No. 4.] FARM HELP PROBLEM. 149 



They must not permit themselves to be longer exploited by 

 middlemen, but should sell the products of their farms di- 

 rectly to the consumers, either individually or through co- 

 operative associations. 



In 1869 General Butler, in an address before the "Worces- 

 ter Agricultural Society, said : " Xo association of men have 

 ever undertaken to aggregate their capital for the purpose of 

 increasing the profits of agriculture. Xo act of incorpora- 

 tion was ever asked or granted by the Legislature to raise 

 corn, or wheat, or potatoes. Therefore it is, that, while every 

 other human pursuit has been aided by association and very 

 largely by legislation, nothing has been or can be done by 

 law specifically to aid the farmer, or generally, except to 

 protect him, his property, his earnings and his rights." 



Since then the farmers of Massachusetts have availed them- 

 selves of the advantages of association by the establishment of 

 co-operative creameries and cheese factories, of neighborhood 

 telephones and milk-producing associations. 



There is a corporation at Greenfield dealing in sheep and 

 cattle ; there is a corporation at Leominster that is raising 

 and selling seed potatoes ; another at Montello engaged in 

 breeding pure-blooded cattle ; and also a successful farmers' 

 mutual fire insurance company. There is a movement on 

 foot to form cow-testing associations among the dairymen of 

 the State, and another for the production and distribution of 

 agricultural products. We should imitate the agricultural 

 and legislative methods of the wise and thrifty Danes, who 

 are now leading the world in progressive and profitable agri- 

 culture. They have learned the necessity and the value of 

 co-operation, and conduct their agricultural affairs on co- 

 operative principles. 



When our agricultural conditions here have been im- 

 proved to such a degree that every well-conducted farm will 

 return a fair profit on its value, then people will abandon 

 other pursuits to engage in farming, and laborers will seek 

 employment on farms in preference to employment else- 

 where ; and then our " farm help problem " of to-day will be 

 ancient historv. 



