INTERNATIONAL CONSOLIDATION 225 



writers on agricultural economics. Therefore, a few explana- 

 tions of this economic principle as applied to the field of 

 agriculture, would be, not only appropriate, but even nec- 

 essary. 

 There are three kinds of cooperation in agriculture, namely : 



(1) Cooperation in agricultural production, 



(2) Cooperation in direct purchasing by the agricultural 

 producers of the articles desired by themselves and members 

 of their families, and 



(3) Cooperation in distribution of agricultural products, 

 t. i., in the marketing of the same. 



Of these three kinds, or rather phases of agricultural co- 

 operation, the first has been tried the most, and consequently 

 is known the best. The greatest majority of cooperative 

 communities, established in the United States in the second 

 part of the last century have been representatives of coopera- 

 tion in agricultural production. As long, however, as modern 

 system of distribution of agricultural products exists, as long 

 as by organized forces of exploitation, concentrated on dis- 

 tributive side of agricultural industry, the agricultural pro- 

 ducer is deprived of almost all results of his labor and 

 driven invariably and inevitably to the point of mere sub- 

 sistence, no improvement in agricultural production, coopera- 

 tion in the same not excepted, can ameliorate the condition 

 of the farmer of the civilized world. This is the very cause 

 of the failure of almost all cooperative communities, usually 

 established by the most enlightened and progressive thinkers 

 of the age, in the United States as well as in the old world. 

 No matter how much increases the agricultural production, 

 almost nothing of this is left to the producer by the vicious 

 and criminal system of modern agricultural distribution. 



Cooperation in direct purchasing by the agricultural pro- 

 ducers of articles desired by themselves and members of their 

 families, entirely eliminating middlemen of all kinds and 

 criptions, constituted the first aim, and paramount object 

 of existence and activity of the National Grange. It is known 

 that in 1876, the Grangers owned five steamboat lines, thirty- 

 two elevators, and twenty-two warehouses. Of all these very 



tensive financial and commercial transactions of the Grange 



