Middletown transcript. [volume] (Middletown, Del.) 1868-current, 1918-02-16
1918 AGRICULTURAL CENSUS

l
Agents, L. C. Armstrong, Director o
Agriculture, the three county superin
tendents, and the three county agents
met in the office of the commissioner o.
education in Dover on February l ant
made preliminary arrangements fol-
conducting an agricultural census fol
the entire state outside of the city
of Wilmington, the work to be
done largely through the public schools
Of the state. A circular letter to the
teachers is being sent out by Commis-
sioner Spaid and letter of instructions
will 60 forth with the necessary blanks
to the teachers within q few days.
Those who have this matter in charge
are anxious that every person will do
everything in his power to help make
this agricultural census success. The
school clerks can be of great assistance
to teachers by going to the school
houses with their assessment lists, and
parents also can greatly help by maxi
ing out their own blanks for the teach
er. This agricultural census is being
made at the request of the federal
government and has the approval of
the Governor and other state officials.
The State of New York has made
such census for two years and expects
to make another during this month.
From the 1917 agricultural census of
the State of New York the following
facts were brought out clearly:
l. Shortage of labor.
2. A poor distribution of seed and
state shortage of potatoes, corn and
buckWheat.
3. Difficulty in getting delivery by
the railroads of seeds, fertilizer and
machinery.
4. An excess of 5000 horses above
the needs of farmers.
5. An increase IN the number ct
dairy cows over last year, but q de-
crease in the number of heifer calves
now being raised.
6. A decrease in the number of
sheep and hogs, and in the number of
eggs being incubated.
z. A very striking increase in the
area of fruit, wheat, beans, vegetables,
alfalfa and corn for the silo, with con-
sequent decrease in the area of land in
grass.
8. In the past eight years there has
been shift of more than 77O, 900 acres
from grass to the above crops.
The real work of making the census
is to begin on Monday, March 4 and is
to last for one week. While it will re-
quire considerable work on the part of
the teacher and her larger pupils the
task will be made much lighter if the
whole community is willing to cooperate.
1t is suggested that Monday. or Tues
day evening of the week should be set
apart for a meeting at the school
houses at which time parents could
greatly assist in helping the teachers
and pupils in filling out the various
blanks.
After the reports in each school dis
trict have been tabulated by the teach
er the various reports will be sent to
the proper authorities and some of the
banks perhaps in each county will be
requested to permit their clerks to use
the adding machines in order to make
the final tabulations for the entire
county. These reports will show for
example, what farmers have horses to
sell, or what localities are in need of
seed potatoes, or have seed corn to sell.
The final tabulations will be given to
the public through the newspapers for
the plan is to make the census just as
valuable to the farmers as it possibly
can be.