The Washington herald., 1909-08-08
ATT OW'S crops?" is a universal
question during growing time
and harvest
By Wa1don Fawcett


Everybody asks it, but the only ind
vidual who undertakes TO give universal answer
is our Uncle Samuel, personifying the national
government Once every month Uncle Sam tells
the country the exact status of every crop that Is
growing north south. east west in winter
or summer He gives the acreage, he gives the
condition of the growing produce, and he ast
mates what the total yield will be.
Before Uncle Sam gives all this informatior
he first asks ten thousand men in fifty thousand
different localities in the United States "How's
crOps? When he gets their answers all OF them
on practically the date, he and his statis-
ticians classify them, put them together properly
and then make a grand answer that covers the
country as whole. Everywhere await this
answer, which is given month and the
great grain markets of the world influenced
by It, while industry and commerce regulate their
activities in accordance with it,
This important work, which is growing more
and more important is done by the crop report
ing bureau of the department of agriculture at
Washington. Large sums of money expended
annually to keep the farreaching organization of
the bureau perfect and to protect, in every pos
Stble way, the accuracy and secrecy of the work
1t must be accurate and it must be secret Errors
would make the monthly reports on crop cond-
tions than useless-detrimental. Leaks on
what the report will be in advance of its publica-
tion, would mean the encouragement of disreput-
able speculation. The Importance of secrecy was
emphasized some months ago when scandals arose
in connection with alleged leaks in the reports on
the cotton crop, and the alleged of advance
information for Illicit speculation.
The beginning of crop reporting.
vision for the collection Of agricultural statis-
tics upwards of two-thirds of century ago or more
than score of years before the department of ag-
ricuture esttglished, but the fundamental
principles of the plan much the same as
now, elaboration having taken place as expansion
and improvement suggested.
Probably the most picturesque feature of the
system of governmental crop reporting is found
in the cooperation of an army of nearly $50 900
farmers, bankers, merchants, cotton ginners
agents of transportation lines, mill and elevator
proprietors and other persons who are in a posi-
tion to have inside information regarding the
crops. All of these men glad to help the gov
ernment by contributing the data from their re-
spective localities, for the reason that each is de-
sirous Of knowing, at the earliest possible mo-
ment, the extent Tin the whole country of the
crop in which he is interested Moreover, a ma
1ority OF these growers and dealers have only
Uncle Sam to look to for such information. Some
OF the wealthy operators able to pay for the
services of private statistcians and crop report
ers to furnish them advance tips" to condi-
tons, but for the most part the producing inter-
ests are dependent upon the government
The field marshals of the American crop re-
porting army comprise thirty-eight state statsti-