The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-11-14
WILL COMPILE FARM CENSUS Federal Agent Writes of
 Plans. TO BE TAKEN IN APRIL Every Data Regarding Agriculture
 Desired. Commissioner wiIkinson Appraised of Arrangements Perfected By Au- tAority of Consress-wM
 Be First Census
 of Kind.
 Z

After much correspondence with the Federal departments at Washington. Commissioner of Agriculture J. A. Wilkinson has received information regarding the farm census which is to be taken next spring as authorized by Congress.
 The statistics to be. acquired by the census are to comprise every conceiv- able bit of information regarding farm life and farm resources.
 The correspondence grew out of the Alabama Commissioners request for accurate data concerning Alabama ag- riculture. The article which came in reply from Washington is comprehen- sive. covering the extent and purposes of the census It was prepared under the direction of LeGrand, Powers. chief statistician for agriculture. It contains a history of former abortive attempts to gain statistics. and of the hope which is held out that this att tempt will be successful. The letter Is:
 The Farm Census of 1910.
 The first census of the United States was taken in the year 17so. At that time no country in the world. with the single exception Of Sweden. had ever made a complete enumeration of it's inhabitants. The monarchs of the great Euporean nations possessed gen. eral information concerning their mill itary strength, but neither they nor their subjects had any accurate knowledge of their total population or industrial resources. Even Great Britain did not take a general census until the year 1901. although she re- quired most of her American colonies to enumerate their inhabitants several times during the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries. Such an emu meration was made in Connecticut aa early as 1T5e.
 The representative form of govern ment established by the Constitutional Convention made a periodical census of population necessary for purposes of apportionment. and constitutional provision therefor was duly made. Tn compliance with this provision, the First Congress. at It's second session, passed an act authorizing the first Federal Census to be taken as of Au- gust 1. 179O. The schedule prescribed was very simple and concerned itself solely with population. James Madi- son. then a member of the Lower House, argued strongly for the col- lection of, information regarding the occupations of the people, holding that such data would be invaluable to those who in after years should be called upon to. legislate for their country, and would enable them to adapt pulp 1ic measures to the peculiar circum- stances of the community. Madison's argument providing for a broader cen sus was defeated in the Senate, and 1t was not until thirty years later that any inquiry concerning occupations was made.
 The census of 1900, also, was re- stricted to population. In 1910. g fair ly complete census of manufactures was taken. This was still further en- larged in 1920. but was omitted entire- ly in 1880. Agriculture was not made a subject of census inquiry until 1850, although in 1S4o a few questions were asked concerning cereals. live stock, gardens and nurseries. in connection with the report on products of indus- try.
 Pounds Statistical Bureau.
 It was a Connecticut man. Henry L. Ellsworth Commissioner of Patents, from 1836 to 1s45, who founded the agricultural statistics of this country, and to him credit Is largely due for the establishment of our great Nation al Department of Agriculture. In 1886 he originated the scheme of seed an,