Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1919-12-12
FARM CENSUS TAKEN SOON.
Farmers Should Begin at Once to Pre-
pare for Visits of Enumerators--In-
formation Confidential


To assist farmers who are over busy
in tho late spring and carly summer
when census returns have customarily
been gathered, the portion of the cen
sus relating to farms will be taken fol
lowing Jan. /, 1920. This is recog
milton of consideration for farmers
which will undoubtedly be met by
farm owners with IN effort to make the
census as complete and accurate as
possible.
The information asked from farmers |
| is taken by the bureau of census of the
federal department of commerce with |
the understanding that the data will
be treated in n strictly confidential
manner. The authorities pledge them
selves to use none of this data as a
basis of taxation and it will not be
made available for assessors. Upon
the other hand, the statements of farm
land under cultivation and crop pro-
duction for the country will be put out
in tabulated form exceedingly useful
to farmers as available for them in
judging the proper moves in regard to
further increases in certain lines of
agriculture. If the planting of APP
pie trees has very greatly increased
since the taking of the previous census
this information will be valuable to
fruit growers. This sort of information
may be obtained for every line of
farming and should be useful to agri-
culture in general
Farmers are asked series of ques
tons which could hardly be enumerated
here, but which lead each to def
mite and valuable portion of the in
formation. Some of the things which
might be noted in advance so that own
ers could prepare themselves in answer.
ling the questions of the census takers
are as follows:
Number of acres, improved and
unimproved land. Total value Of
the farm, Jan. /, 1920. Value Of
all buildings and value of nipple
ments.
If the owner has not taken an in.
ventory Of his implements or machinery
for some time, it would be we'll to take
; it before the census representative
, comes around, for otherwise it will be
necessary to make u wild guess, and
Everyone will be benefited by an ac-
curate census.
The owner of land will be asked con
corning financial cncumbrances of the
estate and the amount of indebtedness
and rate of interest paid as of Jan.
!, 1920. He will be questioned as to
the amount of hay, grain, or feed which
were purchased for his farm animals
during the past year. He will also be
J asked to state the value in dollars of
the fertilizers purchased in 1919, the
5 amount of money paid out for farm la
Dor and the estimated value of board
furnished those laborers and not paid
/ for in cash.
al Another item upon the census blank
which will make a farm inventory very
much needed is that requesting the
. number of cattle, horses, sheep and
swine produced in 1919 and owned on
Jan. 9, 1920. He will be asked concern
ing the, amounts and prices received
v for the various products turned off the
farm in r19l9,, including milk and milk
5 products, surplus animals, crops and
maple products, if they form part of
k the farm income.
d A unique question which appears in
!. this year IS QUESTIONABLE is in reference
: to cooperation. Each farmer is asked
to state the value of products sold from
/. his farm through farmers co-opera-
@ tive marketing organization. He is
!, also asked the total value of farm sup
q plies purchased in 1919 through a
farmers cooperative purchasing asso-
citation.
y Although the above questions are but
n rough and incomplete summary of
y the census blank as applied to farming
y yet they will supply brief explana'
= ton of the major items upon the ques.
tionnaire If this years census is to
be complete and is to represent the
lie great growth which the farming bust
II ness has made in the past decade, every
Is farmer must begin at once to prepare
1t his answers to these questions and be
lie ready to assist the census taker wher
s. he comes to the farm early in thu
l. year.