Saturday news. (Watertown, S.D.) 19??-19??, 1915-04-29
THE CENSUS TAKERS
HAVE NO SNAP FOR
THEIR WORK IN 1915
Must Ascertain How Many
Eggs Each Farm Pro-
duced Last Year
Farmers Asked For Many Details
That Have Never Been
Recorded.

The taking of the state census this
year is fraught with greater respon-
sibilities than ever before in that a
systematic effort will be made to
show in detail a mass nT information
concerning farm ownership and farm
products hitherto unaeeounted for in
the state census.
Doane Robinson, snperinte of
census, has issued a booklet of in
structions to the various county audi
itors and through them to the assess
ors upon whom will fall the task Of
4 taking the census.
John S. Johnson, auditor OF Coding
ton county, incidentally suggested to
representative of 81 the Saturday
News that the assessors Will need to
exercise extreme care in getting the
information called for by the state
census department,
Farmers Asked for Details.
8 had something to do with
s4..ss irrfn Id my early boyhood days
said Mr. Johnson, aI appreciate what
the farmer is up against in supply
4 ing the details sought by the census
enumerator don't suppose one
farmer in hundred could tell off
Aand how many dozen eggs 1wers
produced on his farm in 1914, or how
&. many pounds of milk, or the exact
number Of pounds OF butter.
cucumbers, Turnips, Reets.
And this is but The beginning. !.
continued Mr. Johnson. The farm
er will be asked how many bushels
Of cucu1nbers he produced, how many
bushels Of turnips, beets, melons,
peas, beans, carrots, and all the 9TH
er vegetables which the average gar
den PRODUCES but which the average
farmer never takes into consideration
in computing his crops. These
things are for family use, and he Is
no more likely to measure out the
Il bushels or estimate them than is the
average townsman likely to count the
number OF radishes which his garden
produces. :
And Yet But Beginning.
And SO we might continue on
through the category OF the entire
output Of the farm. 4 observed the
county auditor, fpr we find from
Mr.. Robinson's printed sample that
not only is infor lion Upon the top
4 les mentioned called fol, but detail
ed facts are sought IN each instance
with reference to each roluct--corn
wheat, oats, barley, rye, and all
seed. timothy seed, other grass seeds,
and so on; then follows forage crops
Of ali descriptions, including not only
the acreage but the tons grown cat-
Tie, horses and stock of all kinds,
including poultry and its products
Vegetables of every sort and variety,
and all kinds OF fruit concluding
with, the number of acres of natural
81 artificial timber If there is a NY
& t,hing grown OF produced that the
census department has omitted from
the list it is obviously an oversight
and don't think anything has
been overlooked =
Begin to Think bout 4.
s.The main point right now K con
cluded Auditor johnson, lis for the
citizen OF South Dakota. and espec-
tally the farmer, To begin To run over
II, his mind the details concerning
/ that was produced on his farm in
1914 and the number uf livestock on
hand on May /, 1915, SO that he may
be prepared to assist the census de-
partment in getting the! desired infor-
s nation.
II know. of course. that no neon,
siderable portion Of the information
given will have to be based argslyS
upon memory sor estimates but M
4 sioubtedly the farmers will be able
1 to approximate III each instance SO
1 that the general average will be sub
! stantia1ly correct 4
OwnersbIp and Terantry
No begin Vii til, ia gathering the
farm statistics, the depar nent is3
seeking to ascertain the relative
ownersalip of the farm lands ii the
state. Not only is the farmer asked
whether he is: the owner but also,
not the owner ether he pays cash
& rent sor Is Operatin the faTna on
shares, OF whet her he the alaris
Il ager; and t fhe teTan At hs keds
ae f0 the tenure sss s 3
AS ne county asaditor snggsstss
there 1xsa 30 many Of hese Title q O. 81
ails IA He'd 3or that The axefa Sc Ell 81
I sen beiy hl
bf,dl be ailf htsa
& may fanil fe the 6f the cen
sns Wll1an s,ls