15 Nov., 1919.] Co-operation for Farmers. 695 



CO-OPERATION FOR FARMERS. 



Some time ago we pointed out to farmers, especially to those just 

 settling on newly-acquired land, the many benefits which some system of 

 co-operation in the work of clearing the land, planting, hai-vesting, and 

 marketing the crops, and various other matters incidental to the 

 farming business. In the past, and, to some extent, at the present day, 

 neighbour helped neighbour, and the help was reciprocated to their 

 mutual benefit. Where this was not the case, each individual producer 

 made use of animal power far in excess of what is absolutely required 

 to effect the object in view. The same theory holds good with respect 

 to clearing, fencing, stumping, and many other works on the farm. 

 We see strong men toiling single-handed at a work which, with the help 

 of a couple of neighbours, could be done in a quarter of the time, and 

 without any of the exhausting labour otherwise required. As an illus- 

 tration which will commend itself to all scrub farmers, let us take the 

 work of burning off. Sometimes a lucky burn will leave very little 

 after-work to be done, but often a very bad burn happens, and every 

 stick of timber almost has to be handled. A man working alone must 

 do a tremendous lot of axe-work to enable him to pile up the timber in 

 heaps. He has to cut the logs into lengths such as his strength is eqtial 

 to carryiqg. He will thus make but a small impression by the end of 

 the day on a 5-acre patch of badly burnt scrub. Now, suppose that he 

 has a dozen neighbours all employed at the same work, or even on a 

 different class of work, such as stumping, pulling or husking corn, 

 digging potatoes, or planting some crop. If these men would all 

 combine to assist each other, it is clear that the work of burning off 

 would be enormously lightened. A tree which -the individual would 

 have to cut up small, to enable him to deal with it, would be picked up 

 bodily by six men and carried off with ease, all the axe-work being 

 saved. It might be argued that, while these men are helping their 

 neighbour, the work on their own farms is at a standstill. So it is — 

 for a day or two, but now those who assisted the first man are in their 

 turn assisted to plant, gather the crop, bale their hay, or to do any 

 other work which may be pressing, and, so far from their having lost any 

 time, their own work is far more expeditiously done by the assistance 

 thus given. Again, take the case of a man having 10 acres of lucerne 

 cut and just ready to cart in. Every one knows the disastrous effect 

 of heavy rain on lucerne hay lying in the field. Rain is threatening, and 

 the individual works himself and his horses from dawn to dark, and 

 then finds that he cannot save his crop; but the neighbours come along 

 with their teams, and the whole is safely got in before the storm. This 

 is the commencement of co-operation, and it is easy to see how it works 

 beneficially to all concerned. Now we go a little further, and come 

 to marketing. In the neighbourhood of towns it is a common thing for 

 a man to yoke up a horse, or perhaps two, to cart in three or four 

 bags of corn, some potatoes, cabbages, eggs, &c. This takes the whole 

 day probably, and he expends sufficient labour on the business to 

 perform double the work. His neighbours do the same thing. Now, 

 if we count up the hours so lost by each individual, reckon the labour 



