CAPITAL AND CO-OPERATION. 341 



What we do in England, however, is noth- 

 ing to what is being done on the Continent. 

 In Denmark, for instance, there is a co- 

 operative dairy in ahnost every parish, besides 

 the thirty-six co-operative bacon factories, the 

 live-stock insurance co-operative organisations, 

 and the egg societies, which export about 

 50,000,000 eggs. Germany can boast of 

 17,000 co-operative societies, and it is said that 

 the agricultural necessities bought through 

 the German credit banks amount to over 

 £4,000,000. Italy, Belgium, Hungary, and 

 France have all made rapid strides in agri- 

 cultural co-operation. Even Finland and 

 distant Siberia are rapidly learning what it is 

 apparently so difficult for the English farmer 

 to learn. 



Of slow growth, agricultural co-operation 

 in England suffers from the disadvantage of 

 dwelling largely only on one phase — co- 

 operative buying. In my opinion co-operative 

 selling, though more difficult, is far more 

 important. The countryman, working often 

 in an isolated and almost secretive way, 

 is suspicious of any one but himself handling 

 his produce. This is curious, considering the 

 trusting way in which he sends his produce 



