The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1908-05-02
WANTS MORE RELIABLE DATA
Indian Territory as Yet An Unknown Field TO State
Board of Agriculture.


The state board of agriculture today
issued Press Bulletin No 2 showing
the crop conditions on May first which
aie very bighI for this years yield.
The report is as follows.
The work OF the state beard OF
agriculture relating TO statiaies for
the month ending May LIST. 1908. has
been particularly IN Tie nature og or
ganizing a corps Of capable crop cor
Respondents. On April 10th, "a eircu-
lar letter was sent TO each township
assessor IN the former Indian Terri
tory section OF the new state in or
der TO enlist. If possible, his services
as crop correspondent for his respea-
tive township. The duties OF a crop
correspondent We're outlined 10 him
and he was furnished a return postal
card provided with blanks for his sig
nature ana address. A similar circu-
lar letter with a return postal was
sent 90 each of the crop correspond
ents who acted as such for the ter
iitOrial board of agriculture, in or
der TO make sure that they would be
willing TO continue IN such capacity
thus signifying his desire TO assist
the state board of agriculture as ei-
ficiently as be had done the former
territorial board. In all about 1000
letters were sent ont, and at ihis inc
approximately 200 cards have been re-
turned
The state board of agriculture has
q sincere desire TO secure accurate
aud reliable data as tG crop acreaee,
production and conditions in Oklaho-
ma and has urgent need of a work
ing corps of correspondents, particu-
lary in the former indian Territory
section of he new state, whore we
have no returns from assessors on flio
and where. even the United States
panment of agriculture has not
gathered information from localities
but by general estimates from the
territory at larre on the Oklahoma
Territory side new state, We
are more fOrtun assessors have
made annual reitr..s OF he acreage
and production of farm crops for the
year previous; have reported the con
dition and number of animals by mu-
nicipal townships, and during The
growing season the crop corespon
dents have furnished Information
which Is computed upon tie assessors
returns as a basis. Thus the iniorma-
tion Is carried forward; is reliable
as it came from the farmers them
selves and is. in turn, distributed for
the information of the public.
IN receiving replies from some Of
ouy proposed correspondents IL IS
worthy Of mention to note that som
farmers, or classes OF farmers, refuse
10 act as correspondents for any as
ricultnral department giving as their
reason that they do not propose 10
furnish information on the acreage
production and condition Of the grow I
ing crops for the use of the specula. |
tor and manipulator Of marked prices. /
Such farmers and classes of far
mers do not appreciate he value of (
reliable statistics to them. They fail [
10 consider the state and federal de- I
partments OF agriculture as The |
greatest factors In keeping q check !
ON Wild speculation and manipulation !
of the crop reGarts They lose sigh
Of the fact that the spectators a4.G 1
large manipulators of the markets !
are IN closer touch with agricultural |
conditions than any state or federal |
department can hope TO be. They |
employ paid agents to secure for |
them definite information as to the |
acreage and condition Of craving |
crops, and it is short sighted pol
icy for the farmer. when he has a |
chance TO protect himself to refuse |
to give Information to a state or
federal department whereby his re- /
port win serve as "a check upon Ipll /
false and speculative reports.
Instances. too numerous TO men
tion, are on record, whore. were il I
not for the exact conditions being re-
ported by u,e federal department /
the prices OF the various crops would /
have bean put so low that the farmer I
could not realize the cost of prOduc- |
tion of his crop
We do not expect, as a state board /
OF agriculture. to carry on such a 4
system of crop reporting as is car
ried on by the United States depart [
mcnt OF agriculture, for two reasons I
First, IL would be a useless duplica /
tion of work, and, second, Oklahoma (
as yet cuts but little figure I'm the !
market centers as crop producing /
state True. oklahoma produces n I
vast amount of agricultural products I