THE AGRICULTURAL WHOLESALE 277 



in an old stocking or a tea-pot ; and, on the 

 other hand, it is desired that the comparatively- 

 rich should devote their surplus money to the 

 development of the district in which they live, 

 instead of sending it away for investment in 

 speculations in other countries. Above all, a 

 very substantial addition to the number of these 

 banks, which are doing so much good with such 

 modest resources, may be hoped for. Already 

 there are 150 in the congested districts alone. 

 But to achieve really great results there should 

 be close on 1,000. 



Another outcome of the co-operative move- 

 ment in Ireland is represented by the Irish 

 Agricultural Wholesale Society, Ltd., which 

 was formed in 1897 to supplement the efforts of 

 the existing agricultural societies by obtaining 

 for them and their members all descriptions of 

 agricultural requirements of best quality at the 

 lowest market prices. The Agricultural Whole- 

 sale Society represents, in effect, a federation of 

 the other societies, the idea which led to its 

 formation being that the experts whose services 

 such a federation could secure would be better 

 able to judge of the qualities of fertilizers, seeds, 

 etc., than individual farmers could do, and that 

 the federation would be able to get lower terms 

 for large grouped orders than individual fanners 



