Miscellaneous. 



306 



[May 1907, 



ations. Monsieur L'Abbe Bergier, at an agricultural conference held at Nivelles, in 

 1899, stated that " in the founding of agricultural associations, it is prudent to begin 

 with parochial societies which will federate with one another when there is a certain 

 number of them." Wherever agricultural societies have been gradually evolved in 

 what might be called this natural manner, they have met with success : but, where 

 endeavours have been made to foist large organisations upon agricultural commu- 

 nities, such endeavours have seldom met with more than temporary success. As an 

 instance of this may be mentioned the British Produce Supply Association, which 

 was started in 1896, by Lord Winchelsea, to do away with the middleman, and sell 

 the produce of the British farmers direct to the London consumers. One of the 

 principal causes of failure of this Supply Association was that very soon after its 

 inaguration, it was found that the farmers would not forward regular consignments 

 of their produce to headquarters, and that those which were sent in represented only 

 too often their second and third rate qualities— their best having gone to the ordin- 

 ary commission agents or dealers. Commenting on the failure of this Association, 

 Mr. Pratt states that it ivas an ambitious scheme, and one which should have repre- 

 sented the climax rather than the commencement of an agricultural organization. 

 Many of the most powerful agricultural bodies on the Continent have found that, 

 while co-operation for the purpose of production is eminently practical, co-operation 

 solely for the purpose of sale is a very difficult problem, and one fenced with 

 difficulties. 



Denmark is not the only country where the people voluntarily submit to the 

 restrictions placed upon them by their own co-operative societies. In North Holland, 

 the market gardeners have formed themselves into co-operative societies, which are 

 also conducted along extremely practical lines. The goods of the members, before 

 being offered for sale, are inspected by officers, appointed by the co-operative socie. 

 ties for the purpose, and any that are regarded as below the required standard are 

 rejected, Avhile those that are passed are labelled with the registered trade mark of 

 the society. It is also seen that the consignments are of the stated quantity, and 

 that they have been properly packed. The produce thus approved of, is offered for 

 sale, at the society's mart, the auctioneer being generally the president of the local 

 society or banch. 



As an example of what might be done by the farmers in Natal with their 

 meali crops, I may instance the case, stated by Mr. Pratt, of the farmers in Hungary. 

 Experience had taught them that, so long as each relied on his own individual 

 powers in the selling of his corn, he laboured under certain distinct disadvantages. 

 He was specially at the mercy of any " ring " of buyers which might be formed, for 

 they knew that, even if he could afford to keep back his crop for a more favourable 

 market, it was practically impossible for a farmer, located in districts away from 

 the railway, to hold his crop until the winter, because he would not then be able to 

 get it to the railway station owing to the state of the roads. To meet the position 

 thus created, the farmers in a number of districts formed co-operative organizations 

 for the construction of elevators on sidings near the more conveniently situated 

 railway stations, and to these elevators the farmers sent their corn to be stored, the 

 individual lots losing their identity, but representing, on the whole, analogous 

 qualities of grain. By means of these elevators, the available supplies could be kept 

 for a length of time. Not only was the previous difficulty of getting them to the 

 railway station in the winter obviated, but the ultimate collective sale meant the 

 transport of the corn on the railway in bulk, thus effecting a considerable economy 

 as compared with what would have been paid had each farmer sent off his own 

 particular lot as a separate consignment. Financial arrangements were made at the 

 same time by which the farmers obtained advances from the credit banks on the 

 corns they sent to the elevator, and 5 with these advances in hand, they were able to 



