I 
PRACTICAL PAPERS. 
CO-OPERATION AMONG FARMERS. 
Read before the State Agricultural Convention in February, 1873. 
BY GENERAL E. E. BRYANT, MADISON. 
To the more thoughtful of those engaged in agricultural pur¬ 
suits, it has long been evident that in many respects the farmer is 
conducting business on principles diametrically opposed to econ¬ 
omy. While he works harder and more hours than any one en¬ 
gaged in other manual labor occupations, and with a destructive 
use of capital; while he is a good producer of genuine wealth, his 
products possessing great intrinsic value, being everywhere indis¬ 
pensable, he finds that for his labor and investment of capital he 
receives less returns than should fall to his share. In looking 
about for the causes of this discouraging result, he is impressed 
with the fact that so expensive and complicated is the machinery 
of distribution by which his products are conveyed to the con¬ 
sumers, and his own wants in return supplied by the products of 
the manufacturer, that the greater share of the profits of the pro¬ 
duction is absorbed by those employed to effect the exchange. 
That a large portion of humanity must be go-betweens to effect 
exchanges of the products of agriculture and manufacture is true, 
but it needs no argument to show that the number engaged in 
mere commerce or the exchange of products should be as limited 
as practicable. So far only as they save to the producer and 
consumer time and expense in effecting exchange, are commercial 
agents or middlemen profitable. The speediest, most convenient 
and cheapest method of effecting exchanges should be sought for and 
adopted, and I think all will agree that such an one is that which 
does not unnecessarily multiply mere go-betweens of traffio. 
