CO-OPERATION SPECIAL.
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Reg'd U. S.
Pat Office.
A Farm arid ifie Weekly For the Carolinas, Virginia,
Georgia and Florida.
FOUN& 1886, AT RALEIGH, N. C.
v
Vol. XXVIII. No. 37.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 13,
Weekly: $1 a Year.
First of All, We Need the Co-operative Spirit.
THERE can be no escaping the conclusion that, as a class, we farm
ers have not a practical working knowledge of the principles and
methods essential to business-like and successful co-operative ef
fort. We have not yet learned how to co-operate, and we must ex
pect to make many
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THIS IS THE WAY TO CUT THE WOOD AND NOW IS THE TIME TO DO IT.
There arereat possibilities for co-operation in the purchase of farm machinery, especially farm power.
mistakes and some
failures whi le we are
learning. We have
let almost all other
classes get ahead of
u in this respect,
and consequently
we shall be at a dis
advantage for. a
long time unless we
make strenuous ef
forts! fo catch tipv r
Our greatest trou
ble, however, is not
a lack of knowl
edge of the busi
ness principles
which underlie suc
cessful co-operation,
but a lack of
the co-operative
spirit. We are still
too much burdened
with the idea that
it is each man's du
ty to take care ,pf
himself and let his
neighbors do like
wise. We have not
realized how close
ly'our interests are
bound up with those
of our neighbors
and fellow farmers.
Of course, each one of us must take care of himself in one
sense. Co-operation means merely working together, and the man
who will not worl by himself, or who does not put enough intelli
gence into his work to make it pay, is not likely to be of much value
as a co-operator. We have often said that the kind of work the
farmer does is the greatest factor in determining his success or failure.
No organization, no scheme of marketing, no plan for co-operative
effort can take the place of good farming. The man who makes
only a third of a bale of cotton to the acre will never see the evolu
tion of a marketing system which will make his crop a profit-paying
one; while the man who makes two-thirds ofh bale is almost sure of a
profit, even under present conditions.
For all that, however, the farmer makes a great mistake by trying
to go it alone too often and in too many ways. He fails to get what
he should for his crops; he pays more than he should for much that he
buys; he lives in a less pleasant and wholesome neighborhood than he
should; he does harder work than he should; he counts for less than
he should in the country's affairs, simply because he is too selfish, or
independent, or careless to join forces with his neighbors to better
conditions and encourage progress along all these lines.
We need practical instruction in the details of business co-opera-
tion : we need
trained men to
teach and organize
and guide us while
we change our bus
iness methods from
a n individualistic
to a co-operative
basis; but above all
we need more of
the spirit of co-operation
more in
terest in our neigh
bor's welfare and a
deeper realization
of the truth that in
many ways his wel
fare and our own
are so closely joined
that they cannot be
separated.
Once the spirit of
co-operation takes
possession of us,
the ways in which
we shall work with
each other to mu
tual advantage will
be almost number
less, but until we
have developed
this spirit of mutual
helpfulness our
progress will be
slow.
FEATURES OF THIS ISSUE.
Better Markets for Fruit Better Packing Too . ..... 1 7
Books for Housekeepers By Mrs. Hutt " -10
Co-operation and Clover Good News From Chatham County . . 12
Co-operation in Selling Cotton How It Can be Made a Reality . 7
How Farmers are Co-operating Two Pages of Experience Letters 5, 6
How to Organize a Rural Telephone Line By J. Z. Green 8
How to Organize an Egg-Selling Association By W. J, Shuford 1 6
Jim Riggins, Co-operator An Uncle Compatch Monologue . .12
Raleigh's Produce Market What Mr. Fooshe Saw There. . . 23
September in the Garden By Professor Massey 4
Seven Sermons for Co-operators By Prof. Price, of Ohio .15
Timely Livestock Notes By Dr. Butler 14
Tobacco Warehouses Two Virginia Enterprises 16
What Catawba Has Done An Inspiring Story of Progress ... 13
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