The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-07-16
FACTS CONCERNING CROPS.
How Statistics Are Cleaned by the
Agricultural Dernrtrncnf

lif NV lN4oiE tE sotiIl~tftS 81 inc ipt--
partment Of Agriculture issues each
month, February excepted, detailed state
ments relating to the existing agricultural
conditions throughout the United States,
the data upon which these statements are
based being obtained largely through vol
untary correspondents The chief reIi-
auce for the ascertainment of conditions
is placed upon three principal corps Of
correspondents. namely. county CORES
Pondents, township correspondents, and
State statistical agents
Statements relating to live stock and
the principal farm crops. except cotton,
are made public on the 10th Of each
month, the cotton statements being is
sued on the Cd of each month during the
growing season. In order that the infor-
nation contained in these reports may be
made available simultaneously through
out the entire United States. and that by
reason of quicker mali service the terri
tory adjacent to washington may not
have an advantage over that at dis
lance. the Statements are sent out by
telegraph. In order that the figures may
be placed within each reach of the farm
or at the earliest possible mernents.
cards, containing the principal features Of
the report. are printed and mailed 10 ev-
- y tf1saLtile+@tEI III jIGllfu STATES W III
in from four 20 twenty hours of the time
that the statements are stelegraphed, with
instructions that they are to be COnspicu-
ous}y posted for the Information or the
public
There are IN the United States. approx
mately, 2.75c counties Of agricultural i'm
portauCc. IN each of these counties the
department has a principal county CORE
Spoudcut, who maintains an organization
Of three assistants. eHril covering a spe-
cihsd territory. These county CORE
spoHdcuts are selected with special refer
encc to their qualifications for the service
an" constitute most efficient branch Of
the crop-reporting service. Facilities are
furnished the principal correspondent to
enable him 20 obtain regular reports from
his assistants These reports he tabulates
mt the end of each month. supEie1nenting
the information thus obtained by his own
observation and knowledge Of the situa-
ton. and the consolidated report is sub
mittcd 20 the statistician. Although there
Is no compensation attached to the posi-
ton, an average Of about 80 per cent of
them reports monthly.
The list Of township corresoondeuts
comprises from six to fifteen individual
correspondents iu each county. These are
distributed geographically throughout the
county, the number being dependent upon
the size Of the county and its Importance
in production The correspondents on this
list report directly to the statistician.- the
schedules fer county and township CORE
spondents being tabulatcd by clerks in
Washington.
This hist embraces a regularly appoint
ed saiaried State statistical agent in each
Of forty-thFee States. II being the duty Of
ess'-f1--to report upon agricultural coadi-
tons fer his own State only. Each Of
these agents maintains a special list OF
correspondents over which he has entire
control, completely covering the state
and averaging IN total numbers from
p TO 500 c0rresrC ndents each. according to
the size Of the State and its statistical
importance These State statistical aides
report direct to the State agent Seized
ules are carefully tabuIated and weighted
according TO the relative importance Of
each county represented and the summa-
rized report submitted to headquarters on
the It'll Of each month. From States west
Of the Mississippi River the reports Of
State agents are teIegraphed in cipher
Each Of the three lists mentioned above
is kept entirely separate and distinct. no
one individual being allowed to serve up
on any two of the lists.
The reports referred TO above are
brought together in convenient form on
the Sth Of each month and the stat:stician
is thus provided with three separate Is
Inmates covering the same territory and
the same crops, made by. separate corps
of correspondents, each reporting for a
territory with which he is thoroughly IA
miiiar and from these results the Statis-
tician complies his own estimates. The in
a. -.
pIemented by the reports of saIaried sre-
ciaI field agents who systematically ira
verse the producing portions of the coun-
try. procuring all possible data and care
fully anaIyziug the situation
Information with regard to final yield
per acre is further. obtained from reports
received from a very large corps Of in
dividual producers each reporting for his
own farm only.
The total number Of al classes Of cor
respondents in the Crop-reportiug serv-
ice aggregates nearly 259.e@-
In all tabulatE0us careful attention is
paid TO the weightinE Of the figures sub
mitted so that each county and each
state may have its correct and proper
influence in the determination OF the total
for the State or for the United States.
according to its Importance The Stats
ties are compiled with the original census
figures as a basis. the acreage and pro-
dJct3On being carried on from year to
year by the percentage method
Correspondents are asked to report in
percentages as compared in the case Of
acreage or production with that Of the
preceding year and IN the case Of con
ditiou with Il normal condition. Yield
per acre and price per unit OF quantity
are of course. reported guantit4tIve!v
With regard to cotton, the information
obtained in the manner referred TO above
Is supplemented by that furnished on
special schedules by list Of special cot
ton correspondents embracing a ve-y
large number of persons intimately CON
CeTned in the cotton industry. a COM
piete list of cotton ginuers. and further
list Of cotton planters. each REPORTING,
for his own plantation This method Of
Investigating cotton production Is. how
ever. employed only for the purpose of
making preliminary statement. the final
figures being derived from statistics of
movement and consumption obtained
from transports ton companies port Of
GciaIs, and mills This final report can
not be completed until after the close Of
the commercial cotton year August 81