Show FARM i CENSUS AM V K since there is misunderstanding on the part dart of some farmers in this locality as to the usefulness of the information as to hos hog production and crop obtained from the cards distributed tri buted by the rural mail carriers postmaster roland A madsen has requested the box bos elder news to publish the following statement furnished him by the united states department oi of agriculture these surveys are made with the help of the rural carriers who either cither distribute the cards to a certain number of farmers along their routes with the request that these be tilled filled out or the carrier fills out the card himself by interviewing the farmer the carrier is instructed to get information from farms which will give a good average picture or sample of jarms farms on his route preferably by taking all of the farms along a part of his route big and little good and poor owned and rented it if a fair sample ot of all farms la Is re turned in each state figures tor for those these farms amis sho should uld sh show ow the sime same changes as all farms it is impossible to take an actual census enumeration of 0 all farms each year so changes in production and acreage each year must be estimated from samples the nearer these ailese samples are to being exact the more correct will be the estimates the need and value ot of such information for individual farmers and agriculture in general hardly need be stressed without dependable antor anfor mation as to actual production and trends of production both of livestock and crops more balanced production and better belter market distribution are impossible the department of agriculture is the best qualified agency to undertake I 1 such work but the accuracy ot of its estimates depends upon the accuracy of 0 the returns made by farmers the beneficial effects that such information may have upon price is shown by the level of hog prices during the winter of 1924 25 compared to the previous winter the pig surveys of june and december 1924 showed a decided decrease in hog production in 1921 compared to 1923 mark ting I 1 however during the winter from the I 1 1924 cra crop were almost as large as the j I 1 previous winter and in december and january were the highest on record in spite ot of these heavy hog prices were to 3 00 per hundred higher than during the winter before the heavy were rightly interpreted as being an early marketing of 0 a smaller number ot of hogs caused by a short corn crop and not as indicating a correspondingly larger number ot of hogs but unless these estimates can bo be kept dependable the trade will disregard them and will be guided either by private estimates or by actual as these take place therefore every farmer should help to make these reports accurate by making the report for his own farm complete and accurate |