CHAPTER XXI 

 IN THE DRAG OF THE HARROWS 



" I see the villain in your face I " 

 " May it plaze yer worship, that must be a 

 personal reflection, sure." 



Irish Wit and Humor (Howe}. 



f I 1 HE " good old days " when the Farmer was a poor 

 sheep without a shepherd, shorn to the pink hide 

 * with one tuft of wool left over his eyes those 

 " good old days " are gone forever. It is some time 

 now since he became convinced that if a lion and a lamb 

 ever did lie down together the lamb would not get a 

 wink of sleep. As a matter of survival he has been 

 making use of the interval to become a lion himself and 

 the process has been productive of a great roaring in 

 the Jungle. 



All this co-operative purchasing of commodities in 

 the three Prairie Provinces has not been developed to 

 its present great volume without arousing antagonism 

 in the business world. The co-operative idea in 

 merchandizing is not confined to the West by any 

 means. From the Atlantic to the Pacific various 

 organizations have been formed to carry on business 

 along co-operative lines. A Co-Operative Union has 

 been formed to propagate the movement and the sub- 

 ject is vast. 



But the establishment of an extending network of 

 elevators under the control of the Western farmers has 



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