The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1923-06-27
U.S.. CROP REPORTING
best in The WORLD

Every year brings abundance of
crops to some parts of the world and
failure and threatened famine to 9TH
ers. Food must be brought from the
regions of plenty to feed the multi
tudes in the region of dearth. To ia
cilitate this distribution of food all
over the world to places of need, de-
pendable knowledge of the crop pros
/ poets is essential. It must be quick
ly obtained and issued
Practically all civilized countries
now maintain some sort of crop re-
porting system, but the United
States, the greatest agricultural
country in the world, appropriately
maintains the largest and most COM
prehensive national agency. It's ser
vice is the oldest, having been organ
lied more than go years ago. The
excellence and t~horoughness of the
work in this country has come to be
recognized abroad and a number of
countries have recently sent repre-
sentatives to study our system with
a view to adopting features suitable
to their OWL conditions. Argentina
has. recently secured the loan of Mr..
Leon M. Estabrook, chief of crop re-
porting service, to reorganize it's crop
reporting system.
The American system is based upon
a plan of extensive sampling. Over
$4,000 crop correspondents distrlb-
uted throughout every agricultural
county in the United States send in
to the department. of agriculture a
monthly report for their localities.
This brings under personal observa-
ton a very large proportion Of the
! total farm area. About twice that
many correspondents report less fire.
quently on special subjects. About
100000 send reports monthly or an
nually, giving the condition of their
own farms. In addition, the crop re-
porting service has in each state q
trained stitisticians to make specia.
Investigations and to sample large
areas by personal field inspection.
The high average intelligence anC
{ spirit Of public service in this coun.
try makes our system possible be.
cause in no other way would it be
1 practicable to secure such reliable
first-hand information so inexpens-
( lively. These representatives make
) their reports with no expectation Of
/ compensation
: Through the work of the crop esti
mating service of the department o.
I agriculture the condition of the crop:
4 of this country. in per cent of nor
Z NAL crop, is determined monthly
! From this the forecast yield per acr,
is computed, from a study of ths
8 ratio of condition to yield in pas
years. These forecasts ma var,
5 widely from final yield, s ~subsequen
4 conditions influence development, bu
8 at harvest time estimates of the yielt
( are usually accurate to within
Z small per cent for all importan
4 crops.
3 To supplement these data, record
are collected of cotton ginnings, mil
z receipts, shipments from countr,
q points, official inspections. and an
nual state enumerations of acreage
Z planted. Besides acreage, yield an,
production the service collects an
publishes data covering quality, va
riety. grade, farm stocks, prices
Z wages, labor supply, ETC. Livestoc
data are gathered just as thorough
z " and accurately. Comprehensive
records of the movements of livestoc
are being accumulated as . basis 70
q later forecasts of probahle movement
q The great amount al aetaiI in1ol
Z uAaton secured III oar syBtexn' make
! 4 the nioss valuah@ system for il