Part II.] CO-OPERATIVE DAIRYING. 157 



sumer. Conditions which have obtained under the leased car 

 system of transportation, and the old rate system, made it 

 more economical for the contractors to divide territory rather 

 than compete with one another in the same territory. There- 

 fore, except in some of the larger dairy centers of New England, 

 dairymen have but one contractor doing business in a single 

 city to whom to sell their product. 



I have nothing to say against the milk contractors. There 

 are all kinds of men in the business, ranging from good to bad, 

 just the same as there are in farming. I do say, however, that 

 it is not sound economics or sound business for a great indus- 

 try like dairying to be absolutely dependent upon one set of 

 middlemen to move dairy products from the farm to the 

 market, with the ability to fix the price, as is now the case. 

 The time has come for the dairymen of New England to formu- 

 late a declaration of independence, and to take such steps as 

 will make that declaration mean something. 



What are we going to do? The day has gone by when the 

 product of the individual dairyman, unless he be doing a very 

 large business, can make an impression in the city market. 

 This is a time of big business in agriculture, just the same as 

 in other lines. The small farmer may be the most efficient 

 producer, but he will lose out in marketing his product unless 

 he combines his product with his neighbors, so that a market- 

 able volume of a standard product may be assembled and 

 offered for sale. Co-operation among farmers, difficult as it is 

 to bring about in New England, is a necessary step before we 

 can improve conditions. 



The necessity for co-operation seems now to be pretty 

 generally conceded. Where shall co-operation begin, what shall 

 be the work of the organization, and how shall one community 

 link itself to other communities are fundamental questions 

 pressing for wise solutions at this time. Co-operation, in my 

 opinion, should begin in the local community, among dairymen 

 who have a similar problem, — viz., to obtain the highest pos- 

 sible price for dairy products. The program should include not 

 only the collective bargaining through a board of directors for 

 the highest possible price, but also the production of fine- 

 quality products on the farms of its members, and the hauling 



