CHAPTER XXVII 



RETAIL COOPERATION 



COOPERATION in buying supplies at wholesale, in 

 standardizing and shipping crops, in keeping grain in eleva- 

 tors, and fruit and some meats and poultry in cold storage 

 has reached a high development among the farmers largely 

 in the Northwest, much ahead of us "city folks." 



There are more than five thousand active Farmers' Co- 

 operation Associations in the United States. Minnesota 

 alone has over six hundred cooperative creameries, some of 

 which have a laundry annex. The associations have six 

 hundred and sixty thousand members and do a business of 

 nearly a thousand dollars a year for each member. These 

 are the people that we call "hayseeds"; if we could plant 

 some more such "seeds," it would be a good job. But in 

 cooperative retail domestic supply we are far behind England 

 and other countries, even behind Russia. That is partly 

 because our better retail business methods leave less room 

 for the savings. 



A simple and easy but important beginning of cooperation 

 was where each one took turns in delivering the milk and 

 fetching supplies. One farmer might do it all every day for 

 a small charge. 



The new South is developing a great business in this line. 

 When you go to New Orleans look up the stores whose letter 

 head reads: 



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