SOME farmers' organizations. 285 



since the number of farmers' purchasing organizations in 

 France was said to exceed six thousand. A year or two later 

 they were reported to have greatly fallen off in number. 

 In northern Europe the farmers' organizations are mainly 

 connected with dairying. In Germany their most prominent 

 form seems to have been that of associations — not comj)Osed 

 entirely of farmers — for borrowing money at low rates. In all 

 these countries the governments exercise some control. In Ire- 

 land, cooperation among the peasantry is being systematically 

 promoted by altruistic methods. In England there have been 

 similar efforts less successful. These general statements may 

 give some idea of the manner in which similar causes are 

 everywhere tending to produce similar results. While few 

 reliable statistics — official or unofhcial — are attainable, it is 

 possible for all governments, when taking a census, to ascer- 

 tain the volume of cooperative business done, and the total 

 membership of farmers' societies. A comparison of the figures 

 with those of the same schedule of the following census would 

 show very clearly the trend of rural society. 



The organization of farmers in the United States has pro- 

 ceeded upon lines peculiar to this country. Its most promi- 

 nent feature has been the use of the fraternal principle in the 

 organization of friendly societies, usually having a secret ritual, 

 and invariably, I think, open to men, women, and youths. 



Of these societies the oldest and most influential is the 

 secret* order of Patrons of Husbandry, commonly known as 

 the "Grange." This society, so far as I know, was the first 

 society of farmers to be planned and organized on a national 

 scale, as it was also the first secret society to admit women to 

 full membership upon equal terms with men. It was organ- 

 ized, in 1866, by conservative men, of broad views, for the 



* Secret mainly in the sense that it has a secret ritual, not guarded with 

 much care, and " passwords " changed at regular intervals. There is an eco- 

 nomic reason for this in that it is practically tiie only method by which the 

 trifling dues required for little expenses can be regularly collected. The same 

 may be said of other farmers' so-called secret societies. It may be proper to 

 say that I am a member of the Grange, and for a short time belonged to the 

 Farmers' Alliance. 



