The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1909-10-22
WHAT THE CENSUS
WANTS OF FARMERS
Outline of What Will Be Required
Next Spring.
INVENTORIES OF POSSESSIONS
AS Well as Facts and Figures Regard
ing Crops and Live stock-Farmers
Should Begin Bookkeeping Now to
be Able to Give Information.

The census bureau wants the farmers o
the country to do some bookkeeping be
tween now and the 10Th of next April
The experience in previous censuses ha'
demonstrated that statistical information
relating to agriculture is not as reliable al
it should be, because farmers as rule dc
not do any bookkeeping, says correspond
emit of the Boston Transcript. The enum
orators who will start on their rounds the
18th of April will be under instructions tc
gather from the farmers accurate accounts
of their operations during the year ending
Dec. 81. Every farmer also will be re-
uuired to make an inventory OF the date OF
April 10 of all his farm possessions. The
new director of the census believes that il
he can persuade the farmers OF the. coun'
try to begin at once making note OF their
business for this year he will be able to
get together farm statistics that will be of
real value.
The schedule which farmers will be
asked to study will soon be distributed
through farm organizations and other
agencies. The country newspapers have
been asked to help in apprising the farm
ers as to what will be expected of them.
The schedule is to be divided into five
parts:
personal information regarding the
farmer.
acreage, values and expenses.
"a statement of the acreage, yield and
value of all farm crops harvested in 1909
and of all animal products-that is, dairy
products, eggs, live stock sold, etc.
Am inventory of all live stock, includ-
ing poultry and bees, on hand, April l5,
1910.
Miscellaneous information.
Under the head of personal information
farmers will be asked to give their name,
post-olfice address, color or race, age, ma
ton in which born, tenure, Length, of resi-
dence on farm and if tenant, the name
and address of the person from whom land
is leased Each farmer will be required to
state the number of acres in his farm and
the number of acres of improved land
Statements will be required of the value
Of all land in the farm, including buildings
and improvements. Inquiry will be made
of the total amount expended for farm
labor in 1909, exclusive of expenditures for
house work There will also be an inquiry
as to how much was paid out for fertilizer
during 1909. One of the new questions
calls for the amount paid during this year
for hay, grain, and other articles not
raised on the farm but purchased for feed
Of domestic animals and poultry.
Four facts are required to be ascertained
regarding each principal crop grown on
the farm in 1909: The number of acres
harvested, the quantity produced, the
value of the product, and the number of
acres sown or planted or to be sown or
planted for harvest in 1910. Then there
are lot of miscellaneous questions regard
ing the 1909 operations which farmer
answer accurately unless he has
kept some sort of a record. For instance,
there will be an inquiry as to the number
of maple trees ir 1900. the enumerators
will want to know the number of fruit
trees of bearing age, the number of young
trees not bearing, the quantities produced
or harvested in 1909 and the value of the
product The enumerators will also ask
for the acreage and values of all vegetables
grown in 1909; for the value of all fire
wood, fencing material, and other forest
products cut in 1909 for farm consumption,
and the value in lump sum of all firewood,
logs, railroad ties, telegraph and telephone
poles. material for fencing and barrels, or
other forest products cut in 1909 for sale,
together with all amounts received in 1909
from the sale of standing timbers on the
farm.
Inquiry will be made for the number of
animals sold alive in 1909 and the amounts
also, for the number and value of
animals slaughtered on the farm, whether
for home consumption or for sale. Farm
ers are also asked to keep careful record
of the number of animals of each kind pur-
chased during the year and the amount