Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1895-01-08
THE CROP REPORTS.
How Uncle Sam and the Spectators
Get Their Figures.
And How Farmers are SwiadIed by the Latter
Speculation Pointers.


agricultural department has been good
deal worried Of late by rumors that the
crop reports prepared there are given out
surreptitiously in advance for the use OF
certain spectators in the grain markets.
1t is explained that the most careful In
,estiyatiops have failed to show any leaks
In the statistical division, where these re
ports are made up. 1t is further explained
tkat private concerns have actually dupli-
Gated the governments system OF collect
ing information about the crops and arc
able to make their percentages and sell
them to spectators q few days in advance
Of the appearance Of the official reports.
This brings up the interesting question OF
how the government gets its crop reports
There are about 5000 counties in the
United States, and in each of these coun-
ties the government has eight correspond
outs, who once O month fill out blanks
furnished them indicating their estimate
of the acreage and condition of the various
crops. The reports Of four of these OBJ
servers are sent direct to Washington,
while the reports of the other four 60 to
state agents Thus two distinct estimates
are made Up. When the reports OF the
state agents reach Washington, they are
compared with the fluctuations made there,
and certain corrections are made where
they appear to be necessary.
They Get No Pay.
These 81, 900 observers throughout the
country arc farmers who do the work for
tho love OF it. They get no pay from tho
government, excepting certain preferences
In the distribution of public documents
When one man drops out OF the roll, an
other Is always ready to take his place.
Probably the public documents distributed
10 Observers do not amount to much, but
the honor Is considered worth having. In
many farming communities the govern
lnent crop reporter uses his connection
with the bureau as means or gaming So
cial standing. 1t adds to his dignity, prop
erly enough to be known as an agent OF
the government in the responsible and in
teresting task Of collecting Information
concerning tho source Of most of our
wealth 1t Is said ut tho department OF
agriculture that the interest and loyalty of
the farmers who make these reports are
manifested in Il great many ways. Many OF
them travel about in their section Of the
county for tho special purpose of being
able to Judge the conditions more accu-
rately. when men will do this" says
Secretary Morton, sit shows that they
have pride in their calling and a love for
their country and its government. In my
Z Judgment, there Is no other class OF peo-
Die in this land SO patriotic as the farm
ers.
g. Reports For Spectators.
IA, But how does it come these crop reports
are duplicated by private concerns? At the
" horticultural department answer Is made
TINT some one has stolen from the stats
\ teal division the mailing lists which con-
tain the names and addresses Of all tho
correspondents of the department through
out tho country. BY sending letters to
these mon private concerns have induced
many Of them to send duplicate OF their
reports made to tho government to these
Drjyato agencies In this way tho very
saiuo figures used in making up tho gov
erumont reports form the basis of the pri-
yate reports, which arc tabulated and re-
duccd to percentages and sold to specua-
tors 1t often happens that these private
crop reports are identical in percentages
with those issued a few days later by the
\ Guvernmont, aud this has suggested to the
- anipulators of the private reports tho
Nsfdea that they may sell their wares to bet
(sfer advantage by claiming them to be fig
4 tsrcs from the ofllci;A reports surrcptitiou5-
iy obtained SPECTATORS in the grain mar
Eets eagerly SNIP up these figures, as they
awe n certain advantage over their rivals
in the market. An those things go TO
show tho truth of the adago that specula-
ton in grain and stocks may bo u good or
u bad thing to The mHn en- tho inside, but
is suro TO bu ii bad thing for the man on
tho outsidc.
4 member Of congress from the west
tells me that there has CT lato been 4
mania among tho farmers Ct that section
for speculation in corn. 1t Is easily OK
planned, - he says. Tho farmer raises corn,
hos il to sell, is constantly studying the
market reports and after a time begins to
think ho knows something about 1t. Ii
he makes one or two lucky guesses as to
how tho market is going with reference to
disposing of his own product, what moro
natural than that ho should conclude he
can beat tho market at Chicago and make
money a great deal more rapidly than by
raising corn and hauling it to town. In
tho end he goes in, intending to take q
flier only at first, but once he gets in he
is gone If ho hits it right the fist time,
ho wants more and If he gnesses wrong
he wants to make even. In either case he
keeps going until tho men on the inside
get his money. ~ pfomiheHt opeldooi vi
the Chicago board of trade told me during
the Christmas recess, when l was out
home, that during the last six months OF
1894 Chicago has scooped cool $40, 600.
900 out OF the farmers of the west on spec
ulatiyc deals in corn alone. Here we have
the remarkable fact" concluded tic con.
gresham, that the very men who raise
corn and who one would naturally suppose
know more about it than the men who
have nothing to do with that product are
the rank suckers, while the city chaps get
the swag"
Winter Horse Racing.
One of tho disgraces of the national cap
ital is the winter horse racing that is car
ried on here went over to the track the
other day merely to satisfy my curiosity
as to what might be found there. The
weather had been cold and stormy, and
the track was covered with ice and snow,
A lot OF old plugs Of horses were trotted
out and sent around tho track, while BOO
or 800 sports shivered and watched them
after having put their money in the hand:
OF tho bookmakers. A few days ago q
number of horses fell ON the icy track. and
one Jockey was fatally hurt, while two
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