120 



year, and they claim a saving of 30 per cent, on all sncb purchases. Stnujamon : Co- 

 operation has grown rapidly during the last twelvemonths; arrangements have been 

 made with merchants and manufacturers for special rates. Two rolling-mills have 

 been established near Springfield, and several new and profitable coal-shafts have been 

 opened ; two new lines of railroad have been run through the middle of the county. 

 Massac : A large proportion of the wheat raised in the county was manufactured into 

 flour and shipped; nearly all the pork raised last season was i)acked in the county 

 and will be sold as bacon. 



Wisconsin. — Dodge : Co-operation has benefited members or patrons, in the sale of 

 •wool an increase of 15 or 20 per cent.; in the sale of sheep, 20 or more ])ev cent. Fond 

 dii Lac : An average saving of at least 20 per cent, is claimed hj those who have had 

 the i^rivileges of the co-operative movement. Adaiii'^ : Some sections report a saving 

 in the purchase of machinery and supplies, of i^lOO and over ; a saving has also been 

 made in the selling of products ; one of my correspondents says : " I believe our town 

 has manufactured and sold 150 barrels oi' buckwheat-flour." La Fayette : Commodi- 

 ties are purchased from 25 to 40 per cent, less than formerly demanded ; the total saving 

 in the county from the movement may he safely estimated in thousands. Outa- 

 gamie : A reduction of 50 per cent, in the freight on plaster delivered tons, and a sav- 

 ing of from 35 to 40 per cent, on farm-implements. Green : There are mills enough to 

 manufacture all the wheat raised in the county into flour, yet this is not doue, most of 

 the wheat going to Milwaukee. .One woolen-mill is in operation that consumes 20,000 

 pounds of wool annually. 



Minnesota. — Balota : A saving of from .$20 to $100 per family iu the purchasing 

 of groceries and dry goods; aflouring-mill has also been built by co-operation. Hous- 

 ton : The members claim that they save from 10 to 15 per cent, in the pur- 

 chase of farming implements, machinery, goods, supplies, &c. ; a large flouring-mill 

 has been i)ut in operation during the past summer, and the result is a better market 

 for good wheat. Dodge : We have got a reduction on our groceries and dry goods, but 

 not on our machinery, nor have we got a cent more for our produce. A company has 

 been formed iu Claremout, in this county, who are building a flouring-mill to be pro- 

 pelled by wind-power; the company is composed of farmers who propose to grind their 

 own wheat, and if it should be successful others will soon follow. Martin : The granges 

 have saved their members from 25 to 30 per cent, on their purchases, and an increase 

 on their sales of about 10 per cent. On purch.ases alone I think the granges have 

 saved the farmers of this county at least ,$10,000, and an increased A'alue of $5,000 on 

 their sales during the past year. Douglas : Have only had four mouths' experience in 

 co-operation; in purchase of supplies we save about 18 per cent., on machinery 30 to 

 40 per cent. Waseca : Probably $20,000 have been saved by the granges concentrating 

 their trade with one merchant and thus keeping the prices down. 



Iowa. — Delaware : No marked change in selling, but in the buying of agricultural 

 imiflemeuts there has been some saving, some say as much as 20 per cent,, others claim 

 10 per cent., but the great bulk of implements are still purchased in the usual way. 

 Boone : Co-operation has not been of such a character as to result in any material benefit 

 to any portion of our producing population. Useful and remunerative manufactories 

 are but in their infancy, and as such their utility to the country and their profit to 

 themselves must necessarily be somewhat limited. Johnson : The co-operative move- 

 ment has had the effect to produce a more uniform price for the farmer, and by pur- 

 chasing for cash gives the advantage of lo.w prices ; in this way the producer has saved 

 20 per cent, in sales and purchases. Powesliiek : A saving of 10 per cent, in the pur- 

 chase of dry goods. Calhoun : I think we have better prices for our grain and stock, 

 and we certainly get our machinery from 20 to 50 per cent, less than we ever did before. 

 Jefferson : The only eft'ort made in this county has been the establishing of "grange 

 stores," the proprietors of which agree to sell for a certain per cent, less than the cus- 

 tomary profit, on condition that tire farmers' organization shall deal exclusively with 

 them. This has efl'eeted a slight saving on their purchases. Green : But little has been 

 done here except ia the way of purchasing general merchandise; arrangements have 

 been made with dealers to furnish us goods at from 10 to 15 per cent, profit on whole- 

 sale cost. Guthrie : We have saved from 30 to 50 per cent, in purchasing of our plows 

 and other farm-implements ; heretofore we paid from $5 to $G for shoeing a span of 

 horses, we now pay from $3 to $4 for shoeing a span. Buena Vista : The price of coal 

 has been reduced from $6.50 to $4.50 per ton ; the community has saved $1,500 this way. 

 Uhrdin: The farmers from this point shipped six car-loads of hogs last fall, realizing 

 about $50 per car-load over what buyers were paying. We are running a warehouse 

 at this place, and have shipped over forty cars of wheat, several of oats, &c. ; i)arties 

 in other points of the county have also shipped considerably. In return for our hogs 

 our agent brought us groceries at a saving of 25 per cent. Sewing-machines are bought 

 by members for $54, whereas the regular price iu the market for the same machine is 

 $90 ; we save from 15 to 40 per cent, on our implements and almost every article we 

 need ; in this locality alone I might safely assert we have saved at least during the past 

 year, $2,980. Flymouth : Some little has been saved, by co-operative effort, in the j)ur- 



