184 BRANDSBY SHOWS THE WAY 



a dairy one, and it was, therefore, especially difficult to 

 get the farmers to take any interest in the movement. 

 The view of Mr. Fairfax-Cholmeley, however, was that, 

 if they could once be won over to feel interest in any 

 co-operative enterprise of their own, they would be 

 familiarized with general principles and methods, and 

 good results might be expected to follow. 



When, subsequently, the Agricultural Organization 

 Society (with which the Brandsby movement became 

 affiliated) got into active operation, local societies began 

 to spring up in different parts of the country, and the 

 general advance then encouraged the Brandsby Dairy 

 Association to engage a manager from Ireland, and 

 undertake both the purchase of requirements for farmers 

 and the sale of their produce. Great difficulty was 

 experienced at first in persuading any traders in 

 agricultural requisites to give the association trade 

 terms. The idea of co-operation was still comparatively 

 new, and the members of the association were regarded 

 by the wholesale houses as mere amateurs. But, as 

 the movement spread more and more, and the local 

 trade in various commodities increased, it became 

 obvious that the association would have to be taken 

 seriously, and firms which had formerly declined to 

 accept orders now began to solicit them. 



The principles on which the Brandsby society acted 

 in regard to co-operative purchase were thus explained 

 to me by Mr. Fairfax-Cholmeley: 



When we began the purchase of farm requirements we con- 

 centrated our attention on the feeding-cake trade. Farmers in the 

 district had been in the habit of buying their linseed and cotton 

 cakes without very much knowledge of the way to test their value. 

 Linseed cake, sold as ' 95 per cent, pure,' with the name of the 

 merchant stamped on it, was taken very much on faith, with such 

 rough tests as appearance or taste. A definite guarantee of the 

 amount of oil and albuminoids contained was not considered, and 

 was rarely given by the vendor. Hence, the comparative value of 



