Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1889-07-05
AGRICULTURAL.


The June report Of the department Of az
riculture shows a high general condition Of
the crops throughout the country, with a
probable increase in the acreage Of wheat
and oats There is prospect Of medium
crop Of apples IN some sections, but in the
districts Of large production it is generally
poor. In New England and New York the
bloom was not up to an average, aud un-
favorable conditions have further injured
the prospect for a good crop. The reports
indicate less than an average crop Of peach
cs in Delaware, and a doubtful average in
Maryland.
There is promise Of more than an aver
age hay crop for the country at large. The
condition Of pasture grasses is very high in
all the New England and middle Atlantic
states from Maine to Virginia. The great
er part Of the region commonly designated
as arid has apparently been well supplied
with moisture and what is remarkable is
that some of the driest territories like Ar
iona, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming,
are among those which have been so favor
ed.
The department has in progress a new
plan for collecting data upon which to base
an estimate of the area of crops and Of to-
tai production In answer to a circular
asking for suggestions of new schemes foI
crop reporting or supplemental methods &c
the present official system of the depart
ment numerous but generally unsatisfacto
ry replies were received but plan was
adopted which is described in the monthly
report for June as follows:
One suggestion was made by the CONNER
cial editor of a very influential paper
which has sometimes been unsparing in it,
criticism of official crop reports which has
point and pertinency. He proposes test
of area and product by actual returns OF
individual farmers for the present and the
past year, ON the assumption that the rec
ord Of tenth of all the farms in a given
district will fairly represent the whole He
would thus give to reports a representa-
tive character and fact basis, eliminating
"guesses' as much as possible. He refers
to the action of the law of averages in life
and fire insurance, which guarantees profits
on dividends from a study of mortality Of
a certain proportion of cases which repre-
sents reliably the whole, and assumes thai
the principle will work satisfactorily il
crop reporting.
This plan has been used heretofore off
cially, notably in tests of the area of cot
ton some years ago, after a series of disap
pointing underestimate returns. The re
suit in that instance was an estimate o
area within 90, 600 acres of the census re
turns which aggregated nearly IA, 800, OO
acres. Equal closeness could scarcely b.
expected again, but the trial inspired 1T
little confidence in the use of this auxiliar.
in reporting.
The names of over 100, 900 farmers hav
already been collected, and circulars hav
been sent to each, in the hope of making
further test, on grand scale, of the posi-
bilties of this means of correcting our es
Inmates of area of principal crops. II sat
isfactory, a similar essay of the question O
product may be made.
Any expedient that presents a reasonabl
probability of improvement should be will
ingly undertaken, at whatever cost of labo
or money.