122 



an agent from their uuiuber, andbe'sold 1,000 bushels of coru at 40 cents, instead of 35 

 cents, that others who sold individually were receiving at the time. We are in 

 an extremely flourishing condition, and possess some of the best natural advantages 

 in the State — good streams and heavy belts of timber affording excellent protection to 

 stock. Neosho: An effort is being made by the grangers to. purchase one of the best 

 flouring-mills in the country. leafier: A saving of 25 per cent, on farm-implements. 

 Doniphan: The greatest benefit derived thus far from granges and farmers' unions 

 is the organized determination to improve upon the»prcscnt system of agriculture, and 

 to resist all extravagant and useless expenditure that bear so heavily upou the farmer. 

 But when we see the laige number of acres on most farms growing to weeds year after 

 year, with heavy expense of tax and fencing, the useless waste of animal food that 

 should have been utilized, the vast quantity of farm-implements and machiuery rust- 

 ing and rotting on the ground, and then consider that uuich of this had been purchased 

 with borrowed money, at ruinous rates of interest, the problem seems very plain. 

 Douglas : The most good accomplished by the granges has been a toning down in the 

 prices of all sorts of goods, and a large amount of money thus saved. Franklin : It is 

 estimated that during the last year at least $5,000 were saved by purchasing farm- 

 implements and machiuery through the influence of the Patrons of Husbandry in this 

 counfrj\ 



Np:i5UASKA. — Merrick: The Grangers are doing away with quite a number of 

 middle men ; they are really purchasing all their supplies at an average of 15 per 

 cent, cheaper than outsiders. Hall : About $1,000 saved in the purchasing of trees ; 

 ■blacksmithiug has been reduced :?0 per cent ; hardware, 10 per cent. ; groceries, 5 per 

 cent. ; we have also been able to obtain increased prices for our produce. Otoe : So 

 far as it has been tested, co-operation baa been of great advantage to the farmer, both 

 in saving the profits realized by the middle men in the sale of farm products, and also 

 those which are realized by agents in the purchase of farm machinery and implements, 

 as well as instruments and utensils for household use. Cass : Farmers claim they saved 

 from 20 to 30 per cent. ; merchants are beginning to give us better terms on staple 

 goods. Nemaha : At least $5,500 was saved by the farmers holding 6n to their hogs and 

 thus forcing si^eculators to come to their terms. 



Califop.kia. — Alameda: The co-operative movement as yet has not amounted to 

 what many had anticipated either in this county or State, and it is a mooted problem 

 whether, for the present, much advantage will grow out of the movement, particularly 

 in the handling of the grain-crop on this coast, which has to find a foreign market. 

 The "wheat ring" of this State controls eight-tenths of the capital that can be ob- 

 tained to handle the grain-crops of the Paciiic coast. Through their agents in Europe, 

 Australia, and other foreign countries, they are and have been chartering ships six and 

 eighteen months in advance, and should a straj^ ship come into our ports, they will 

 Ibid the charter so high as to forbid all competition. Stanislaus: The little co- 

 operation we have had here has certainly had the effect of sustaining the price 

 of wheat and kept the speculators from realizing the large gains they have hith- 

 erto enjoyed. A few farmers joined in erecting a large warehouse in the city 

 of Stockton and receiving on storage, at a low figure, hundreds of tons of wheat, and 

 those in need of funds to pay debts or expenses pledged their warehouse receipts to 

 moneyed men at a low rate of interest, thus obviating the necessity of crowding their 

 products upon the market and depressing the prices. Thousands of dollars were thus 

 saved to those who took advantage of the measure. 



Oregon. — Lane: Merchants are reducing the price of farm-implements and other 

 things, so there will not be much difference when the co-operative measures will be 

 introduced. Douglas : Through the State agent at Portland we can imrchase farm-ma- 

 chinery at a reduction of 15 to 35 per cent, less than formerly. 



Teeritoeies. — Washington. — Walla-JValla: The co-operative system of buying and 

 selling has not been sufficiently tested yet in this county. We have already several good 

 flour-mills in operation, tme woolen-factory, and are now getting ready to establish a 

 manufactoi'y for manufacturing sugar from beets. 



Utah. — Box Elder: From wool raised in this county, mixed with a little cot- 

 ton-yarn, there has been manufactured, by the aid of machinery, nearly suffi- 

 cient cloth to supply all the people of the county in that line, but some has 

 been sold to the neighboring county, and the hides have been manufactured into 

 leather, which our shoemakers have made into boots and shoes. All this has been 

 done by co-operative system, represented by a large number of farmers, who have 

 saved thousands of dollars to the county. Salt Lake: Our co-operative system 

 during the past year has been very discouraging, chiefly through mismanagement, 

 though other and more deplorable causes have contributed largely to the disaster be- 

 falling an association established under most favorable auspices, and heretofore yield- 

 Eg fair and satisfactory dividends. Fdeh : We co-operate in fencing our fields, and 

 thus save time and means, and also, to some extent, in purchasing supplies, but none 

 in selling. We have now three flour-mills, five saw-mills running, three more in course 

 of erection.— jrcfccr: Through co-operative efibit the following shipments of products 



