rtain registered marks made by the
branding-iron and the knife. The individual owner would have had no more
property in his herd than he would have had in so many fishes in the
sea but for a very effective cooperative organisation. The Stock
Association, with its 'round-ups' and its occasional resort to the
Supreme Court of Judge Lynch, were an adequate substitute for the title
deeds to the lands, and for fences horse-high, bull-strong and
hog-tight. But then we were in the Arid Belt and the frontier-pioneer
stage; we had no politics and no politicians. I must return, however, to
the less exciting, but I suppose more important, life of the regular
farmer, and consider his efforts at organisation.

Instances can be multiplied where the cooperative system has been
adopted with immensely beneficial results; but in too many cases it has
been abandoned. On the other hand, Granges, Institutes, Clubs, Leagues,
Alliances and a multitude of miscellaneous farmers' associations have
been organised for social, religious, political and economic objects.
From my study of the work done by these bodies, the impression left is
that almost everything that can be done better by working together than
by working separately has been at some time the subject of organised
effort. But these manifestations of activity have been fitful and
sporadic. They were commonly marked by some or all of the same
defects--mutual distrust, divided counsels, ignorance of what others
were doing, want of continuity and impatience of results. Many
organisations, after winning some advantages,--over the railroads for
instance,--fell into abeyance or even out of existence; others lapsed
under the enervating influence of a little temporary prosperity, such as
a few years of better prices. The truth is, American farmers have had
the will to organise, but they have missed the way.[7]

The political influence of the farming community has for this reason
never been commensurate either with the numerical strength of its
members or the magnitude of their share in the nation's work. It is
true that the Federal Department of Agriculture, appropriations for
Agricultural Colleges, some railway legislation and other boons to
farmers, are to be attributed to the efforts of their organisations.
Yet, as compared with the influence exercised upon National affairs by
the farmers of, say, France and Denmark, the American farmer has but a
small influence upon legislation and adminis