The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1920-03-12

ton, values mounting into the tens of millions will come forth or disappear in a few seconds after the crop eSti- mate gong sounds in the Department of Agriculture.
 Crop reports are not issued for the benefit of spectators. The fact that those having to do with the import ant crops affect speculation heightens the importance of absolute secrecy governing them until the moment they are issued.
 That secrecy is probably the most profound that surrounds any govern mental operation. No attache of the bureau of crop estimates is allowed to disclose information bearing on crops, except in the formal ways pre- scribed by law and regulations. Nof is any one of them permitted to spec ulate in farm products.
 The information upon which the es- inmates are based comes from the great army of reporters that has been organized by the bureau. All, except it's expert and directing staffs, are vol unteers.
 Each of the volunteer crop report CTS gives estimates only for his county or community. There are several diff ferent groups. Those of one group deal only with a field agent located in the state. The agent takes the re- ports. edits and consolidates them. nrodfffes them by his own observa- tions and direct Investigations and sends to the Washington bureau con- crete estimates for the state.
 Those of other groups report direct ly to Washington. In every county there is a reporter who estimates for aQ HHR he has a staff of his own, made up O. farmers scattered throughout the county, but with them the bureau doesn't deal. Then in each township, or district of each county, there is an- other reporter who sends estimate for his neislrborhood directly to Wash ington-
 Then there are crop specialists who devote all their time travekng over a fixed territory for the purpose of mak- ing observations and direct inquiries regarding some single crop like wheat or cotton, or truck. All of these re- ports are consolidated and harmon ized in Washington, where they are reduced to simple factors. Only the local ones, like those from county ol township reporters, are worked or daily.
 l But atfer being tabufated the fig ures are cut from the big sheets, SC that the caEculators who do the addins and the averaging never know or what communities or crops they art working.
 Those from fieId agents and spe cialists are placed by the Post Offc, department in special locked bags l which are stored in 8 safe, a key fo l which is carried only by the secretar. and one assistant secretary of agricuI tUre. The contents of these bags arr not disclosed until the morning of tn day the estimates are issued.
 And while they are in process O
 construction with other statistics, ni
 one handling them can conmunicat
 with the outside world. The final fig
 ures are arrived at by a board, O which MT. Estalbrook, chief of the bu
 reau, is chairman.
 The bureau now makes reports ol
 about 70 agricultural crops. A tab
 kept even on the busy bee and it
 product: Reports include prices re Iceived on the farms.
 Thorough reports and detailed esti
 mates are not made on several i'm iportant crops. No complete check
 kept on live stock and practically non
 on poultry, barring the decennia1 cen sus.
 } The great purpose of making Gro estimates is to stabilize agriculture 3 iprOductiOn.