CO-OPERATION IN GENERAL 



It is freely admitted by those who have studied Danish agricul- 

 ture that much of its success is due to co-operation. There is not 

 a branch of agriculture it has not touched, and there is not a branch 

 it has touched that has not grown. These figures tell their own 

 tale : — 



200,000 150,000 67,000 65,000 



The turnover of these societies since 1901 has been as follows : — 



1901, . . £12,080,000 



1902, . . £12,890,000 



1903, . . £14,214,000 



The total exports of Denmark proper in 1903 amounted to 

 nearly £20,000,000. Of this, £11,414,000, or 57 per cent., came 

 from co-operative societies. 



Denmark exists mainly for the purpose of supplying butter, 

 bacon and eggs, and it is with these commodities that co-operation 

 has had most to do, though its operations are not confined to them. 

 Let us see what progress has been made in Denmark since the 

 co-operative movement began in connexion with these industries. 



The Creameries 



Take, first, the creameries of Denmark. The first co-operative 

 creamery was started in Jutland in 1882. It should be pointed 

 out that from £1200 to £1500 is required to start a creamery, 

 but that no share capital is subscribed ; the banks or loan com- 

 panies advance all the money, the members, however, pledging 

 themselves to dispose of all their milk through the creamery, and 

 be responsible, jointly and severally, for all its liabilities. The 

 country, in 1882, when the first creamery was started, was pro- 

 ducing something like 57,600,000 bushels of roots, wherewith to 

 feed its farm stock. In 1896 it was producing 155,825,000 bushels 

 of roots. Alongside this increase in the production of roots, there 

 was also, but not anything like so great, an increase in the quantity 

 of grain and hay, which shows that the farmers of Denmark, while 

 changing their crops from cereals to roots to suit their new 

 industries, were also cultivating their land to much better pur- 

 pose than before. Moreover, the increased production of roots 

 gives some indication of the increased dairy stock of Denmark, 



