RISE AND DEVELOPMENT 13 



movement. It has undergone varied and widespread 

 development, and is to be found in one form or another 

 in almost every country where organisation has taken root. 

 Everywhere it is regarded as an important means of 

 cheapening cost of production, and hence, also, of giving 

 the associated farmers an initial advantage on the world's 

 markets. 



Live Stock. 



The application of the factory system here in question, 

 and the resort thereto on so extensive a scale by dairy 

 farmers, led to greatly increased importance being paid to 

 the subject of cattle-breeding since it was, of course, most 

 desirable in their own and the general interest that the 

 associated farmers should show a preference for such cows 

 as were likely to give the largest supplies of the richest 

 quality of milk. 



So co-operation went a step further in the formation of 

 new types of agricultural associations which (1) sought to 

 promote a scientific system of cattle-breeding, based on 

 biological laws and the results of heredity ; (2) established 

 breeding syndicates ; and (3) organised a " control " 

 system to keep account of the milk-giving qualities of each 

 cow and enable the farmer to know, from definite data, 

 which animals gave the best results. 



In other words, science was once more adopted in place 

 of rule-of-thumb, while in thus taking advantage of science, 

 both in principle and in practice, the humblest peasant 

 was, thanks to co-operation, placed on a footing equal to 

 that of the most influential of land-owners or the largest 

 of farmers. 



So much was this the case in Denmark that, although 

 peasants initiated the agricultural co-operative societies, 

 landowners and large farmers found it to their own 

 advantage, in various ways, to join them. 



In addition to the co-operative societies in respect to 

 cattle, others were established to improve the breed of pigs, 



