tudied the needs of his patrons and brought to their attention
new inventions and the better grades of goods. He holds that the higher
standard of living of city people is largely due to the fact that
attractive goods and better equipment are constantly brought to their
attention in the shop windows and by salesmen.

The cooperative buying of farm supplies and machinery, which is now
assuming such large proportions, is due not merely to an effort to
secure lower prices, but to secure better goods. It is a notorious fact
that for many years the farmer has had to buy inferior fertilizers and
feeds from local dealers because they were all he could get. Both mixed
feeds and fertilizers have been sold under certain brands on much the
same principle as patent medicines, until the farmer has organized his
own agencies to secure their manufacture in accordance with the best
scientific formulas. This has been primarily due to a short-sighted
policy on the part of manufacturers, but it has done greater injury to
the retailer who, in general, has made little effort to learn the real
needs of his trade and supply it with the best goods. The same has been
true of seeds and agricultural machinery. As a result of this one of the
chief claims of such a cooperative agency as the New York
Grange-League-Federation Exchange is that it is able not only to sell at
a lower price but to furnish the best quality. The wide-awake country
merchant has been keen to appreciate these facts and wherever he has
studied his trade and devoted himself to its interests he has built up a
successful business. The "Country Gentleman" has done a real service in
recently publishing a series of articles by A. B. MacDonald which have
described the successes of a few of the outstanding "Big Country
Merchants."

The "chain store" has not as yet invaded the village, but it is rapidly
gaining a foothold in the smaller cities and village merchants may as
well prepare for its competition, for there seems no good reason why its
greater buying power and superior organization should not enable it to
undersell the local merchant if the customer is willing to pay cash. As
yet all chain stores are on a cash basis and this would seem to prevent
their gaining much of the business of the farmer who has depended on
long time credit. But the cooperative stores, which do business only for
cash, have solved the credit problem by establishing credit facilities
whereby short-time lo