The Kemper herald. (Scooba, Miss.) 1875-1908, 1907-08-08
WANT BETTER
CROP REPORTS
PLAN TO IMPROVE CROP Els
TIMATING.
AGRICULTURAL GEMS US
Congress Will be Urged to Have Cen
sus Taken Every Five Years, Ques
tion is Under Active and Very Per-
tinent Discussion.


to secure from the next Congress leg
islation designed to provide bettar
crop reports than have heretofore
been available. The subject is already
under active discussion, and from now
Dn it will undoubtedly be canvassed
with the committeeman who are TO
have charge of the subject. Among
the changes that are to be attempted
are the establishment of better
census basis for crop reports, the
provision of improved acreage statis-
tics and the establishment of definite
relations with the new international
Institute of Agriculture.
Within week after the assembling
Of Congress a bill providing for the
next decennial census Of the United
States will be introduced. This meas
ure will, of course, cover all of the
usual topics relating to the census,
but it is expected that it will also pro-
vide for regular five year census
Of agriculture and possibly for some
method Of securing annual returns as
to agricultural conditions. The five
year census Of agriculture has been
urged for a good while past and IS
regarded as necessary if there is TO
be sound basis for crop reporting.
With the system Of percentage esti-
mates that is now employed, and with
no Means Of correcting the figures
from year to year, there is an una
voidable tendency to wander from
the correct estimate as the end of the
ten year period approaches. This can
be obviated only by having a more
frequent census base of estimate. The
Importance of the latter has further
been considerably enhanced since the
Department of Agriculture began TO
rely directly on the census returns,
thereby giving them recognized
place as the foundation of the inter
vening estimates for crops.
There seems to be relatively little
doubt that Congress will be disposed
to consider the five yesr census with
favor. Some criticism Of the idea has
been offered during the past two or
three years largely because of the IN
opportuneness of the time for taking
the proposed census. When the bill
for the next decennial census is taken
up the opposition will probably sub
side in view of the desirability of the
plan from a scientific viewpoint.
Much more doubtful is the pro-
posal which will be pressed for pro-
viding an annual acreage census for
principal crops. This has been can
vassed for long time in connection
with the faulty crop returns Of the
Bureau of Statistics in the Depart
ment of Agriculture, but there has
been no result. The cost, it has been
believed, would be too great, while
without having what amounted to an
annual census of agriculture there
would be no reliable figures.
Two or three years ago various
plans were brought forward for the
improvement of the situation by tax
ing modified censuses Of acreage, but
none of them was found to be practi-
cable. There may be chance of get
ting Congress to provide for returns
from representative counties in each
state, these counties being selected
SO as to furnish information as to
each Of the principal crops. Or it
may be possible to get returns for a
part Of the acreage in every county.
Either plan might provide a basis for
more accurate estimates of acreage
than are now available and would be
cheaper than an average census.