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Show "sWHbri ft I Co -Operative Farm I Products Marketing ! 0 A How It Is Done in Europe and May Be Done $ in America to the Profit of Both Farmer and Consumer By MATIIEW S. DUDGEON (Copyright. 19H, Western Newspaper Union.) TIJE HEN TO THE RESCUE. '" ' ' mmmmmmm 1 Where the Membera Brlnjj Thelp Co-operative Eggs. I 2 Guaranteed New Laid Irish Egge Selected. IDunglow, County Donegal, Ireland. This Is tbo story of how tho Irish hen scratches, a living for tho peoplo of Dunglow out of tho desolato bogs and hillsides of County Donegal. The hen " could not do it so long as tho farmers failed to market profitably the oggs sho laid. Sho could not do it In America whoro tho mon who market tho eggs get moro of the selling price than does the farmer who owns tho hens. Tho Donegal hen 1b a monoy maker for her Donegal owner becuuse co-oporatlvo marketing has mado eggs ia profltablo produco for tho farmer. 'Hans to the Rescue. Throughout the more fertila parts of Ireland the American party continually continual-ly saw evidences that co-operation played an Important part in making &' possible tho prosperity that was overy-p overy-p where apparent. It was several times mentioned to us, however, that if wo wanted to see what co-operation would do under most ndverso conditions wo must go to Dunglow, in County Donegal. Done-gal. So to Dunglow wo carao. The adverse conditions aro here, yet the peoplo aro neither ragged nor starved. Tho children aro as happy as American Ameri-can children and tho first llttlo girl t that wo saw in tho community had a fltoro doll in her arms. That means monoy from somo sourco, for toys wait for tho necessities of life. Inquiry soon revealed that tho first source of lncomo which is depended upon iu tho salo of eggs through tho co-operativo society conducted by n nativo boy, Paddy Gallagher. It Is true that the soil is so poor and so thin that a living' can not bo dug from it But tho industrious hens aro busily scratching away whero tho soil is too 1 thin for hoe or spado or plow. For merly no farm product brought good prices and prior to tho organization of tho co-operativo society tho local prlco for eggs was four to six conts less than tho prlco quoted upon the nearest market at Strabono or Derry. Generally, too, this price was paid in trade at tho storo and there was never any certainty that the merchandise delivered was worth tho prices charged. Egg raising was not profitable profit-able and tho few eggs produced wero merely an incidental by-product. "When tho co-operatlvo organization, "Tho Tomplocrono Co-oporatlvo Agricultural Agri-cultural society," as it is called, was I formed, however, thero was a change Tho farmers soon learned that if they furnished good eggs they got good prices. They wero told how to pick out good layors; how to keep tho eggs fresh and clean; how often to gather them; how frequently to bring them to market. Thoy wero Instructed ns to testing oggs and breeding egg layors. lay-ors. They bring In tho eggs. Tho association as-sociation does the rest. Good Business Methods. ThlsJs how thoy do It: Each weok tho agricultural wholesale socioty at Dublin sends to the local manager a forecast giving tho figures that will bo obtainable for eggs, butter, and poul try, and stating whero thero Is likely to bo a domand for oggs. Each day, on tho other hand, tho managor writes to tho wholesalo so-doty so-doty tolling just what ho Iiob on hand and what tho prospects aro for tho next few days. Somotlmes they uso tho telegraph. Then every fow days tho wholesalo society writeB c. telegraphs tele-graphs doflnlto directions as to whore and whon tho oggs must bo sont. Tho eggs, however, it should bo noted, aro not sent to Dublin, but aro sont directly to tho place whero they aro to bo eaten. Thero Is no complicated I machinery, no red tapo, no delay, no waste, no bad eggs and, bost of all from the standpoint of tho members, M I the prlco of eggs instead of being four to six cents below the figures quoted in the nearest city markets is now two to four cents higher than thero. It is all simple and wo see no reason why tho entire plan cannot be used in any American villago and the results duplicated. Expert Knowledge Necessary. Tho association did not rush into tho egg business without preparation. Patrick Gallagher, tho manager of the society, after ho had made a beginning begin-ning with tbo socioty, felt the need of moro expert knowledge. Ho went to tho Dunboo Co-oporatlvo society and here ho gained a thojough knowledge knowl-edge of packing and dealing in eggs and poultiy, nnd also learned cooperative co-operative bookkeeping and the general gen-eral business methods followed by that society. Up to this tlmo Mr. Gallagher had given his services to the society gratis. Ho was now employed em-ployed at 75 cents per day. Tho society's so-ciety's eggs wero now handled according ac-cording to the most improved method, and a good market found for them, so that the society was able to compete on favorable terms with the local buyers. buy-ers. Tho result was that tho prlco offered for eggs by tho other buyers throughout tho entlro district immediately imme-diately roso and all egg producers profited. Tho association, after giving careful consideration of tho question of buying buy-ing eggs by weight, decided to give it a trial, being convinced that it is not only fair to thoso bringing in tho larger eggs, but that It is the best, and in fact tho only inducement to tho rearing of an Improved breed of fowl laying the larger egga. Old customs cus-toms die hard, and many of' the members mem-bers lookod askance at the novel method meth-od of calculating the price of their goods. But on tho wholo it has found favor. Thero is, already a marked improvement im-provement iin tho sizo of tho eggs throughout tho district and thero is every reason to expect that the production pro-duction of larger eggs In tho district may causo egga to become a much greator sourco of income in the future. The association has also supplied its poultry station with trap nests, bo that members will bo able to procuro tho eggn of tho best laying strains. Ab an instanco of what might bo achloved In this direction, tho socioty has recolvod this year for 18-pound eggs tho record prlco of BO conts per dozen. Those eggs wero, of course, picked from among a largo quantity and sold when prices woro highest; still It is a very striking oxamplo of what may bo gained by a caroful selection se-lection of layers. Tho fact that tho Tomplecrone egga gained third place at tho Shofllold poultry exhibition hold this year, and second placo at the Bristol exhibition, shows that Mr. Gallagher Gal-lagher Is doing his part, In building up a reputation for them. Quality the Big Thing. Tho fact must not bo Ignored, how-ovor, how-ovor, that tho results aro obtained not altogether by good business management manage-ment In tho marketing, Higher prices provall not only because tho oggs aro sent promptly to a good market, but becauso tho eggs aro actually tho eggs of tho highest posslblo grado, and aro sorted in such a way as to form an attractive nnd profltablo artlclo of commorco for tho rotall dealer who purchases from tho marketing association. asso-ciation. In other words it has been demonstrated that good marketing caii only succeed whero tho oggs themselves them-selves aro good. Quality J. of primary pri-mary Importance. Tho first point to bo considered Is tho outward appoeranco of tho egga. Dirty or cracked eggs are always re- I , Joctcd. Rough 8hellnatltut0 wore or loss of a defect W ruKhnesa may raiBo the susplc&S Jlmt tn egg is a pickled egg. Nef"d CJ& have what might bo called W011811 flnlshod gloss upon them, w2Mh camt bo duplicated or lmltateln aW wy-Tho wy-Tho egg which has oncMPcen soiled is unmarketable. Any eflF to romov6 tho dirt removes alsoB10 Elosa and produces an appoaranceBuat 'a Inconsistent Incon-sistent with tho generoJBdoa t freshness. fresh-ness. H. Not only must tho eg A30 t a good appearanco, but It nw b good throughout. Tho tcstinB Id by tho now well known 8ystonf candling In a dnrk room. It is heW up agalnBt a powerful light to rovoS whether it is n frosh egg or ono lnjwhlch there ha3 begun tho process f deterioration. deteriora-tion. Tho co-operatlvo lissocIatlonB, handling as they do so TB a number, num-ber, generally test their olga In largo trays, tho trays often holdlig 120 eggs at a tlmo. Dirty eggs, badlcggs, questionable ques-tionable egga no longer alipear. Because Be-cause of care on tho farvnor's part thoy aro no longer produced. Slnco tho society buys by weight which la after all a far moro Just meisuro than the count, tho averago egg is gradually gradual-ly growing bigger. If sraaij eggs are produced thoy do not reach tho market mar-ket Co-operation Helps tho Consumer. It is of course conceded that if thero is a big supply of good food, food will bo cheaper than when It 1b scarco and moro peoplo will bo ablo to get It If co-operation not only Bonds better oggs to tho city, but Bonds them In doublo or triple tho quantity then eggs will in tho end bo plentiful and cheaper. As a result tho consumer will profit ThlB Is particularly truo If the eggs are, under co-operation, produced pro-duced at less cost and with less wasto It will bo readily understood that it the farmer finds that egg producing Is a profltablo enterprise tho quantity of eggs produced will vastly lncroa30. Comprehonslvo figures for Ireland are difficult to obtain, but this has" proved truo in Denmark. In 1895, according to official figures, thero was exported from Denmark something loss than $2,000,000 worth of eggs. Fourteen years later, whon co-operatlvo marketing market-ing had demonstrated tho profit that was In tho business, there was exported ex-ported in ono year nearly $7,000,000 worth of egga. Wolf states that while in 1893 tho number of hens kept in Denmark was about 5,900,000, in 1911 tho figure had reached the, 12,000,000 mark. It is significant that while tho number of henB had only a llttlo moro than doubled, tho value of tho yield had become nearly four-fold. This was largely' tho result of the fact that tho improved conditions ""tt TtMfv poultry was kept had greatlyj3&gP the laying ability of eachMiJBK Bame sort of thing is occurriBsBM "where In Coritlnentul Europe, in (ler many, In France, in Belgium, In Italy, co-operative societies have undertaken the marketing of eggs with groat profit to tho farmer and with considerable consid-erable satisfaction to tho consumer. Democratic Management. All the offices of the concern are In tho hands of officors elected by the mombers. It is a most democratic organization. or-ganization. Every man has ono vote, no man haB more. Tho momber who markets eggs produced by a dozen hens has as many votes as ho who owns a thousand layers. In Dunglow, and elsewhere as well, they consldor this "ono man ono "roto" plan ossen tlal. "Tho man Bhould vote," thoy flay, "not his money." They pay a good prlco in cash fox tho oggs. And when tho annual set tlement comes there is always a dividend divi-dend to Investors. But those who have invested their money, much oi little, get only flvo per cont No society so-ciety under tho supervision of the Irish Agricultural Organization socioty Is permitted to pay dividends upon shares In excesB of that porcontago. What is loft is distributed (o tho members mem-bers in proportion to tho amount ol oggB they havo marketed through the co-operative society. It gocB as an additional price paid for eggs. Theao two principles are consldored fundamental and essential; first, one mnn ono vote; second, all profits In excess of a small dividend to Investors must go to thoso who contributed to the profltB by furnishing tho product Why Not In America? Why hasn't this sort of thing been dono in America? It isn't because tho American farmer and his wife do not need tho monoy. Thoy (So. It Isn't becauso thore is no domand for good eggs. Egga wero never so nruch in domand and buyers aro moro particular par-ticular than over about quality. Tho strictly fresh oggs find buyers overy. whero. The fact Is thoro is no good reason why American fanners should not do buBlness as Intelligently as Irlshmon. Some of them do, hut not many. It takes no capital and can bo done on a small scale. Interview With Dr. McCarthy. Dr. Charles McCarthy, who Is look-Ink look-Ink ovor tho Dunglow co-operative situation, sit-uation, has studied co-oporatlon not only In Ireland, but in Italy, Germany, Belgium, Denmark and elsowhoro. No one knows better than he conditions condi-tions abroad and at home. Ho understands under-stands American rural conditions as fow understand thorn. In his opinion co-oporativo organizations that exist In Dunglow will do Just as woll in Massachusetts or Minnesota as thoy do in Ireland. Ono thing, however, the farmer must learn nnd must learn thoroughly. That Is, that simple cooperation co-operation will not make over a bad business man into a good business man nor will It mnko egg packing or nny other farm industry profitable. Along with co-operation must come good business methods, good book-koeplng, book-koeplng, good salesmanship, caroful packing, full knowlad? e of tho market |