Connecticut western news., 1900-02-01
THE FARMER AND THE CENSUS.

 that may arise between the questioner and questioned and it is earnestly hop ed that every farm owner an manager who chances upon this article will read it carefully and make some preparation to facilitate the work of the Bureau. To begin with we can eliminate the few questions pertaining to the condition of affairs on June 1st, 1900 as the special object of this paper is to indicate the scope of the chief questions in their re- lation to the crops of the year 1899.
 The leading questions are as follows: l. Acreage of farms and tenure of the same.
 3 The quantities produced whether of grain, vegetables, fruits, plants or | other crops.
 8. The value of all products Estimated value of all farm pro- ducts (sold, consumed or on handD for year 1899.
 5. Amount expended for fertilizers 6. Amount expended for farm labor (exclusive of housework) including value of board furnished
 '. Value of all of the farm products reported which have been fed on the farm to animals and poultry. 8 Total acreage devoted to raising small fruits and vegetables 9. Square feet of land under glass in | greenhouses and ot-bouses for devel- | oping the growth of vegetables, fruits, plants and flowers
 10. Value of all vegetables, fruits and nuts.
 II. Value of all wood, logs. railroad ties, telegraph and telephone poles, ma. terial for barrels and other forest prod ucts out or produced in 1899, whether sold, consumed at home or on hand June 1st. 1900.
 l2. Amount of cider, vinegar. etc., produced.
 IS Acres of land devoted to raising | flowers, seeds, trees, plants, etc., and amounts received from their sales. IA Amount derived from the sale of | live animals raised on the farm. 15. Market value of meat and all other animal products, of all animals slaughtered on the farm for home use or for sale and the receipts from the | sales of hides and carcasses of animals dying from disease or accident. 16. la) Report as sold. all milk and cream delivered to cooperative cream. cries and factories. but do not report butter or cheese made in factories and | creameries.
 (b) Total value of all milk, cream, butter and cheese produced and | consumed on the farm. ... IT. Value of poultry of all kinds and all ages raised in 1899, whether sold, c 'nsumed or on hand June 1st 1900, to- getber with number of dozens of eggs produced in 1899 and their total value IS. Number of pounds of wax and honeyiproduced and the value of each. CENSUS DEFINITIONS. A Farm Is the land under one man. agement. though consisting of different tracts, upon which agricultural prod. ucts of all kinds are produced. In re. porting the acreage, value and crops, other lands used in connection with them. no matter of what kind, should be included even though they may be in another enumeration district. h short each farm proprietor or manager should report all the land under his i'm mediate management, apd none that i. under the management of another.
 Market Gardens. All considerable market, truck and fruit gardens. nur. series, etc. should be reported as farms, but not so with family gardens on city and village lots, the products of which are used exclusively for home consump. tion.
 Values. Values reported in this schedule should always be those of To. Cal markets. The values to be reported for crops and products of 1899 are the amounts for which the same were sold or for which they could have been sold, on the farm or at the usual market town, when they were harvested ol made ready for use or sale. Values should be given in dollars only.
 The Grains including corn are those harvested after ripening. The quanti ties called for, for all grains excepting corn, are those of threshed grain Where unthreshed grain has been fed tc stock include its acreage, quantity rais ed and value in that ot the thresheC grains of the same kind. Quantities ot corn reported may be for shelled corr or corn in the ear, ,as is most convenient but not for bOtb shelled and in the ear
 As this is the season during whici factories and creameries close up tht years business, Director Merriam sug gests that before doing so they prepar, detailed statement Of tho quantity O milk or cream purchased and tn, amount paid for it; the amount of but ter or cheese produced; the amounts re ceivfd from the sales of each; tn, amount of capital invested in plant anc machinery and the amount paid fol wages, etc The items should be varied properly to fit cases where factories O crt ameries are cooperative.
 A plan has been formed for taking al early census of horticulture by mail, or special schedules and to tabulate ant publish the returns thereof early, whil, other branches of the great work O enumeration are in progress. Thi special schedule is not elaborate o
 complicated and may be filled ont by any florist who keeps a reasonably ac curate run of his business.
 In doing as much preliminary worl as possible, Director Merrism is il hopes both of lessening the difficulty O obtaining statistics and of increasing their accuracy when collected Tn, fsct that there are over five million farms, gardens, ranches and stock ranges in the United States conducted under widely differing conditions of eli mate and soil, all of which must be ac curately enumerated and tabulated shows the magnitude of the undertak ing and the absolute impossibility of satisfactory result unless the farmer are ready and willing to cooperate witl the Bureau.
 The per sal of the foregoing will a once impress upon the reader its mo tive. At the present time the amounts and values of 1899 crops are at the far mer's tongue-tip, whereas five month, frf m now, provided he keeps no bool accounts, the details may have slipped