is accomplished all other good things for farmers 

 will follow, and everj' serious farm problem, like labor, boys on the farm, 

 education, improvements, fertility, good roads, etc.. will speedily be solved. 



The question, therefore, is, How can farmers through the American 

 Society of Equity secure profitable prices for farm products? I reply 

 briefly, by controlled marketing. To elaborate more fully I will explain 

 as follows: The headquarters of the Society is at Indianapolis, Ind. This 

 is called the National Union. Farmers are being enrolled as members of 

 the National Union all over the country, and wherever ten or more can 

 get together a local union is formed. The affairs of the society are man- 

 aged by a board of directors. One of the chief duties of the board of di- 

 rectors is to decide the price of each crop as it is produced. This is called 

 the minimum price, below which none of the crop should be sold. This 

 price is communicated to all members, so they have the same advice, al- 

 ways at the same time. The medium of communication is an official paper 

 published twice a month, and which it is proposed to publish weekly as 

 soon as the society develops sufficiently. This minimum price will also 

 be printed by other newspapers, so farmers not members will have the 

 same Information: in fact, we expect it will be printed in all papers print- 

 ing market reports, becniise it will be the ninrket price. It is hoped to 



