Evening star., 1937-04-17
Bureau Once Provided for
Records of Population
Reaches All Forms of HUI
man Life in Great Period
of Humming Speed.

census reports. These laws are
strictly enforced. Only sworn census
employees can see your statements.
Data collected are used solely for
preparing statistical information con-
corning the Nations population, re-
sources and business activities.
Your census reports cannot be used
for purposes OF taxation, regulation,
or investigation" And the last SEN
tence is In capital letters.
This is the major reason why the
United States Government has been
able to compile such reliable stats
tics with regard to its own state.
In the year just passed the bureau
has completed a census of agricul-
ture that is of vital importance to us
nationally; they have completed a
census of manufacturers and a very
comprehensive census of business.
The census of agriculture is taken
every five years. This last one is re-
ported in three volumes.
THE census of manufacturers is
taken every two years, 50 that
another will be due in 1887. Another
census of business has been author
lied for 1910. This business census,
unlike the others, is not scheduled
on permanent basis. One was
taken in 1929, another in 1888 and
the last in 1885. The population CEN
sus is taken every 10 years. Since
the last was taken in 1880, another
is due in 1910
All manner of interesting data are
disclosed by these censuses. They
do, in very truth, record the pulse Of
the Nation. The latest agriculture
census, for example, indicated that
great changes had taken place in
American agriculture since the 1880
farm census.
Among these changes are noted
such things as the actual movement
Of farm population; the material
increase in the number of farms,
arising partly from a change in in
dustrial conditions and the resump-
ton of farming by townSfolk formerly
engaged in agriculture: the contrib
uting growth of suburban and part
time farming; the change in the
proportion of farm crops grown.
particularly the increase in vegetables
and fruit as result of new knowledge
Of dietary needs and development OF
good roads and automobiles. other
interesting changes have to do with
tenancy, particularly in cash-crop
areas; the frequent movement from
farm to farm; the inevitable advance
in farm mechaniZation. with the con-
tinued recession in the numbers OF
work stock: the changes IN the utill-
zation of land and increased use OF
pasturage; the advance in the num-
Der of cattle, notably in COWS MIXED.
and the readjustment Of crop acreage
due to acreage control and unprece-
dented drought.
The importance and significance
Of new crops was another RAGS
brought to light by the recent asri-
cultural census Soy beans and tung
nuts were shown to be offering fields
for cooperative effort. When first
introduced in 1904 the soy bean was
used primarily as forage crop Tor
hogs and by 1909 there were 1923
acres Of 1t under cultivation. During
the last 5-year period, the census
shows. it has grown to the status OF a
major crop. with 5,692,236 acres
grown alone in 1884 and 1886, 243
acres grown with other crops.
Similarly, only IA farms reported
$50, 900 trees Of tung nuts In 1886.
Ten times this number were reported
In 1885.
Other interesting facts the census
has disclosed have to do with the IN
creased industrial uses being found
for various crops and by-products in
the manufacture Of alcohol rs fuel
for internal combustion engines and
ir the manufacture Of plastics. In
such ways is greater cooperation be-
tween agriculture and business estab-
lShed.
4 MOTHER field Of statistical In
formation that can be turned to
the benefit Of the farmer who has
always had to face the hazards OF
| nature is the data having to do with
accurate records Of the net total de-
struction Of crops due to drought,
flood, wind, hail, fire, insects, crop
diseases and similar natural misfor-
tunes. Such destruction ran in ex-
cess Of O,000, 600 acres, or about one
sixth of the total crop area, for 1884.
Damage in the primary drought area
was far in excess Of this. In the words
of Census Bureau officials, 1T is our
conviction that the census data on
crop failure and crop yields furnish
| two of the essential bases upon which
a system Of crop insurance must rest.
as there is no other place where the
total net crop loss is obtainable."
The manufacturing census brought
| out equally as interesting facts i'm.