Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-10-20
ESTIMATING THE CROPS.

The law of supply and demand enters
into practically every situation of bust
ness nature. Agricultural
Sunnlv an1 " speaking, it enters to
| a far greater extent than
UemanQ. in any other connection.
Prices of agricultural products are pr
marilv governed by that law. That
means that if wheat is plentiful prices
will be lower and likewise with all other
farm products. Consequently
hooves the farmer to keep posted as to
the production of the country at large SO
that he will have knowledge of values
when he sells his crops Also, the con-
sumner wants to know the same thing, as
we'll as the middleman.
The work, then, of keeping the Ameri-
| can farmer consumer and middleman
posted Isl an important task, one which
/ Uncle Sam has assumed for many years.
The office having charge of this work
is known as the bureau of statistics, and
is one of the branches of the Depart
ment of Agriculture. The work con-
sists principally in gathering all facts re-
lating to crops and issuing the result once
month in the form of a bulletin, called
COO copes are issued.
The bureau Of statistics can be likened
| to a huge spider web. In the middle
! sits the king spider. the Washington
office, under the direction of Victor H.
| Olmsted. Branching off, like the tiny
i field agents, forty-eight state statistical
agents and 100000 voluntary correspond
ents.
/ Il
Since the work of gathering and dis
terminating this data relative to crops is
of such vast Importance to
EARLY the farmer it is but nat
| rrA ural that it should have
been among the earliest eff
forts of the Department of. Agriculture
The first appropriation for col Getting
agricultural statistics by the department
was provided in 1863, and was included
in the bulk appropriation of $4,000 for
the entire department. The commissioner
of agriculture allotted part of this
amount for statistical work. and appoint
ed statistician for that purpose. Two
years later the first separate appropria
ton for this work was made. $4,000 At
the present time the average appropria-
ton amounts to about $240,GOO
There are approximately $500 counties
of agricultural Importance in the United
States. In each of these counties the
department has a principal correspond
ent, assisted by several others, ali Of
whom are chosen with special reference
to their qualifications. They make the
county the geographical unit of their re-
ports, and, after obtaining data each
month report directly to the department
here. About $1,000 township correspond
ents. located in the principal producing
centers. also report each month. Toward
the end of the growing season approxi-
mately $4,000 mill and elevator operators
report.
In each state is a statistical agent. as
sisted by corps of correspondents, work
ing independently from the county and
township correspondents. The assistants
who tabulates and summarizes the data
thus obtained, and from this prepares
his report to the department. The spe-
c1al field agents are the remaining threads
IN the web. They are continually travel
ling, each agent having supervision over
a certain territory, noting the condition
iof crops, keeping in touch with the best
informed opinion and sending written
and Geographic reports
| X X
! The Washington or executive office
consists OF the crop reporting board, and
the divisions of domes-
| washington tic crop reports, pro-
| nm duction and distribution
OAAUe' and research and ref
Ierence. The crop reporting board con-
sists of four members and the chief Of
the bureau and has charge of estimating
the important crops. 1he data upon
which the bureau bases it's monthly re-
port come from four sources Independent
from each other; the county and town.
ship correspondents, the state agents,
and the special field agents. Consequent
ly each class of reports is used a
check against the others. This board
deals with the work Of securing the final
general report. The division of cro1 re-
ports has charge of sending out the blanks
used by the various classes of CORE
spondents, and of tabula ting the SUISSE
Quent reports for the use of the board
The division Of production and distr.bu-
ton extends general survey over al
agricultural conditions and accomplish
mentS in the United States and the rest
of the world. The division of research
and reference has charge of the editing
of the monthly Crop Reporter as wei as
all other bulletins issued by the bureau.
| The reports for each state are tabu-
lated and compiled, after which the figure
| for that state is computed. After the
! reports from the different counties are
| tabulated a true weighted figure for the
| state is secured by taking into considera-
|
| acreage or production Of each county in
| the state bears to the total acreage or
production of the state. The weighted
| figure showing the value of the county is
| applied to the acreage. yield per acre, or
condition, whichever it may be, and
from the totals of the weights and the
1 extensions a weighted average for the
| state is ascertained.
| The actual reports are given out the
| first part of each month. In order that
| the information may be available
| throughout the United States simulta-
| neously they are put on the wire at a
| specified time and thus delivered to those
| desiring them. A mimcograph statement
| containing abbreviated statistics is i'm
medately sent to the newspapers, and
| printed cards bearing the essential facts
| concerning the most important crops are
| mailed to the 1900 post offices through
out the country for public display. Inn
medately following this mode of issu-
ance the Crop Reporter. an .eight-page
publication, is printed and mailed.
| Five general classificatiOns covered
by the Crop Reporter-cereals, forage
grasses, fruits. vegetables,
Reporting live stock and miscellaneous.
1 al "a