English Agricultural Societies. 



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some day be taken over by the " Forest Supply Association," but 

 the members feel that their society is yet too young to deal 

 with so considerable an enterprise, and, therefore, for the moment 

 the dairy is carried on separately by the " Vicar's Farm," to whom 

 the Vicar of Far Forest has lent the necessary capital on the under- 

 standing that the parent association may at any time take over 

 the dairy business at cost price. It was at first no easy task to 

 get the dwellers in Far Forest even to support this venture so far 

 as to supply milk. The upsetting of the whole system of making 

 butter (in some cases good, in the majority bad) was not popular, 

 but in a remarkably short time they have come to see the advan- 

 tages of selling milk outright at a better price than they could 

 get for their butter, without considering labour, expense of manu- 

 facture and cost of marketing. The milk, therefore, which was 

 once obtained with difficulty, is now being offered freely, its 

 acceptance even pressed, and the small holders are already 

 beginning to buy more cows. The sale of the sterilised milk, 

 too, at first offered great difficulty. Though the milk was put 

 up most attractively shopkeepers looked askance at it. Here 

 again, perseverance and energy have triumphed, and the dairy 

 now disposes of as much sterilised milk as it can at present 

 supply. Changes are, however, being made in the organisation 

 of the dairy which will increase its output considerably. Nor 

 should it be forgotten that the u Vicar's Farm " is trying to im- 

 prove the breeds of poultry. Already, by giving out sittings of 

 eggs, it has enabled every small holding to show fowl runs full 

 of well-bred birds. The people are taking a pride in their 

 produce, their eggs and poultry attract the attention of the 

 neighbours, who in their turn increase and improve their stocks. 

 This may not directly benefit a co-operative society, but it is 

 the result of the co-operative movement — the fulfilment of its 

 mission. There is undoubted truth in the statement that as 

 people begin to adopt new methods they find new requirements. 

 The development which is going on in the Forest has brought 

 with it the knowledge that a water supply is absolutely required. 

 Again co-operation has come in, and it is hoped that water will 

 soon be supplied by the co-operative society which has recently 

 been registered for the purpose. That water is urgently needed 

 will be recognised when I state that people in some cases have 



