ultural agents in order to give them a
point of contact with groups of farmers and to give local support of
the county agent's work, has now taken into its own hands the task of
farmer organization. And now, with resources far beyond what could
have been dreamed of a few years ago, this organization is embarking
on programs of farmers' business organization almost too staggering in
their size to be comprehended. If rightly managed, and if farmers can
prove loyal to their own organization, this movement is destined to
solve many of the problems of intergroup relationships confronting the
farmers during the past few decades.

As a part of the modern farmer organization movement, and holding
within itself the largest promise of social values, is the
encouragement of cooperation. Since the days in 1844, when a little
group of wage-earners in England, out of work and gathered round a
fire in a tavern, decided to go into business for themselves on a
basis of one-man one vote, and distribution of profits on business
done with the concern instead of stock held, the movement has
continued to spread all over the world until to-day it holds a very
important place in many lines of industry in leading countries.

In this country cooperation has been an agricultural rather than an
urban development, primarily because economic conditions have made it
more necessary in agriculture than elsewhere. Farmers' elevators,
live-stock shipping associations, insurance companies, fruit-and
produce-marketing organizations have all gained a sound footing and
each year shows an increase in their numbers. The movement has been
consistently fought by competitive profit-seeking interests but
without avail further than to delay the movement. In the early days
discrimination in furnishing cars, underbidding, misrepresentation,
adverse legislation all had to be overcome, in addition to the fact
that ignorance of business principles often led to failure. Even now,
within the past five years, agricultural colleges have been prevented
from adding advisers on cooperative organization to their extension
staffs, retail merchants' associations have prevented cooperative
organization legislation, and insidious attempts have been made to
prevent popular education with reference to the movement.

The cooperative movement offers the greatest opportunity for the
country minister for definite service in the farmers' economic
progress. The principle underlying the