11 SEPTEMBER 1886, Page 12

CORRESPONDENCE.

BUSINESSLIKE CO-OPERATIVE FARMING.

[FROM A CORRESPONDENT.] HAVING been for many years interested in co-operative farming, it was with pleasure that last week I accepted an invitation to visit Mr. Bolton King's farm at Rad- bonrne, in Warwickshire, and Upton Hill, another farm near by, hired of Balliol College, Oxford, and also managed on the co-operative system. The few previous attempts to adapt the system to farming had, from one cause or another, come to grief ; and although I had not lost faith in the possibility of success, I was prepared, as a practical farmer, to spy out the weak spots in the new undertaking. Mr. Craig's hopeful under-

taking at Ralahine, Ireland, failed through the bankruptcy of the landlord who had supplied the capital for carrying on the farm, not from any loss incurred in connection with the co- operative farm, but from speculation or gambling quite apart from it. Lord George Manners's scheme succeeded for some years, and failed soon after his death, chiefly, if not solely, because the men were all managers. The Assington experi- ment paid well for some time, and then ceased to be re- munerative, and had to be started afresh. When the late Speaker, then Mr. Brand, offered to take his men into partnership, they declined his offer, having no faith, apparently, in the remunerativeness of farming. Mr. Bolton King com- menced his undertaking at a less favourable period than that of the starting of any other attempt of the kind, and his success seemed to many well-wishers a forlorn-hope. I admit, then, that I went to Radbourne prepared to see the elements of failure ; but I may at once state that I returned with the con- viction that if the undertaking does not turn out ultimately successful, it will be from misfortune—continued low prices— rather than from any fault in the management. There may, perhaps, be somewhat too much tendency to draw freely upon the capital which Mr. Bolton King is ready to advance, and to incur the risk of paying increased interest, making expenses very heavy and difficult to meet in such bad times as these ; but the men are quite as anxious as the manager is to have the farming done well, and it may be that the heavy expenditure in draining, manuring, and machinery will ultimately be remunerative.

The experiment at Radbourne Manor commenced nearly three years ago, the present crop being the third gathered in by the Association. Mr. King had the farm in hand for two years previously, and did something to bring it out of the wretched condition in which it was left on the death of the last tenant. It was in such a state of poverty and weediness that no tenant could be found for it, and many people said it would never be worth cultivating again. It is a stiff clay farm on the blue Has. very difficult to work, and just the kind of land that tenants in many parts of the country have given up in despair. But in his manager, Mr. David Johnson, Mr. Bolton King met with a skilled farmer and a man of many resources, who thought he saw his way to make the land pay. In the year before the Association took the farm in hand, Mr. King agreed to give the men a share in the profits, if there should be any ; but the state of the land was such that they were not disappointed when they failed to get any profits to divide. At Michaelmas, 1883, the farm was let to the manager and twelve men and boys at about £1 per acre, the area of the farm being 346 acres, and the rent £356. The Association hired from the landlord stock and implements to the value of £3,304, and borrowed cash to the value of £200, agreeing to pay 6 per cent. interest on both amounts. The interest may appear heavy ; but the risk was great, and in the event of success the high interest would be Mr. King's share in what is really a co-partnership business. The management was vested in a Committee, composed of the manager and two of the men (elected by their associates annually). It is important to mention, however, that although the two men are at liberty to give their advice freely, the manager can do as he pleases about acting upon it, and the men have so much confidence in him that this plan works smoothly. The adage which tells us that " too many cooks spoil the broth " is in no connection more true than in that of farming, as has been found at Assington, and as I fear will be found elsewhere, in the case of two attempts at co-operative farming started this year. Provided that a capable manager can be secured—and if a manager shows himself to be incapable,he should be quickly got rid of— there is nothing like giving him a free hand. It was agreed that 20 per cent. of the net profits in each year, if any, should go to a reserve fend until £800 had been accumulated, and 40 per cent. towards paying off the debt to the landlord. Of the remainder, 15 per cent. was to go to the manager, and 85 per cent to be divided among the men and boys in proportion to the wages received by each during the year. Here I should mention that the men receive 3s. a day, wet or dry, in summer, and 2s. 6d. a day in winter, or 2s. a week in excess of the ordinary wages of the district, with extra payment for overtime, and for working by the "piece" in harvest. Thus, even when there is no profit to divide, the men have no reason to be discontented, being still better off than their neighbours. It was further arranged that the Association should be able to claim

for all unexhausted improvements; and the landlord for all dilapidations. I believe that the landlord has pat the buildings in good order, built new cottages, and provided tiles for draining at his own expense, without charging interest ; but of this I am not certain. This seems to be the case, from the fact that the interest charged in the second annual account is only about 218 more than was charged in the first, and there had certainly been expenditure on buildings and drain-pipes in the meantime. At the end of the first year, there was a profit to divide among the men. I understood the manager to say it was about £100; but I see only £57 18s. 9d. in the balance-sheet. About £50 worth of milk, however, had been distributed gratis among the men, and perhaps that accounts for the difference. At the end of the second year—that is, at Michaelmas, 1885—the balance- sheet showed a loss of £612 19s. 8d., owing to the great depre- ciation in the value of live stock, apart from which there would have been a profit of £200. This year it is feared that there will again be a loss, though not a heavy one. If prices go up, as seem likely, however, there may yet be a profit. The men appear to be not at all discouraged, as they recognise the great fall in the values of all kinds of farm produce as a misfortune which neither they nor their manager could prevent ; and as their crops get larger and larger, owing to the great improvement in the condition of the farm, they hope to do better.

in driving up to Radbourne Manor, which is six and a half miles from Southern Road—the station next, on the Oxford side, to Leamington—it was easy to see when the farm was reached. Some substantial new cottages came into view, and the improve- ment in the appearance of the crops and pastures, compared with that of the adjoining farm, was very striking. Two of the 'stoutest pieces of wheat and the two best pieces of oats that I have seen this year were visible from the road. The meadows had been covered, like those on the next farm, with ant-hills ; but these had all been done away with, and the grass had been 'greatly improved by manuring it. On walking over the land, found it to be in an excellent state of cultivation. It has been heavily manured, partly with town manure brought from Birmingham by the canal which runs through the farm. The -men, I was told, worked with a will, feeling that they were working for themselves. About a third of the crops on the arable land had been cut by a reaping-machine, except a piece of -oats too much laid, which had to be cut by hand. The arable land was cropped with 31 acres of wheat, 20 of barley, 37 of oats, 29 of clover, 9 of rye and vetches, 31- of mangolds, 7 of turnips, and 7 of beans. The beans were light, and one piece of oats was not heavy. The barley I did not see, but was told it was stout. The roots were moderately promising. The rest of the farm is under grass. Thirty-five dairy cows are kept, the milk being made into butter and cheese, under the able -superintendence—and not superintendence only—of Mrs. John- -son. There are from fifty to sixty head of cattle, besides the cows, kept through the winter, and fattened off then or in the following spring or summer. A breeding flock of 110 ewes is 'kept, the lambs being fattened. All the fat stock, dairy pro- duce, poultry, and eggs are sent to a shop at Birmingham con- nected with the farm, the live stock being killed before being sent. This is an excellent feature of the business, retail prices, after deducting commission paid to the owners of the shop, -being realised. But this is not all, for all the wheat is ground by steam on the farm, the flour being sent to the shop to be made into bread and sold, while the " offal " is consumed by the stock on the farm. The other corn, except that consumed at home, is also sent to be sold by retail.

Mr. Johnson relies chiefly on ensilage as winter food for the live stock ; and as proof of his ingenuity, it may be mentioned that he has invented two systems of pressure, one for a silo, and the other for what is called an ensilage stack. The former is the simplest system of continuous pressure I have seen, and the latter is about the most powerful, great power of compres- sion being needed for preserving green fodder in stacks out- doors. Within the strong iron uprights which afford the means of pressure there are about 200 tons of ensilage, and there is room for 300 tons more, part only of which will be forthcoming. The ensilage is quite sweet in the stack, and so is some in two silos under cover, Mr. Fry's system of sweet ensilage having been followed. Last year, Mr. Johnson obtained two prizes for ensilage at different shows. Mr. Johnson believes that a ton of sweet ensilage is superior in feeding value to a ton of bay. There is, however, a very large stack of hay on the premises.

A distinct Association was started on hiring Upton Hill, 408

acres in extent, in the autumn of 1884. The rent agreed upon was 7s. 6d. per acre for the first year, 10s. for the second, 12s. 6d. for the third, and 15s. afterwards. There is no lease, but all tenants' improvements are to be paid for. This farm is nicely undulating, being thus well suited for getting rid of surplus water. Like Radbourne Manor, it had been "in hand" for some years before being taken by Mr. Bolton King, no tenant being forthcoming, and it had got into a dreadful condition. Some of the fields are still terribly foul with weeds. Part of it is a limestone brash, and as it will carry sheep all the year round, the system of farming pursued on it differs materially from that followed at Radbourne Manor, roots being extensively grown. Fifteen dairy cows, 20 store cattle, and 140 ewes are kept at present on the farm, which will carry more stock when it has been brought into good order. All the milk of the cows is sent to the Birmingham shop, where it is sold at ma. per gallon over the counter, or at ls. if sent round to customers. These are much better prices than are commonly obtained for milk by dairy farmers at the present time; but there are probably a small commission and the expense of rail carriage to be deducted. I was much pleased with the appearance of Upton Hill, and expect to learn before long that it has been made to pay. The men there, I was told, are full of hope, and work with great zeal and efficiency. Last year's harvest was their first. There was no profit, and was not expected to be any. The crops this year are not equal to those at Radbourne Manor; but some of them are very good. Twelve men and four boys make up the Association, Mr. Johnson being the manager. The system of management and co-operation is the same as that of Radbourne.

Mr. Bolton King, who lives during the summer months a few miles from Radbourne, kindly came over to meet me, and I learned from him that he rather dreaded than courted publicity for his undertaking. He fears that others may hastily imitate it after a fashion, without taking the very careful precautions essential to success, and thus bring co-operative farming into discredit. He considers a ten years' trial of his scheme necessary before it can be fairly cited as an example of success or failure. Mr. King spends a great deal of time at the two farms, where his cheerful presence, kindly encouragement, and useful advice are always welcomed by the men. It was pleasant to see him shake hands with a group of harvesters, and sit down to chat with them as they rested for their afternoon meal,—their "haver," it would be termed in my own district. When Mr. King is not at or near Radbourne, most of his time is spent at Toynbee of which he is the principal supporter. Few young men of fortune, fresh from College, use their time and wealth as well, and every one mast heartily wish success to the beneficent under• takings to which he is devoting the best years of his life. He has been very fortunate in meeting with a coadjutor as eminently capable and as enthusiastic for co-operation as Mr. David Johnson undoubtedly is. It required the courage of enthusiasts to test their ideal by taking in hand two discredited and deserted farms ; and if success should ultimately reward the efforts of Mr. King, his manager, and the fine body of labourers asso- ciated with them, the credit will be all the greater on that account.