488 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



planter in Louisiana who decided to dispense with cotton as a special crop, 

 diversify his crops, and adopt a part wage and part share system. He pro- 

 ceeded to grow as many commodities needed on the farm as possible. He re- 

 quired his tenants to reduce their cotton acreage to one-third of their custom- 

 ary amount, advancing no money on the cotton crop, but giving to each tenant 

 sufficient wage employment ou the farm to sustain himself and family, while 

 the women and children worked the cotton, exceirt the plowing. It is j)olnte<l 

 out that by this system the owner has to a degree been able to fight the boll 

 weevil successfully, increase his yields, improve his land, introduce better farm 

 machinery, adopt more modern methods of farming, and at the same time 

 increase the annual income of his tenants. 



A social center in a renter neighborhood, C. W. Holman (Farm and Ranch, 

 30 (lOJl), No. 52, pp. 2; 3, figs. 4). — This article is a popular description of the 

 establishment, growth, and success of a " social center" in westei*n Texas, made 

 possible by a landlord with a 2,000-acre plantation, who constructed an audi- 

 torium thereon to be used for a school, church, neighborhood clubhouse, and 

 assembly hall. Meetings composed of tenants, landlords, and their families and 

 sometimes invited guests are held once or twice a week, when questions touch- 

 ing the interest of tenants, landlords, and the community are discussed. 



The result has been a better understanding of the wants and needs of tenant 

 and landlord, better methods of farming with increased income, more comforts 

 and advantages, and greater appreciation of coimtry life. In this particular 

 instance the landlord has moved his home from the city to his plantation, made 

 improvements in the housing of his tenants, and now has no difficulty in secur- 

 ing and retaining tenants who are more jirosperous and contented than formerly. 



The first cooperative law in the United States, G. Keen (Co-operation 

 [Mmncapolis], /f (1912), No. 1, pp. 9, 10). — This article gives an abstract of a 

 law enacted by the Wisconsin legislature in 1911 px'ovidiug for cooperative or- 

 ganizations among any 5 persons " for the purpose of conducting any agri- 

 cultural, dairy, mercantile, mining, manufacturing, or mechanical business on 

 the cooperative plan." 



A successful farmers' elevator, H. N. Nelson (Nehr. Farmer, JfJf (1912), 

 No. 1, p. 3). — This article presents tlie history of a farmers' cooperative elevator 

 company in Saunders County, Nebr., organized and chartered in 1890 with a 

 capital stock of $8,000, of which $4,000 was paid in. It is noted that after 

 vicissitudes covering a period of 10 years the company was reorganized on a 

 profitable basis. The business for the last 5 years has averaged $250,000 

 annually, and the value of the shares has greatly increased. 



Marketing the cotton crop of the South, INI. B. Houghton (Bui. Agr. Dcpt. 

 Ala., 1911, No. 49, pp. 13). — In discussing the present method of marketing the 

 cotton crop of the South it is maintained that through siieculative influences 

 and combinations of capital operating through what are termed cotton ex- 

 changes the quoted market value of the product has suffered unreasonable 

 fluctuations within veiy short periods of time, varying as much as 10 cts. a 

 pound within a few months. These extreme prices are said to demoralize 

 business and work to the detriment of producer, manufacturer, and consumer, 

 the estimated loss in the 1911 crop up to November 1 being $150,000,000. 



The i)lan suggested for remedying the present system of marketing " is to 

 levy a tax of $1 a ton on fertilizers, $1 a ton on cottonseed meal and $1 a bale 

 on cotton at the gin, and in addition, a reasonable license on all public gins 

 and oil mills. The proceeds of these levies should be turned into the state 

 treasury to the credit of the agricultural department as a special fund. With 

 the money in hand backed by the state governments, the necessary legislatioa 



