Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1913-06-14
CROP REPORT
100000 People
OF Vital importance to eusi-
ness Welfare OF the
r. Nation.

-
.->>s>>>>>e~>se>>es&>>>>sS
brought together BY st1Ass and, In con-
Junction With the reports from the DE-
Ipartmsnts salsrisd dsad agents and
state statistical agents, form TIE b1sis
Of 1acA ol III EnoDtAly Eepox1s issued
By the bunsau. Of statistics. The divi-
sion of domestic crop reports tabulates
and computes the result. q ali the re-
portD received from the various classes
OF voluntary coerospondents.
Despite the fact that these voluntary
correspondents receive no pay, they
seem to Ike the work, to Judge b. the
length Of time they stick to It An in
quiry. made In January. 1912. showed
that Of the entire list Of county CORE.
spondents IS per cent had served more
than ono year. 81 per cent more than
two years, ~ per cent more than six
years. q per cent more than eleven
years. 4 per cent more than twenty-slx
years and per cent more than thirty
six years The average length of serv-
Ice of all the county correspondents
was about seven years.
The department considers this sta
bility Of service az evidence Of high
standard Of quality. It believes that
careless or Indifferent farmers would
not take the pains to report, month
after month and year after year. with
out being paid
How Reports Are Handled.
All the reports of the state stalls
teal agents and special field agents
are sent directly. to the secretary Of
SION those of the reports which deal
with certain crops Of q highly specula-
i've character-corn. wheat. oats and
cotton-and does not turn them over to
the bureau Of statistics until the morn
ing of the day when the bureau Is to
issue its report. But the reports on
other crops are delivered by him to
the bureau as soon as he receives them,
to enable their tabulation long enough
in advance Of the preparation OF each
crop report to render them ready for
use when they are needed The pre-
caution in the case Of the speculative
crops was adopted as result Of the
cotton leak" scandal Of some years
ago. when advance information got out
to interested parties.
The reports Of the voluntary CORE
spondents are tabulated and computed
and the results turned over to the chief
Of the bureau of statistics to be tabu-
lated in connection with the reports
Of the state and special belasagentA !.
Precautions Against Leakage.
+ When the monthly crop estimates
are finally made additional precau-
tons are taken against leakage. The
crop reporting board which does the
nnal work, consists Of i've members.
with the chief OF the bureau % chair
man. and its personnel IL changed
each month. The meetings are held in
the Office Of Chief Victor II. olmsted,
and the doors are locked and oil the
telephones disconnected.
It may be said that, after al and de-
spite the numerous correspondents who
check one another up. the reports on
crops issued by the bureau Of statis-
tics cannot be mechanically exact
since they are gathered from the con-
illusions Of farmers. interviews with
mercha nts, etc. This II true. The re-
ports do not purport to be other than
estimates. They are not the results of
actual enumeration. az are the figures
reported decennially BY the census bu-
reau.
But. while they may not bs exactly
accurate. as no estimate can be, they
are given as the best available data
and represent the fullest Information
at the time they are made.
The government has been doing the
work Of collecting agricultural statis-
tics for fifty years. but the present
broad scope Of the work - matter OF
only q few years. It was widened
into fits present large neld under secre-
tary Wilson and multiplied many times
in size and efficiency ir the last six or
seven years