BELGIUM - CO-OPERATIOX AND ASSOCIATION 



whole country : it was necessary also to consider agricultural interests 

 in the different pro\'inces. The want was best supplied by founding in each 

 of them an agricultural sub-section, having an autonomous existence. This 

 was done in the provinces of Brabant, Antwerp and Limbourg among others. 

 The Boerenhond had its share in the formation of these three sections, 

 within which it is represented by its delegates ". 



Until the Agricultural Assistance should be able to maintain agriculture 

 with foodstuffs, manures and primarj' material of every kind, the Boeren- 

 hond itself undertook to fulfil this task and to reduce to the minimum the 

 difficulties which the agriciitural world had to meet. 



" The Boerenhond — or more accurately its counter for sale and pur- 

 chase — bought in the first place, for the provinces of Antwerp and Brabant, 

 the food for live stock which the German civil administration granted, at 

 the first distribution, to agriculture in these two provinces, and remitted 

 the food to the agricultural sections. Had there been opportunity it would 

 have been equally zealous to render this service to the other provinces. 

 Soon aterwards it took over from the German civil administration a sufficient- 

 .ly important quantity of Unen oilcakes of which it aftersvards made grants 

 ^n accordance with the instructions of the national agricultural section. 



" In agreement with the latter it made a bargain with the Drogueries 

 et Huileries anrersoises for 2,500 tons of arachis and sesamum oilcakes which 

 were distributed among all the provinces, but did not reach their destina- 

 tion until long afterwards because part of the merchandise was being ma- 

 nufactured at the time of purchase and because the formaHties required 

 for its Uberation were retarded. 



" Hitherto no concentrated food whatever had crossed the frontier. 

 Moved by the distress of agriculture the Boerenhond did everything possible 

 to remedy the situation. In the course of February it was at its own re- 

 quest commissioned by the Agricultural Assistance to send a delegate to 

 Holland to treat for the purchase and importation of 4,000 tons of hnen oil- 

 cakes. This was a deUcate mission but after many difficulties it was satis- 

 factorily concluded. 



" These were the only edible oilcakes imported in 1915 in addition to 

 the unimportant quantity bought in Holland in December 1914 by the re- 

 presentatives of the Boerenhond ". 



Thanks to these efforts Belgian agriculturists were more or less provid- 

 ed with various products with which to meet the difficulties in the way of 

 feeding live stock. The Boerenhond then turned its attention to procuring 

 manures. 



As early as the spring of 1915 all chemical manures had been seized by 

 the German administration. The Boerenhond negotiated and obtained for 

 its members some tons of superphosphates and guano and small quantities 

 of scoria. 



It was however even more difficult to encounter the consequences 

 of the seizure of harvests. The Boerenhond gave ever\' care to regulating 

 this matter in the best interests of its members. 



" As early as the first fortnight of July the Boerenhond had occasion to 



