498 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
NoY>’inber  21, 189b, 
CO-OPERATION  IN  FARMING. 
Slowly  but  surely  is  the  necessity  for  co-operative  farming 
obtaining  recognition,  and  before  there  is  anything  like  a  general 
attempt  at  such  a  method  of  reform,  every  aspect  of  it  should 
be  discussed,  in  order  that  the  venture  may  rest  on  a  sound 
basis,  and  risVs  of  failure  may  be  reduced  to  a  minimum.  It  is 
very  natural  that  the  disposal  of  farm  produce  at  a  profit,  by 
bringing  producer  and  consumer  in  touch  without  the  interven¬ 
tion  of  the  middleman,  should  be  regarded  as  a  matter  of 
primary  importance ;  but  of  still  more  importance  is  it  that 
this  produce  should  first  of  all  be  brought  up  to  such  a  standard 
of  uniform  excellence  as  to  command  the  attention  of  con¬ 
sumers,  and  render  them  eager  to  purchase  it. 
How  is  this  to  be  done  ?  How  can,  for  example,  the  butter, 
cheese,  bacon  of  the  British  farmer  be  so  offered  to  the  con¬ 
sumer  as  to  induce  him  to  purchase  it  with  avidity  ?  Surely 
before  the  establishment  of  co-operative  stores  for  the  sale  of 
home  grown,  home-made  produce,  and  before  the  making  of 
light  railways  for  collecting  it,  it  would  be,  to  say  the  least, 
prudent  to  see  that  the  produce  is  worth  collecting. 
What  but  failure  could  attend  the  attempt  to  sell  profitably 
the  weekly  supply  of  butter  from  100  farms  ?  Anything  like 
an  approach  to  uniform  quality  week  after  week,  even  in  the 
butter  of  a  single  farm,  would  be  most  unlikely.  No  sound 
business  could  rest  on  such  a  basis ;  certainly  successful 
co-operative  sales  could  not,  nor  need  they.  Prevention  and  not 
cure  is  required  here.  First  of  all  centralise  the  manufacture 
of  such  things ;  then,  and  not  till  then,  can  the  principle  of 
co-operation  be  applied  advantageously  to  the  sale  of  them. 
Some  time  ago  we  explained  how  admirably  the  making  of 
butter,  cheese,  and  margarine  was  done  by  a  certain  Company 
in  a  Border  factory.  Not  only  can  this  be  done  equally  well  at 
the  farmers’  co  operative  factory,  but  the  separated  milk  can 
be  turned  to  account  in  the  feeding  of  bacon  hogs  for  the  bacon 
factory,  which  we  hope  to  see  established  in  conjunction  with 
creameries,  under  the  co-operative  scheme  too.  In  these  days 
of  brisk  competition  we  must  look  rather  to  the  nimble  nine- 
pence  than  the  slow  shilling,  must  produce  a  first  class  article, 
sell  it,  collect  the  money,  and  use  it  again  as  quickly  as  possible. 
Small  profits  and  quick  returns  by  all  means,  but  let  us  see 
that  most  of  the  profit  goes  to  the  producer  and  not  to  the 
retailer,  who  builds  up  a  trade  on  goods  with  the  production 
of  which  he  has  no  concern. 
If  it  is  possible  by  Act  of  Parliament  to  effect  a  change  so 
desirable,  let  us  have  such  a  measure  by  all  means,  but  then  we 
don’t  think  it  is  possible.  If  the  Government  can  give  us  relief 
by  a  reduction  of  taxation  of  all  kinds  on  the  land,  as  we 
believe  it  can  and  will  sooner  or  later,  it  will  enable  us  to  devote 
our  means,  time,  energy,  to  setting  our  affairs  on  a  better 
footing.  But  the  co-operation  that  will  eventually  save  the 
farmer,  and  make  him  to  flourish  like  a  green  Bay  tree  once 
more,  must  be  set  going  by  farmers  for  farming,  and  not  by 
anyone  outside  the  ranks  of  agriculturists.  We  may  well  ask, 
What  is  the  Royal  Agricultural  Society  doing  in  a  matter  of 
such  vital  importance  to  the  British  farmer  ? 
Knowing  how  slow  the  typical  farmer  is  to  move,  how  little 
he  is  given  to  change,  ought  not  so  wealthy  and  influential  a 
society  to  endeavour  to  point  the  way  ?  The  prize  farm  scheme 
has  worked  well,  why  not  a  prize  co-operative  factory  competi¬ 
tion  on  a  basis  indicated  by  the  Society  ?  Every  detail  of  the 
work  might  be  made  clear  beforehand,  such  as  the  most  suitable 
locality,  the  requisite  buildings  and  plant,  the  quantity  of  milk 
required,  the  number  of  cows,  pigs,  and  poultry,  the  maximum 
distance  of  farms,  the  number  of  co  operators,  the  payment  for 
milk  by  quantity  and  quality,  a  market  for  the  produce,  the 
amount  of  each  share,  and  the  amount  of  and  date  for  each  call 
on  shareholders. 
Let  such  factories  be  going  in  outlying  districts  in  central 
positions  commanding  the  milk  of  800  or  1000  cows  within  a 
given  radius,  then  run  light  railways  through  such  districts  to 
collect  the  butter,  margarine,  cheese,  bacon,  poultry,  eggs,  and 
other  produce,  all  of  the  highest  quality,  and  then,  if  you  will, 
dispose  of  the  produce  at  co-operative  stores.  Once  set  going, 
a  high  standard  must  be  maintained,  as  it  certainly  can  be  if 
only  we  combine  in  co  operation  on  the  lines  indicated. 
WORK  ON  THE  HOME  FARM. 
The  changing  order  of  things  has  reversed  the  old  motto  ot  “  Crop 
before  stock,”  wbich  had  such  weight  with  farmers  in  the  palmy  days 
when  Wheat  was  at  60s.  or  70s.  a  quarter,  and  the  four-course  rotation 
was  so  profitable.  Now,  stock  before  crop  is  our  cry,  but  crop  for  the 
stock  would  be  a  wiser,  because  a  more  expressive  term  pointing  to 
work  on  the  farm — a  changed  system  of  management  which  has  become 
a  necessity.  Cold  and  wet  are  now  doing  irreparable  mischief  among 
badly  managed  live  stock. 
Sheep  in  the  muddy  folds  ot  Turnip  fields,  on  tenacious  soil  softened 
by  heavy  rain,  are  suffering.  If  they  are  ewes  heavy  with  lamb  the 
strain  which  the  mere  act  of  walking  on  such  land  involves  tends  to 
abortion,  the  risk  being  accentuated  by  the  consumption  of  large 
quantities  of  cold  watery  roots.  Foot  rot  is  frequently  rampant  among, 
sheep  kept  under  such  conditions  ;  the  whole  thing  is  a  glaring  example 
of  gross  mismanagement,  involving  much  suffering  among  the  sheep 
and  serious  losses  to  the  flock  owner. 
Serve  him  right?  Well,  yes,  it  does.  The  farmer  who  allows  such 
reckless  work  on  his  farm  deserves  to  suffer.  By  no  amount  of 
argument  can  he  prove  such  a  wrong  to  be  right,  and  if  his  losses  are 
heavy  from  abortion  the  sheep  are  certainly  more  deserving  of  pity 
than  he  is.  Keep  pregnant  ewes  out  of  Turnip  folds  altogether,  and  if 
you  have  strong  hoggets  in  such  folds  let  them  also  have  a  change  to 
some  sound  pasture  daily,  and  keep  all  sheep  off  cold  wet  pasture  now. 
In  the  evening  of  November  I4th  we  had  a  rather  long  drive  to  a 
railway  station  over  hill  and  dale  in  Derbyshire.  The  day  had  been 
stormy,  with  alternations  of  heavy  showers  of  rain  and  hail.  It  had 
cleared,  the  starlit  sky  and  keen  frosty  air  betokening  a  yet  colder 
night.  Yet  we  saw  several  cows  lying  down  on  the  cold  sodden  pasture 
by  the  station.  Exhausted  by  exposure  to  cold  and  wet  through  the 
livelong  day,  what  must  be  their  condition  by  morning  on  such  a  couch 
on  a  frosty  night? 
OUR  LETTER  BOX. 
Poultry  {J.  F.  W.). — At  this  period  of  the  year — moulting  season 
— eggs  are  very  scarce,  and  it  is  only  when  fowls  have  “  moulted-out 
early  ”  that  eggs  can  now  be  obtained.  We  have  not  heard  of  any 
complaints  respecting  bad  laying  yet,  but  often  in  former  years  poultry 
keepers  have  fed  their  fowls  too  well,  the  birds  have  put  on  fat,  and 
naturally  enough  cannot  lay.  You  do  not  say  the  age  of  your  fowls. 
Possibly  they  are  too  old  to  be  of  any  service. 
METEOROLOGICAL  OBSERVATIONS. 
Oamdex  SquARK,  London. 
Lat.610  32' 40"  N. ;  Long.  0°  Si  0"  W.;  Altitude  111  feet. 
Date. 
9  A.M. 
In  the  Day. 
Rain, 
1895. 
November. 
Barometer 
at  32°,  and 
Sea  Level. 
Hygrometer. 
Direc¬ 
tion  of 
Wind. 
Temp, 
of  soil 
at 
1  foot. 
Shade  Tem¬ 
perature. 
Radiation 
Temperature 
Dry. 
Wet. 
Max. 
Min. 
In 
Sun. 
On 
Grass. 
Inchs. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
Inchs. 
Sunday  ..  10 
29-735 
53-1 
50-8 
S. 
49-0 
57-0 
45-1 
60-6 
38-3 
0-25& 
Monday  ..  11 
29-310 
50-2 
47-3 
s.w. 
49-4 
54-9 
49-8 
83-1 
44-6 
0-090 
Tuesday  . .  12 
29-224 
47  3 
44-9 
s.w. 
48-2 
50-2 
41-9 
59-9 
36-1 
0-032 
Wednesday  13 
29-574 
44-4 
42-9 
w. 
47-1 
55-0 
41-6 
84-9 
36-2 
— 
Thursday..  14 
29-836 
48-2 
46-7 
s.w. 
46-1 
66-4 
41-9 
82-2 
33-3 
0-080 
Friday  ..  15 
30-055 
45-3 
43-8 
E. 
45-9 
61-4 
36-4 
72-2 
30-9 
t-352 
Saturday..  16 
29-723 
60-9 
56-9 
S.W. 
47-9 
63-5 
46-1 
87-4 
42-0 
— 
29-637 
49-9 
47-6 
47-7 
66-9 
43-3 
75-8 
37-2 
0-810 
REMARKS. 
10th.— Overcast,  with  occasional  spots  of  rain  in  day,  showers  in  evening ;  steady  rain 
and  gale  at  night. 
11th. — Bright  sunshine  till  sunset ;  frequent  heavy  showers  after  4.30  P.M. 
12th.— Overcast  morning,  with  showers  ;  sunny  at  times  in  afternoon. 
13th. — Almost  cloudless  throughout. 
11th. — Oloudy  at  times  in  morning,  almost  unbroken  sunshine  in  afternoon  ;  a  heavy 
shower  at  1.30  P.M.,  and  clear  skies  again  later. 
15th. — Fair  morning ;  steady  rain  from  3  P.M.  to  7  P.M.,  and  gale  at  night. 
16th. — Showers  early ;  bright  sunshine  from  sunrise  to  sunset. 
Several  days  very  fine  and  pleasant.  Temperature  of  the  week  again  above  the 
average.— Gr.  J.  Stmons. 
