The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1919-11-27

together about 800 guests now occu-
Nv the halls in addition to 120-odd
employees.
Getting Crop Statistics.
The United States maintains
crop-repOrting organization that util-
ICES the services of more than 150-
600 persons. Distributed over the
country are 40 salaried field agents,
one I'm each state or group OF
small states. These field agents are In
the classified civil service and are APP
pointed only after passing civil serv-
ice examination to test their educa-
tonal and statistical qualifications.
Before they are permitted to take the
civil service examination they must
show that they have had at least five
years practical experience in farming
and education equivalent to a four
year course in an agricultural college
or at least threeyears responsive
practical experience in work involving
statistical methods or statistical In
quiry.
Each agent enists the voluntary
services of several thousand selected
correspondents in his state, who report
to him every month regarding the
crops grown in the state. At the close
of each month the agent makes up
detailed estimate on the crops in his
territory and forwards 1t to the Wash
ington office.
In addition to the field agents, the
bureau employs ten crop specialists
for particular crops and truck and
fruit. These crop specialists are of
the same high character, experience
and educational qualifications as the
field agents and each devotes his en-
tire time to investigating the single
crop for which he is responsible.
Volunteer Crop Reporters.
A third class of reporters are the
voluntary county crop reporters, APP
proximately $500 in number, each OF
whom reports for his county each
month on printed schedules directly to
the bureau. The county reporters base
walton and inquiry and upon written
and telephone reports to them from
aids in different portions Of the coun-
ty. A fourth source Of information Is
the voluntary township reporters, one
for each agricultural township in the
United States. approximately 30,220
in number.
Additional sources of information
exist in the bureaus special lists of
growers of particular crops, apd in
other lists of buyers, dealers, mills and
| elevators, producers and shipping as
sociatiOns, and other agencies engaged
| in handling, manufacturing, transport
ing. storing and distributing crops. The
returns from each class of reporters
are tabulated and averaged separate
ly as a check, one against the other.
The county totals are Weighted; that
is, a county which produces five times
as much of n particular crop as an
other receives five times the import
ance of weight" OF tho other county
in determining the average for that
particular crop,
Every possible precaution is taken
TO prevent the totals for any of the
so-called speculative crops, such as
corn. cotton, wheat. oats, etc. from be-
coming known to any individual prior
to the date fixed in advance by the
secretary of agriculture for the issu-
ance Of the crop report Even the tab
ulators and computers who make up
the totals do not know the states to
which the totals pertain, and the final
telegraphc reports and comments Of
the field agents relating to the specu-
lative crops are kept locked in the Of
Zee Of the secretary until crop-report-
ing day, when they are turned over to
Il crop reporting board, and the en-
tire board is Immediately locked IN m
iii the minute that the report Is issued
to the public, guards being stationed
at the doors and all telephones dis
/ connected