Co-operation 193 



production itself. In particular, he is unable to make satisfactory use 

 of agricultural machinery. Even if by co-operation he is able to 

 obtain such machinery at a fairly reasonable cost, its necessary 

 expensiveness, especially in the case of the larger machines, will still 

 render its application on a small holding economically impossible. 

 The comparative uniformity in the size of holdings in the western 

 counties would seem to make it not improbable that small and 

 medium holders should co-operate not only in the purchase but also 

 in the use of certain machines, as e.g. the reaper and binder. But 

 so far little has been heard of such procedure. Co-operative use 

 of machinery has however proved easier of attainment where the 

 machines required are not moveable but fixed, as those which serve 

 for butter and cheese-making and for the production of cream. Co- 

 operative steam-dairies enable the small holder to obtain cheaply the 

 benefit of the use of the most perfect cooling-machines, separators, etc. 

 Such dairies can buy the most expensive machines, which, as has 

 been shown, are also the cheapest, and make a profitable use of them ; 

 and the small holder who sends his milk thither obtains a share in 

 the economic advantages of large-scale production such as he could 

 never have as an isolated producer. Where such co-operative dairies 

 have been attempted in England they have proved very successful. 

 That at Brandsby (Yorkshire) has increased its profits year by year. 

 It dealt with 4000 gallons of milk per month in the summer, accord- 

 ing to my information in 1903, and was provided with the most 

 effective machinery for both cheese and butter-making. Here too it 

 was striking to notice that the whole district could show very few 

 large farms. Those of six or seven hundred acres were altogether 

 unknown ; small and medium holdings were the rule. The smallest 

 holding which sent milk to the dairy was one acre in extent ; and 

 the largest was not above 250 acres. So that here again comparative 

 uniformity in the size of holdings may have contributed to the success 

 of the co-operative venture. That such dairies are profitable to the 

 small holder is further proved by the success of steam dairies on 

 a non-co-operative basis. These have arisen where agriculturists 

 have had too little initiative to form co-operative associations, and so 

 have to look on while private capitalists exploit the system which 

 might have brought profits to themselves. This is shown by the 

 history of Lord Fitzhardinge's steam-dairy, which was at one time 

 offered to the farmers using it, in the hope that they would make it 

 a co-operative concern. But at that time they refused the offer. 

 Later on the profits on the business were obviously so great that they 



