COMBINATION AMONG FARMERS. in 



of such a system were possible. Some farmers are producers 

 on a sufficiently large scale to be able to make practically as 

 good terms as they would be likely to obtain through an associa- 

 tion, while many of the smaller farmers — especially near large 

 centres of population — dispose of their produce direct to the 

 consumers. Nor is it reasonable to suppose that in a country 

 like England the producers of any class of commodities can in 

 every case be their own salesmen and distributors, even by 

 means of co-operation. 



But the Committee nevertheless consider that the associa- 

 tion of producers in particular districts for the joint disposal of 

 certain classes of produce would be in many cases advan- 

 tageous. The advantage appears to be most marked in the 

 case of produce which is subjected to a process of manufac- 

 ture ; as, for example, in the conversion of milk into butter or 

 cheese, in the curing of bacon, or in the making of jam. In 

 such cases there is an obvious economy of labour in dealing 

 with large quantities of produce, and there is no reason, on 

 the face of it, that the benefit of such economy should not be 

 secured by the producers themselves in an association for the 

 purpose, provided they are willing to find the necessary 

 capital. It is further shown by the experience of the Farmers' 

 Auction Mart at Darlington that combination for the sale of 

 stock may be distinctly beneficial, and the same principle has 

 been successfully applied to the sale of milk in bulk — an 

 industry which entails special risks and difficulties upon 

 individuals, and in which also the ordinary distributive 

 agencies are very powerful and apt to be autocratic in their 

 dealings with isolated producers. Such attempts as have been 

 made to co-operate for the disposal of ordinary crops, as, for 

 instance, corn, hay, straw, potatoes, etc., have not as yet 

 been sufficiently long continued to enable any reliable opinion 

 to be formed as to their ultimate success. In the case of 

 small producers — when a number are to be found in one 

 district — the benefits to be derived from co-operation may be 

 considerable. Poultry-keeping in such hands loses much of 

 its benefits without some kind of organisation for collecting eggs 

 or chickens. This is supplied in certain districts, in a rough- 

 and-ready way, by a system of intermediaries generally known 

 as " higglers." This is an industry in which the co-operation 

 of producers might be highly beneficial, and the establishment 

 of poultry-fattening stations on co-operative principles in 

 suitable districts seems a specially hopeful development. 1 



1 Report of a Committee of the Central and Associated Chambers 

 of Agriculture on Co-operation for the sale of Agricultural Produce, 

 May, 1898. 



