no AGRICULTURE AND TARIFF REFORM. 



or less beneficial terms by pureliasiug consider- 

 able quantities of tbem and selling the same to 

 their own farmers. Such co-operative associations 

 for " purchase " are increasing ; but there is no 

 reason whatever to suppose that, carried to the 

 fullest extent, they would seriously ameliorate 

 the condition of British farming, resulting, in 

 the main, from low prices. When we come to 

 co-operation for the purposes of " sale," the 

 farmer is met with enormous difficulties, and 

 effort after effort has failed in spite of the most 

 careful and sustained labour. The Committee of the 

 Central and Associated Chambers of Agriculture 

 declared that nothing which came before them led 

 them to believe that the profits of English farmers 

 would be straightway increased by the adoption 

 of any universal system of co-operation, " even 

 supposing that the establishment of such a system 

 were possible." It is well-known that many 

 farmers are purchasers on a sufficiently large scale 

 to be able to make practically as good terms as 

 the}'' would be able to obtain through an associa- 

 tion ; while many of the smaller farmers, 

 especially near large centres of population, dis- 

 pose of their produce direct to the consumers. 

 The committee, however, thought that co-opera- 

 tion for sale might advantageously be adopted in 

 particular districts for particular products; but 

 this is very dift'erent from applying the principle 

 generally to British farming. Were we a nation 

 of small holders, as is Ireland and Denmark, co- 

 operation would be comparatively a very easy 



