Farmers' Co-operative Societies 



39 



Farmers' Association, the price of manures has been 

 considerably reduced, and that consequently thousands of 

 pounds have been saved by the members, and by others con- 

 nected with the cultivation of land within the sphere of the 

 association's operations. 



A few other Farmers' Supply Associations exist in various 

 parts of Great Britain, but most of them differ from the Lin- 

 colnshire Association in the sense that they are run as large 

 stores or companies with considerable share capital upon 

 which dividends are paid. 



In addition to these large associations, there are to be found, 

 here and there, in some of the western counties of England, 

 local manure clubs working on a small scale on the lines of 

 the Lincolnshire A ssociation ; and a number of analytical 

 societies of the same type exist in Scotland. But the 

 benefits to be gained from the formation of societies of this 

 class have not yet been recognised by the great body of 

 occupiers of small holdings and allotments south of the 

 Tweed, amongst whom there is a great scope for all forms 

 of co-operation. 



The task of organising co-operative associations of small 

 farmers in Great Britain has been recently taken up by the 

 Agricultural Organisation Society, which has been founded for 

 the same purpose as the kindred society in Ireland. The 

 objects of this society, as stated in their report, are to secure 

 the co-operation " of all connected with the land, whether as 

 owners, occupiers, or labourers, and to promote the formation 

 of agricultural co-operative societies for the purchase of 

 requisites, for the sale of produce, for agricultural credit, 

 banking and insurance, and for all other forms of co-opera- 

 tion for the benefit of agriculture." The society carries on 

 its work by sending organisers to address meetings and to 

 give advice as to the proper course to be pursued in the 

 formation of local societies ; by providing model rules for such 

 local societies ; and by publishing leaflets from time to time 

 dealing with the various forms of agricultural co-opera- 

 tion. The local societies affiliated to this central organising 

 agency already number 32, including 24 co-operative agricul- 

 tural trading societies or joint purchase associations ; six 



