Some effort has been made to establish farmers’ exchanges upon a similar plan, but as yet with little success. The obstacles are chiefly in the want of business confidence in business habits among the farmers themselves. Since the system is strictly a credit system, exact promptness in meeting engagements and constant dealing in the same channels are absolutely necessary. Most farmers, having comparatively few transactions from day to day, are loath to attach themselves as constant customers in any association. With larger experience and more neighborly contact they are finding it possible to work in association for various purposes, and will doubtless enlarge their means of business credit as their progress in mutual understanding increases. _Government inspection._—The principal support of universal credit through banking is the assurance that uniform methods, honest in principle and accurate in execution, are followed. To secure these results a system of government inspection and guaranty seems absolutely necessary. If the public faith is to be maintained, the ground of that faith must be publicly established. The more complete the examination by trusted officials and the more frequent the publication of official reports, the better the public credit. It seems possible that even individual trustworthiness may become a matter of government record as it is now of private consideration in all business circles. One chief guaranty of credit through the banks is the strict inquiry made by the banks themselves into the business standing of their customers. If the record were perfect, the chief weakness of the credit system would be largely removed. _The balance of trade._—The bulk of trade between countries, that is of dealers in different countries, is settled in the usual routine of banking as has been indicated; but since under present systems the standards of value are given in different terms in different countries, somewhat more of friction remains in such trade. A greater attention is given to the fact of final settlement in coin or bullion. The price of exchange from a country whose dealers owe more than is due them, under the law of supply and demand, soon arises to an amount sufficient to cover the cost of transporting gold or silver. When these metals are used in payment by transportation from one country to another they are said to indicate the balance of trade; that is, they show that more of other property comes into the country than goes out. This balance of trade is supposed to show the relative prosperity of a nation, and is said to be against it when the nation buys more than it sells.