ORGANIZATION 129 



ifornia have developed an enormous cooperative busi- 

 ness. All the other producing groups should get to- 

 gether in similar fashion the wheat growers, the cot- 

 ton growers, the corn growers, the butter makers, the 

 market milk producers, and all the rest. 



What are the main advantages of organizing sub- 

 industries? 



1. It enables the growers to standardize the methods 

 of production. There is a premium put upon intensive 

 study and experiment on the part of producers them- 

 selves. The principles worked out by scientific investi- 

 gators and the experience of other producers gradually 

 coalesce in skillful management. Good farmers will 

 always make the best effort, but if each man depends 

 upon himself alone, the chances are that he will never 

 get the best results. 



2. Collective bargaining either in buying or in sell- 

 ing is practically impossible except by those who have 

 identical industrial interests, that is, by those who have 

 the same things to sell. They can pack them in the 

 same way and give them a trade mark. 



3. Protection of farmers, whether through insurance 

 or protective legislation, is best gained when the com- 

 bined efforts of those who have similar needs are pooled 

 for the same purpose. Groups of producers of sim- 

 ilar products, as a rule, have similar problems. 



4. The educational possibilities in this type of organ- 

 ization are exceedingly important. Education is a pub- 

 lic function, but unless the work of the schools and col- 

 leges is supplemented by the self-education of the 

 farmer, the public money devoted to education is only 

 partly justified. A group of individuals interested in 

 the same business can study all phases of the business 

 much better than any one individual can do it. More- 



