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Show l - : - 1 CROP REPORTS By Frederic J. Haskin 1M EVfciRr sx-llon o lb count rr there ere men anatoualr awaltine" uie report re-port of the wbMt and grain condl-twwie condl-twwie which will hm Iwwd thla erier-nooa erier-nooa by the drpertment of aerliul -ture. To lukt ire tka report a Soar of Pi hu bee, holdlns eaeelone behind xkea eoore la the oriw of th chief t.llatlriAn of Lh eertmnt. carefully r cmrtputta thA infor 1.11 1 km which hu ben afxrurfMl ihrousTh ; th, . n-HMt rl t hi rhmnnim, Th knt r rtMlurlv mmrr-t and m munbtr fa not vea prmlitd to I nvt thm ronm vh1s th computation computa-tion U In prmrm . Tha rptKina wtraa an 1larani)cti In nnlr that thr may be im poaalbtlttr af prrtMtura .aforma-IMm .aforma-IMm gains ut that mtaht h uaed k partita tora. The time of an-Itouiiclnf an-Itouiiclnf a crop raport ra-port la mad nubile Hi pacialfy prpra4 sn-op' bsarfnc th Wur A and aatdriMi J te rad ink. Tha oataJ autnortuea iWlvr thra In aalMl mall pouches. Th-a porhw rt op4 only by ttia aacratarr thm aa-tataat aa-tataat mm i rotary evoa lh aavatopaa can-iMtniag can-iMtniag tha rvporta plat-ad mrtnprtm tm tha aafo In tba mcrtmYm otfica. abra thy remain until tha tlma eom for making up thf reporta, atvfn thay ara tha, ft HI aealajkai. into tba offtca mi tha Ntatlartrtan. Tha comblnatkm for opn-ln opn-ln tba aafa la known only to tha aacra tary of acrlcultura anJ hla aaalatant. Re-porta Re-porta from aant Kx at1 wMhin a radtua of )4 ml Ira of Washington may ba ant In by rip bar tlrapb and aa axact hour ia flxad at which tha but vapor! muat ba In. R porta ralatlna; to tha non-flpaculattva cropa ara aent In aim liar anTatopra tnarkfd "B" directly to tha buraau of tatiatica. Tha work of maklnar out tha rvporta la don by a crop raportinc board loompnaM of flva n9mbrv. two of whom ara alcted fmnt tha flald aorvlca and callM to WaahlngtoM for that purpoa, and tbraa ofTlrlala and atatlatklana of tha buraau. H la preairled ovar by tha chlf of tha buraau of alatiatlca. but tha per- i aoonal . of tha board ta changad aach ! month. Wba tha board la aaaemblad th report ara opanad an4 tabulatad. Tha flcuraa for tha dtffarant rorpa from all riaaaaa of corraapondMi ta ralarlng to tba dilTarant cropa ara tanajlatad tor a tat aa In oonvenlant parallel aolumna. Ra-h Individual1 Indi-vidual1 mem bar than tabu I a tea hla aaa aatlmata upon tha vaiioua aubjacta. Tha result a ara than anmparad and tba final ftguraa for aarh atata dertaled apoe. Tha aattmataa aa Anally determtnaa ara tha several days before, la order that thoea Interested may have aa equal opportunity opportu-nity of profltlna ky II At half peel I o'rlork today the Weetera I'nlon and Poetal Telegraph eomoaniee, who have of-noee of-noee In the aarloultural tmlldlns. will receive re-ceive eoptee of the report for Cranemlaetoa to the etork tmchanaea and the praae. Theee eompenlee have had notice eo ae to he ahle to reaerve their Itnee at the ap- Iavaragaa ny ngvraa iron, i rva ae pa rate atatea. Thia glvea for tha whoja country a true weighted average for aach atata which could not be aecared by dividing the aum of tha atata averavea by tba number of atatea. , Tha farmer ara rvmffnlstrtg tha far that they ara the prime benniartea of theee report atnee a knowlsMge cf tha cropa of tha country beipa them ta reau-hsta reau-hsta thtr local prlcea. Tr.ay are co-operating loyally with tha department In fur nfahTng Inrnrmattoa. There ara aow over lM.eoa voluntary correapooden ta to whom ached ti lea of Inquiry ara aent reaularty In addition to a Mat of tt.tm Individual fanners from all parts of tha country who ara called upon at the and of the growing grow-ing aeaaon for reporta aa to their per-aortal per-aortal operations. All of theee ara public spirited dtlsena who receive ao remuneration remuner-ation for their eervicea other than auch i available publications and aaeda aa caa . ba supplied to them. Tha department auppiiee poataga by apaclal franJcad aa-I aa-I valopaa. pointes rime roe rorwaraina; tmaiauataiy the aaurea of moat intoreet. A multloaraphed ata tenant containing aetlmatca of present grain conditions with comparteons of t hoes of former years Pa also been prepared to ba aent ItamerlUtety to tha newspaper publication axehanrea and other parttea requeettng It. Tha same day printed carda containing tha ee-aenfiaJ ee-aenfiaJ fnrte of tha most Important cropa of the report are mailed to the 77 no 0 poatnfflcee In the f'nlted atatea far public diaplar. thua placing tha valuable information infor-mation tramdlately within r-ach of tha farmers. rofripttv after this tha Crop Reporter puntlahed. a monthly periodical periodi-cal laaued by the bureau of statistics under un-der the authority of the secretary of agriculture. agri-culture. An edition of lM.fuvo copies la, dlatrlbiited aach month to cut leepondenta and Indtvlduala requeatlng It. The meaaure of a country's crops to a tanre degree evidences Its prosperity and tha pirrrhaalna power of Its people. Since all commercial Industries are In this way affected It la Important to know in advance ad-vance the reamirres of cropa, the pros-pecta pros-pecta of the growing aeaanna and tha out- put of the harveeia. The object of the bureau of statistics of the department of agriculture la to give this Information accurately ac-curately each month. The facts era sclent scl-ent Iflcally gathered, computed, tabulated and honeetlv dlseemlnated so that they are as reliable aa anv forecasts cn he. Br their sld the merchants and traimftc-lifrera traimftc-lifrera of the country caa act with a degree de-gree of prudence and Intel Man-e that would ba Impossible without tnl Information. Informa-tion. If during the growing season the reports Indicate a full wheat crop for a la rare area, merchants know that they can rive liberal lib-eral orders for roods to ba handled some months later. The msn-tfecturers roosted far from tba wheat Aelda know tha'. iere will he heavy demanJ for aich M thetr product a aa ara used nv thoea dependent upon the wheat Industry- The rnllrnadr: know that thay will have heavy fretha to transport and nan arrange their eervloe to accommodate It. Tba same la true to i a greater or leaa decree of cotton corn, tobacco, oata and various other cropa. If tha reporta ara unpromising, rvllabta Information In-formation la of even mora Imnortattca to trade, for when conditions ara unfavorable, unfavora-ble, merchants, manufacturers and trns-I trns-I portatton companies muat move with a , ideanee of caution not neceeaary undr en-: eouraaina eondttlona. it Is do protect tha inaMeilsi rxf sill ( Km mnrNtaa fSMVliltl Ti.T the lesuance of these reports. I The data upon which tha reports Is I based la obtained through a special Held! service, a corps of state ststlsti-sj aaents and a la rare hodv of voluntary rorreaDo orients ori-ents la the foiiowlna f"ur claaaes: Count 1 correspondents, township correapooden rs. Individual rarmera and cotton correspond -anta. Ths speciel field aervtca Includee aeventeen travellns ajrrnts alio aach raport ra-port for a separate a roup of states. There are forty-five state statistical asente. each of whom reporta for hla own atat., Theae atattaticeJ aerenta maintain a corps of cor-reapondenta cor-reapondenta in the different rojntU-e. who make monthly reporta dlrectlr to him independent in-dependent of thoea renoriliMC directly to the department of arl njlture. There are ?.0OO aarivuMural counties In tha country, in each of vhlch the department depart-ment haa a special correspondent. In townships where aarl-ulture eaneclfilly tertre the department haa a correapotident who makes that own hip the geographic heal a of hla report. In addition to theae there are thou sends of Individual farmer and planter who voluntarily report upon the results of their own operations. Mu. li valuable knowledae la also xalnej from ovrr sooo mills and grain elev.rors bt tb oountrv. A large n timber of persons Intimately eonerted with toe cotton business act aa apecial cotton correepondents and supplement sup-plement the . Information gained from j other sources. Hla spH.-laI cotton reports ere laaued during the growing season. I retail? aa to the acreage and yield per acre ara acquired from the Ust of cotton gins supplied tnrDUxh the courtesy of I the 1'nlted Htatee census bureau. Tha value of the cotton reports to the public Is very great. Tba reports Issued by tha department protect the country from the misleading ivpotta of speculators. If false reports depreas the price of cotton a aingle cent per pound tha cotton growers grow-ers would Voee f.UO0.(MA. If price a ara , improperly advanced the manufacturer j and a'lted interests would ba affected I proportionately. For the transmission of Information th department lee i tea a large number of dlf- fercnt rheduie. Theae ara printed upon different colored neper ana cut in various .shapes to simplify the worfc of sssort-Ing sssort-Ing them. Perhaps one month the corn reports will coma upon yellow paper and the wheat reports upon red. while tha acre of spring wheat may be upon a qua re sheet of paper and that of oata upon an oblong sheet. Tha preparation lor these monthly reports after the Information In-formation is secured Is Indeed a heavy I task. In order to prevent any poaalbillty of I prematura Information being circulated from reports upon speculative cropa they I a re aent to the secretary of agriculture , |
