SOME farmers' <)K(iANIZATI()XS. 293 



the club to pass out of existence. When this does not hapi)en 

 it is usually because some one provides work to do in wljich 

 the club is interested. Some local improvement or business 

 organization fostered and promoted by a club will maintain 

 interest. There are some working clubs. They are more apt 

 than secret societies to provide "club rooms" for their mem- 

 bers, where agricultural books and papers can be found for 

 reference, and where farmers' wives and daughters can rest 

 and "freshen up" after a dusty ride to town. Where a reve- 

 nue can be had for the purpose — and it takes very little — the 

 club is likely to become a valuable center of influence. It is 

 a valuable form of organization, doubtless capable of accom- 

 plishing anything which a friendly society can accomplish, 

 but, considering the notions of mankind, and especially farm- 

 ers, perhaps not so likely to do so. It will depend upon the 

 community, but I think there are many more rural commu- 

 nities that can permanently sustain a Grange or an Alliance 

 than will be found to keep up an effective farmers' club. 



The foregoing covers the forms of farmers' organizations 

 other than those for actually transacting business, that are 

 most common in the United States. Business organizations of 

 farmers include marketing societies, cooperative creameries, 

 irrigating companies, and doubtless other business organiza- 

 tions* which have not come under my observation. The 

 principles which should govern the formation and manage- 

 ment of these companies have been suflSciently discussed in 

 the preceding chapters of this book. 



*In 1898 the U. S. Department of Agriculture undertook to get a list of 

 cooperative societies of farmers in the United States. The list has not been 

 published, as I write, but I collected the data for the State of California, and, 

 excluding those which gave no promise of permanence, I reported seventy irri- 

 gating companies, thirty-two marketing societies, three milling companies, four 

 tire insurance companies, and t«n organized for other purposes. A large num- 

 ber ©f cooperative creameries have been organized in the state, but it was not 

 found possible, except by a personal visit to each one, to determine how many 

 were still adhering to the cooperative plan. The list of societies reported 

 was incomplete, and of the marketing societies reported two were central organ- 

 izations representing twelve or fifteen local societies, all of considerable mag- 

 nitude. At the present time there are about fifty marketing societies in opera- 

 tion in California. 



