ECONOMIC SOLUTIONS 115 



two to ten cents a dozen above the re^ilar price by doing 

 so. A farmer had a fairly good two-acre orchard from 

 which he received about $75,00 a year for his fruit. 

 A co-operative society was formed in the neighborhood 

 in 1906. He joined it for the purpose of setting an 

 example rather than for any particular good that he 

 thought he would receive at the hands of the Associa- 

 tion. But improving influences were at work, and 

 year by year this improvement was measured by his 

 returns. In 1911 the same man with the same orchard 

 and practically the same number of trees received 

 $432.00 for his apples. The co-operative packing, 

 under positive guarantee, of the apples of British 

 Columbia has gained for them a market and fame. The 

 St. Catharines Cold Storage and Forwarding Company 

 is an example of what can be done in the shipping of 

 produce. Their distributions have grown from a few 

 hundred dollars in the first year to $90,000 in 1911, 

 and upon this it is safe to say that there has been a sav- 

 ing of between $10,000 and $20,000 in the year to the 

 farmers. The company is co-operative. The Canadian 

 Seed-Growers' Association is a fine example of the im- 

 provement of the conditions of an industry possible 

 under co-operation. 



Sir nr>race Plunkett, one of the ablest of the writers 

 who have discussed on its economic side the farm ques- 

 tion as it exists in the United States, regards this as the 

 first essential in meeting the problem: "The Country 

 Life movement deals with what is probably the most 

 important problem before the English-speaking peoples 

 at this time. Now the predominance of the towns, 

 which is df'prcssing the country, is based partly on a 

 fuller application of modern f)hysiral scienrc, partly on 



