1038 
7 he  RURAL  NEW-YORKER 
necessary  as  In  the  conduct  of  any  business.  It 
should  not  be  difficult  to  agree  conclusively  that 
adequate  working  capital  and  credit  go  hand  in 
hand  with  loyalty  among  members.  The  need  for 
subscribing  working  capital  either  in  the  form  of 
cash  or  credit  has  cooled  the  enthusiasm  of  many 
an  otherwise  earnest  advocate  of  co-operation 
among  farmers.  Where  an  association  is  created  to 
purchase  supplies  it  is  at  once  obvious  that  more 
capital  is  required  to  handle  the  business  than  would 
be  the  case  where  commodities  are  pooled  to  be 
graded  and  sold,  for  in  the  latter  case  as  soon  as 
the  commodity  is  assembled  and  warehoused,  it  can 
be  used  as  collateral  upon  which  to  procure  loans 
from  banks  to  pay  current  expenses.  But  where 
supplies  have  to  be  purchased  in  advance  of 
distribution,  and  frequently  before  the  pooled 
orders  are  assembled,  both  cash  and  credit  become 
altogether  essential.  Adequate  capitalization  is  ob¬ 
viously  necessary. 
WEAKENING  TIIE  ORGANIZATION.— A  most 
unreasonable  practice  is  that  where  a  member  (?) 
will  purchase  his  supplies,  or  sell  his  product  outside 
of  the  agency  of  his  co-operative,  temporarily  at 
least,  on  the  excuse  that  he  can  purchase  or  sell  to 
what  appears  to  him  a  few  cents  personal  advantage. 
This  short-sighted  practice  will  result  in  the  weak¬ 
ening  of  any  co-operative  movement.  Following 
the  point  that  adequate  working  capital  is  necessary, 
a  successful  co-operative  must  also  be  assured  vol¬ 
ume  of  business  to  be  handled.  A  co-operative  can 
effect  certain  economies  in  purchasing  and  selling 
only  by  handling  large  volume,  and  where  the  in¬ 
dividuals  withhold  their  orders,  or  sell  through 
competitive  agencies,  they  directly  weaken  the  posi¬ 
tion  of  their  co-operative  agency.  Unless  a  mem¬ 
ber  deals  through  his  agency  how  can  he  expect  it 
to  compete  with  private  agencies?  Here  again  we 
see  the  need  of  some  definite  form  of  agreement  to 
be  entered  into  only  by  those  who  earnestly  desire 
to  help  one  another  and  themselves. 
UNDUE  EXPENSE.— There  is  no  denying  the 
fact  that  some  co-operative  undertakings  have  in¬ 
curred  overhead  and  operating  expenses  beyond  the 
dictates  of  reason  or  the  merits  of  the  case.  This 
state  of  affairs,  in  some  instances,  was  inevitable  in 
the  accumulation  of  experience,  but  examples  of 
this  kind  are  not  more  numerous  among  co-opera¬ 
tives  than  among  similar  private  commercial  under¬ 
takings.  Boards  of  directors  have  learned  to  exer¬ 
cise  greater  oversight  of  the  business  of  their  asso¬ 
ciations,  at  least  along  the  line  of  determining  poli¬ 
cies.  They  have  learned,  or  should  now  be  con¬ 
vinced  of  the  wisdom  of  not  spending  money  or  in¬ 
curring  expenses  until  legitimate  funds  for  that 
purpose  are  actually  available.  In  the  continued 
absence  of  greater  definiteness  concerning  the  vol¬ 
ume  of  business  to  be  handled,  it  is  very  difficult 
for  the  officers  to  see  clearly  ahead,  and  be  able  to 
anticipate  and  wisely  budget  the  expenditures  for 
the  current  year.  The  same  degree  of  rigid  economy 
in  the  management  of  a  co-operative  should  be  ex¬ 
ercised  as  in  the  conduct  of  a  private  business  op¬ 
erated  for  profit. 
PERSONAL  CONTACT  NEEDED.— The  distance 
that  the  individual  member  resides  from  the  center 
of  activities  of  his  co-operative  association  is  un¬ 
doubtedly  a  serious  handicap,  for  personal  contact 
has  its  great  value  in  keeping  the  members  in  touch 
with  affairs.  Apparently  the  best  solution  for  this 
is  for  the  continued  development  of  local  units 
through  which  the  members  exercise  their  repre¬ 
sentation  and  pool  their  business.  The  indifferent 
attitude  of  some  members  in  the  exercise  of  their 
rights  is  to  be  deplored.  The  co-operative  move¬ 
ment  will  be  as  strong  and  successful  as  the  in¬ 
dividual  members  make  it. 
CONCLUSIONS. — To  go  further  into  the  various 
phases,  and  the  pros  and  cons  of  the  responsibilities 
of  the  individual  members  to  one  another  in  de¬ 
veloping  co-operative  purchasing  and  selling  asso¬ 
ciations,  would  only  serve  to  lengthen  the  discus¬ 
sion  and  would  in  no  degree  shift  the  burden  of  re¬ 
sponsibility  from  the  shoulders  of  the  individuals 
who  seek  through  this  agency  to  derive  greater  grati¬ 
fication  from  their  labor.  Co-operative  buying  and 
selling  is  of  direct  concern  to  those  who  have  faith 
in  the  principles,  and  courage  in  their  ability  to  or¬ 
ganize  and  direct  the  movement.  There  is  no  place 
for  the  chronic  kicker  or  the  doubting  Thomas  who, 
“waiting  to  see  how  it  comes- out,”  is  at  once  more 
of  a  drag  than  a  help  to  co-operation  among  farm¬ 
ers.  Brieliy  summarized  therefore  some  of  the  con¬ 
clusions  that  we  can  draAv  today  from  the  past  10 
years  of  experience,  as  affecting  directly  the  future 
success  of  the  co-operative  movement  are: 
1.  Loyalty  and  dependability  between  those  who 
desire  to  participate. 
2.  Adequate  capital  and  credit. 
3.  Volume  of  business. 
4.  Binding,  enforceable  contracts. 
5.  Active  local  units.  f.  e.  Robertson. 
Wild  Seedlings  Poor  Stock 
MAY  I  add  a  little  to  the  discussion  of  wild  apple 
seedlings  on  page  966?  I  have  tried  to  use 
hundreds  of  pasture  seedlings,  but  have  scarcely 
one  strictly  first-class  bearing  tree  to  show  for  my 
pains.  In  the  first  place,  such  stock  is  poor.  The 
seedlings  themselves  are  mostly  from  wild  fruit.  The 
growth  is  often  gnarled,  thorny  and  bushy  by  nature, 
and  the  wood  cross-grained  texture  that  does  not 
graft  well,  nor  unite  closely  with  the  scion.  Many 
grafts  die  or  blow  off  within  a  few  years.  Very  sel¬ 
dom  does  a  handsome,  sightly  tree  result.  Even  roots 
may  be  poor,  because  of  early  competition  with  other 
pasture  growth.  Stock  seedlings,  as  well  as  a  scion, 
should  have  pedigree  back  of  it.  Seedlings  from  va¬ 
rieties  like  Spy,  Baldwin  or  Ben  Davis  show  their 
thrifty,  clean-growing  parentage  when  grafted  or 
budded.  A  commercial  fruit  grower  or  farmer 
would  better  confine  his  efforts  to  making  over  his 
trees  of  undesirable  varieties,  or  to«grafting  sprouts 
"I  I  is  hat  is  in  the  ring.”  This  is  little  Robert  Oldro 
of  Chautauqua  County,  N.  Y.  Eleven  months  old  and 
already  a  farmer  !  The  best  crop  any  farm  can  produce. 
from  trees  that  die  to  below  the  original  graft  or 
bud. 
Ungrafted  seedlings  of  good  quality  can  be  had 
from  nurserymen,  ‘but  I  have  not  found  that  they 
repay  the  bother  and  delay,  even  if  the  orchardist 
is  handy  at  thudding  and  grafting.  I  have  used 
homemade  trees  chiefly  for  replacements,  as,  being 
right  at  hand,  they  can  be  moved  when  quite  large 
and  put  into  atpartly  grown  orchard. 
Good  grafted  trees  can  be  bought  cheaply  from 
wholesale  nurserymen  if  one  does  a  little  shopping. 
Many  such  concerns  have  surplus  stock  of  some  va¬ 
rieties  and  sizes.  By  writing  to  a  dozen  of  them,  ask¬ 
ing  for  offers  on  larger  quantities,  it  is  often  pos¬ 
sible  to  get  whatever  is  needed  at  very  low  prices. 
Hundreds  of  my  trees,  as  good  as  any,  cost  me  from 
3c  to  Sc  each  in  times  before  the  war.  I  bought  by 
the  thousand,  and  neighbors  took  what  I  didn’t  need. 
An  orchardist  cannot  compete  with  nurserymen, 
especially  if  he  buys  at  lowest  prices.  G.  b.  f. 
Life  in  the  New  York  Hill  Country 
I  HAVE  a  neighbor  who  owns  211  acres  of  fine 
valley,  mostly  plow  land.  He  has  raised  five 
boys  and  three  girls,  and  he  with  his  wife  is  de¬ 
serted,  except  a  couple  of  small  grandchildren 
which  one  of  the  girls  leaves  with  them.  Recently 
I  saw  him  driving  a  team  and  leading  another,  try¬ 
ing  to  get  in  some  stuff,  and  he  is  a  man  well  past 
60.  Around  me  there  are  six  big  farms  and  as 
many  small  places  abandoned  and  going  back  to 
nature.  Usually  some  one  lives  on  them  or  they 
produce  a  little  hay  and  buckwheat,  but  this  season 
was  too  dry,  and  there  will  be  little  output,  though 
this  is  a  fine  farming  country.  Over  the  hills  it  is 
worse.  Many  men  have  gone  to  town,  and  others 
August  11,  1923 
are  working  their  teams  on  the  highways,  leaving 
good  farms  idle. 
Personally  I  get  by  fairly  well.  I  have  150  acres 
of  good  land,  all  of  which,  except  40  acres  mostly 
Alfalfa,  is  fenced  in  big  pastures  whex-e  about  100 
sheep  and  half  a  dozen  cows  luxuriate.  Just  now 
I  am  working  desperately  to  get  some  in  the  barn 
to  winter  the  stock,  but  it  looks  as  if  the  cows 
would  have  to  leave  us.  The  sheep  run  to  Christ- 
mas  on  the  Alfalfa  fields,  and  ai'e  out  again  in 
April,  so  it  is  not  such  a  job  to  feed  them.  b.  l.  h. 
Construction  of  Concrete  Steps 
I  wish  to  build  concrete  steps  in  place  of  wooden 
ones,  with  piers  on  sides,  from  the  front  porch  to  the 
walk.  I  have  plenty  of  stones  of  all  sizes  and  intend 
to  mix  them  with  a  three  to  one  sand  and  concrete 
mixture.  Will  you  show  how  a  form  will  look  and 
how  to  make  the  form?  Are  the  front  edges  of  the 
steps  finished  by  a  rounding  tool,  or  are  they  left  as 
they  are  when  the  form  is  removed?  After  the  form 
is  removed  what  is  done  to  give  the  sides  an  even  ap¬ 
pearance?  R.  A.  i.. 
THERE  ax-e  two  ways  in  which  he  can  build  these 
steps.  If  steps  and  side  walls  or  ramps  ai-e 
built  at  the  same  time  form  construction  is  more 
complicated,  therefore  it  is  easier  to  build  them  sep¬ 
arately.  It  does  not  make  any  difference  which  is 
built  fix-st,  but  I  would  advise  building  steps  first.  • 
If  the  Avails  or  ramps  are  built  first,  build  foi-ms  the 
size  desired,  and  fill  in  with  concrete,  (one  of  ce¬ 
ment,  two  of  sand  and  four  of  gravel  or  crushed 
stone.)  This  form  should  be  allowed  to  stand  24 
hours  befoi-e  removing.  After  filling  form  to  Avithin 
%  in.  of  top  with  this  mixture,  use  only  cement  and 
sand  for  top,  so  it  can  be  nibbed  down  to  a  smooth 
finish  with  a  wood  float.  When  the  forms  are  re¬ 
moved  if  there  are  any  small  holes  use  this  also  to 
fill  up  holes  and  rub  smooth  with  Avood  float.  Wet 
the  sui-face  of  the  set  concrete  before  applying  new. 
If  the  steps  are  built  on  a  slope,  the  ground  should 
be  well  packed  or  tamped,  so  it  will  hold  the  con¬ 
form  for  Building  Steps.  Fig.  J/J/3 
Crete  without  any  settlement.  If  this  is  done  thor¬ 
oughly  it  will  not  need  to  be  reinforced.  The  forms 
for  the  steps  consist  of  tivo  planks  held  against  side 
Avails  by  2x4  in.  boards  and  wedges  as  shown  in  the 
illustration  (Fig  442).  To  these  are  nailed  2x4  in. 
boards  which  come  to  within  a  couple  of  inches  of 
the  tread.  To  the  2x4’s  are  nailed  the  cross  planks 
(about  2x8  in.)  which  form  the  risers. 
If  the  steps  are  built  first  build  according  to  Fig. 
443.  If  the  side  walls  are  built  after  the  steps,  be 
careful  that  the  walls  do  not  project  over  the  end  of 
the  steps,  for  if  the  ramps  rest  on  the  steps  they 
are  liable  to  be  broken.  By  putting  in  the  steps 
first,  construction  of  the  forms  for  side  Avails  is  made 
somewhat  more  difficult,  Aidiile  actual  building  of 
the  steps  is  simplified.  If  a  nosing  is  desired  on  the 
step  the  f omi  board  for  the  riser  must  be  cut  to 
have  a  recess  on  its  face  corresponding  to  the  re¬ 
verse  of  the  surface  of  a  piece  of  molding,  or  the 
same  result  can  be  secured  by  making  the  form 
board  for  the  riser  in  two  pieces  and  using  a  suitable 
strip  of  molding  nailed  to  the  top  of  this  strip  to 
provide  the  desired  shape  for  the  tread  nosing. 
After  removing  the  forms,  the  whole  work  should 
be  covered  with  straw  well  Avetted  to  keep  the  con¬ 
crete  from  drying  out  too  rapidly  for  two  or  three 
days.  WM.  PERKINS. 
