70 THE AGRARIAN CRUSADE 



be sold to Patrons at very low prices. They went 

 about the country buying patents for all sorts of 

 farm implements, but not always making sure of 

 the worth of the machinery or the validity of the 

 patents. In Kansas, Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin, 

 Illinois, Indiana, and Kentucky, they planned fac- 

 tories to make harvesters, plows, wagons, sewing- 

 machines, threshing-machines, and all sorts of farm 

 implements. Then came the crash. The Iowa 

 harvester factory failed in 1875 and bankrupted the 

 state Grange. Other failures followed; suits for 

 patent infringements were brought against some of 

 the factories ; local Granges disbanded for fear they 

 might be held responsible for the debts incurred; 

 and in the Northwest, where the activity had been 

 the greatest, the order almost disappeared. 



Although the Grange had a mushroom growth, 

 it nevertheless exerted a real and enduring influ- 

 ence upon farmers both as individuals and as mem- 

 bers of a class. Even the experiments in coopera- 

 tion, disastrous though they were in the end, were 

 not without useful results. While they lasted they 

 undoubtedly effected a considerable saving for the 

 farmers. As Grange agents or as stockholders in 

 cooperative stores or Grange factories, many farm- 

 ers gained valuable business experience which 



