The Detroit times., 1913-09-02
W>hat the Government Is Doing

sistant Secretary Galloway expresses
II. the magazine will be published
every little WHILE" just when II 10
thought that special information on
crop, weather and market conditions
Is desired by farmers. The articles
are TO be written In popular style,
and the promise Is made that they
will be made interesting enough 10
make the farmer want to read them
In preference to all other literature,
after the days work Is over. Al
though the new publication will be
issued as magazine, II will be In
cluded officially as one OF the series
OF farmers bulletins of the agricul-
tural department. and may be obtain.
ec on request like other printed doc
uments.
The second important innovation
TO be made within a few days In dis
seminating information on agricultu.
raj conditions throughout the country
will be the establishment Of q teie-
graphic news service which will, In
part, take the place Of the old style
crop reports which have been issued
during former administrations. This
Is an entirely new feature In govern
ment publicity methods, and il ex-
pected to be OF great service to farm
ers In all parts Of the United States.
DR.. Galloway has held number OF
conferences during the past week with
Prof. Charles +. Marvin, the chief Of
the weather bureau, and a plan for
starting the service Is now practi-
cally completed.
The new service will make for both
speed and economy in putting out
crop Information. Skeleton reports
OF crop conditions In q state will be
forwarded to the states central
weather bureau station. At these
central stations the government al
ready has an equipment Of printing
presses, and when the crop figures
are telegraphed from Washington.
where they are sent by the hundreds
Of trained crop correspondents, thsy
will be inserted In the blank spaces
In the skeleton reports, duplicated
and mailed to all the papers over the
state. BY preparing skeleton reports
in advance it becomes necessary to
use the telegraph for sending only
the newly gathered figures, and the
expense Is kept very low. 1t Is esti.
graphing the figures for each crop re-
port will average only Is cents III
each state.
Under the old plan II took many
days for the crop figures to be gath
cred, for the reports to be edited,
printed and mailed out over the coun.
try, and when received often the
news was stale and of little or no
beneft to farmers. Under the plan
on which the telegraphic news SER
vice will be organized all of the pa
pers In a state will receive stimuli.
taneously In the mail the crop report
containing facts and figures gathered
In Washington and telegraphed the
previous day. The preparation and
distribution of the future crop reports
will require only small fraction OF
the time necessary to get the Ola
style reports to the people.
Both the Agricultural Outlook and
the new telegraphic news service will
do more to inform farmers and others
interested In agriculture on crop con
ditions and general farm news than
any other medium of disseminating
agricultural information which has
ever been adopted by the gov
eminent, in the opinion Of oflicials OF
the Department of agriculture. Fur.
Their development of the system OF
crop reporting by correspondents sta
toned in all parts of the country Will
be stimulated, 1t Is thought, by the
special weekly letters carrying farm
news, which are now mailed. out to
more than $4,000 crop correspondents
and others who are interested In az
riculture and food production In the
United States.
Publicity IL playing an important
part in the present administration OF
the Department of Agriculture, and
both Secretary Houston and Assist.
ant Secretary Galloway take the stand
that farm information gathered ny
the government Is Of little value un-
less It Is widely disseminated and
placed before every possible reader
who is interested In farming and crop
conditions.