THE ORGANIZATION OF RURAL INTERESTS 545 



disposal large quantities of a uniform product, and can sell at 

 the best possible price. 



If the products of a community, such as grain, potatoes, and 

 live stock, can be made uniform by cooperation among the mem- 

 bers of the community in production, and then these larger quan- 

 tities of uniform products can be sold by one man, the same 

 advantages that come to the large farmer, or have come to the 

 dairy industry can be secured in other enterprises on the farm. 



Club Promotes Cooperation 



A farmers' club is the logical forerunner of cooperation. In 

 the first place, it gets the people of a community acquainted 

 and increases the confidence of each in the other. This is abso- 

 lutely essential to successful cooperation. In the second place, 

 it provides a logical means for studying carefully any enterprise 

 that it is proposed to undertake cooperatively, so that impractical 

 undertakings are likely to be avoided. We believe the farmers' 

 club is a vital factor in promoting cooperation for efficiency, 

 because it is not organized to defeat any particular class of 

 people but to study intelligently any problem that may come 

 up, and to take the action necessary to put any plan decided 

 upon into effective operation. 



How to Organize a Club 



The organization of a club is not complicated or difficult. A 

 good way to start the movement is for some one in a community 

 who is interested to invite two or more of his neighbors to meet 

 at his home or some other suitable place. If an interesting 

 program, including singing and speaking by the young people, 

 can be arranged, so much the better. A dinner or supper should 

 be provided, as eating together does more than any other one thing 

 to break down reserve, formality and distrust. It is much 

 easier to carry out a movement of this kind after a good meal 

 has been served. The proposition should be talked over, and it 

 is well if a considerable proportion of those present have dis- 

 cussed the matter beforehand, in private conversation. No one 

 need have any fear of joining the club, because there is no stock 

 sold and no possibility of loss. It is simply a mutual under- 

 standing that the people in the community will take up collect- 



