78 CO-OPERATION IN DANISH AGRICULTURE 



the country. The next official inquiry was in 1909,^ Between 

 1903 and 1909 the co-operative movement in the production of 

 butter and bacon had made great strides. Not so in the egg 

 trade. In 1909 18*2 per cent, of Danish farms with 26*7 per 

 cent, of the poultry took part in the co-operative egg trade, or 

 a smaller portion even than in 1903. In 1914 the number of 

 farms in connection with co-operative egg collecting was further 

 reduced. While co-operation in making butter and bacon was 

 much more common among the middle-sized farms than among 

 the smallest and largest farms, participation in the co-operative 

 egg trade was fairly evenly distributed among farms of all sizes. 



But the reform effected by the co-operative principles intro- 

 duced by the D.A.CE. has benefited all Danish egg producers. 

 The annual average price paid to the farmers who deUvered 

 their eggs to the D.A.CE. was in 1895 5*1 pence per lb., in 1900 

 5-5, in 1905 5*8, in 1910 6-1, and in 1913 6*9 pence per lb., and 

 similar prices were paid also to other farmers. This has had 

 the effect of largely increasing the stock of poultry. The ' 

 number of fowls in Denmark was, in 1893, 5,900,000, in 1903, 

 11,600,000, and in 1914, 15,100,000.2 



The constitution of this Co-operative Society differs some- 

 what from the usual type. The Society consists of local egg- 

 collecting branches ; the bye-laws of the local branch, which 

 must have at least ten members, must conform to those of the 

 Central Society" and must, for instance, contain provisions 

 making it obligatory for members to deliver all the fresh eggs 

 produced, except those reserved for consumption in the house- 

 hold ; to collect the eggs daily from the nests and to deliver 

 them weekly ; never to deliver eggs which are more than seven 

 days old ; the eggs must be stamped with the number of the 

 local branch and of the individual member ; the members must 

 agree to pay a fine of 5s. (jcL if found to have dehvered kept or 

 bad eggs. If these conditions are fulfilled the committee of the 

 local society or branch can apply for membership in the Central 

 Society, the D.A.Qil. The bye-laws of the D.A.CE. are binding 



1 Statist. Meddcklsor, 4 Rcekke, 3G Bd. 4 Hceftc, "Deltagelsen i Landbrugets 

 Andelsvirksomhcd, 1909," publ. 1911. 



» Statist. Tabelvoerk, 4 Roekke Litr. C. No. 8, 1894 ; Statist. Meddelelser, 4 

 RoBkke, 47 Bind. 2 Hoefte, 1915. • 



