4 AGRICULTURAL ORGANISATION 



No one would deny that very useful work has been done 

 by these older types of organisation ; yet their limitations 

 are no less obvious. The organisations here in question 

 have sought to promote the welfare of agriculture rather 

 than to meet the needs of individual agriculturists. They 

 have told, or shown, the farmer what to produce ; but 

 they have mostly left him to his own resources both in 

 raising the ways and means by which he can act on their 

 guidance and in disposing of his supplies to advantage 

 when he has got them ready for the market. They have 

 helped him greatly in the science of agriculture, but very 

 little in the business of agriculture. 



Hence there arose the need that the older type of 

 societies, while left to continue their own valuable work, 

 should be supplemented by a newer type which would 

 (i) popularise the agricultural science the older societies 

 were promoting ; (2) open out to the producer greater 

 opportunities for raising his supplies to advantage ; and 

 (3) organise his business for him on such lines that he 

 would be assured a better return therefrom than if he 

 were left to his own individual resources. 



Thus between the old movement and the new movement 

 there should be no fear of friction. To a certain extent 

 the former has prepared the way for the latter ; but the 

 one is, even to-day, quite as necessary as the other, and the 

 two should be able to work together in perfect harmony. 



To the bringing about of this newer movement, based, 

 not alone on sound economic, but also on co-operative, 

 principles, many different causes have contributed ; and 

 for a clear understanding of the whole position it is neces- 

 sary that these should be taken into consideration. 



Agricultural Credit. 



The beginnings of the agricultural organisation move- 

 ment of to-day are to be found in the initiation, in Germany, 

 of a system of agricultural credit in the special interest of 

 small producers. 



