The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1925-10-09
CROP BOARD DEFENDS
ESTIMATES

The United States Crop Reporting
Board, answering criticism OF its
September 23 cotton report, an
nounced to-day that it stands fairly
and squarely behind it's reports and
accepts full responsibility for them.
THE Board realizes at all times,
the statement says, 1.-THE magnitude
of this responsibility and the neces-
sity always to act upon the evidence
before it. 1t calls attention to the
fact that critics are free to make any
estimate they wish based upon as
much or as little evidence as they
may have. Statements that the
Board erred in certain reports are
frequently merely expressions OF
opinion based upon scant evidence
and superficial observation"
The complete records OF the
Board are on file at the department;
the Board pointed out, and members
of Congress and others have fire.
lauently been invited to inspect them.
These records contain the date upon
which the September % and earlier
reports were based and "refute the
insinuations which have been made
that the Board is affected by out
side influences in arriving at lts
forecasts.
The Board declared in connection
with it's report issued September 23i
that every source of Information
available to the Board, including
reports of township and county cor.
RESPONDENTS numbering many thous
and. which are received direct at
Washington, the reports OF the
thousands of field correspondents
who report to the State statistieians
the reports of the State statisticians
themselves based on personal field
observations and inquiries, as well
as estimates from key men in hun
dreds of counties as to the number
of bales of cotton likely to be pro-
duced in their own counties, showed
material increase in the probable
crop outturn as of September 16
compared with the previous report.
Furthermore, the Board added, Q
careful analysis of the ginning re-
port, which the Board had before 1t
in making it's last estimate, combined
with estimates from the cores.
pondents as to the percentage OF the
crop picked and ginned to Septem
Der 16, fully confirmed the data
received from other sources.
Contrary to some of the state
ments which have appeared to thu
effect that the crop was going to
pieces, many correspondents ane
State statisticians reported that the
yield was turning out much better
than expected in some States an6
that the recent rains had helped the
late crop in some sections" the
Board said. when the September
/ report was issued excessive drought
and the threatened invasion of mum,
erous insects in various sections
gave decidedly pessimistic tone te
many of the reports received. This
pessimism was largely missing from
the reports received for the Septem.
Der 16 report, except in North Caro-
lima, Tennessee, Missouri, Arkansas
and Oklahoma, where a decline ir
crop prospects occurred"
The function of the Board, it is
pointed opt, is to review carefully
all of the evidence before the Board
and to arrive at the best possible
estimate of the crop as it appears
from the data available. A majority
of the Board which makes the cottor
report arrive at Washington from
the cotton belt the day previous tc
the report, while the other members
OF the Board make frequent trips tf
various sections of the belt where
conditions seem to be uncertain
Every member of the Board i.
thoroughly familiar with the meth.
DDS used in estimating the crop, tho
Board said, and most of them have
had many years experience in Tho