Evening Republican, Volume 23, Number 22, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 January 1920 — Crop Estimating Gigantic Task [ARTICLE]

Crop Estimating Gigantic Task

Government Bureau Collects and Publishes Much lmportani__ Information. AGENTS COVER WHOLE COUNTRY More Than 4,000,000 Pieces of Mail Handled by Division of Crop Reports During Past Year—Reports Are Issued Monthly. During the fiscal year ended June 30, 1919, the bureau of crop estimates of the United States department of agriculture issued—the regular monthly crop reports, showing estimated acreages planted, growing conditions, yields per acre, and total production, farm prices of different crops for each state and the United States, estimates of total number of live stock of different classes on farms and ranges, their condition, and losses from diseases and other causes. Commercial estimates of the apple and peach crops were made, and the weekly truck-crop news service which had previously been in force, was continued and extended, according to the annual report of the chief -of the bureau. an extract from which is given below. Many special inquiries were made during the year, including-: Quantity of commercial —fertilizers used per acre of cotton and proportion of fields upon which used. Percentage of various crops to which commercial fertilizer and ma* nure was applied and quantity used. Binder twine requirements for the grain crops of 1918 for the use of the Grain corporation. Emergency live stock survey, todetermine the number on farms July 1, 1918. : ’ ~~ ——= Uses made of wheat crop, for the Unltetl States food administration. Quantities of various crops fed to different classes of live stock. Live stock survey of January, 1919. Fertilizer inquiry of January, 1919, to ascertain quantity of commercial fertilizers and manure used for crops. Wages of farm help. Prices farmers pay for equipment, machinery, r.nd supplies. Percentage of farm labor requirements available. Agents Gather Facts. Field agents prepared estimates of acreage, yield, production, and stocks on farms of wheat and corn by counties for the United States Grain corporation, and they also prepared estimates of the value of agricultural production *y counties in each of the principal states for the use of the treasury department. Field agents co-

operated with officials of the department of agriculture, the treasury department, and the state extension services in the states where seed-grain leans were made to fanners in the drought-stricken regions of the northwest and the southwest in the fall of 1918 and spring of 1919. The bureau compiled innumerable statements showing the production, consumption, surplus and deficiency, exports and imports, and prices of important agricultural products for all tne principal countries before the war, and of production and requirements during the war, for the Informatlonbf administrative officials of the department of agriculture, of other federal departments, and various war-emer-gency organizations. Many of these statements were for the use of the department committee on crop production and were used as a basis for the crop-production programs which were recommended. Other compilations were made for the confidential use of the war trade board and for the committees on agriculture in congress. Much Information Compiled. Summaries of weekly reports of the state field agents of. the bureau were furnished for the confidential informa-

tion of the secretary and chiefs of bureaus of the department of agriculture, and after the signing of the "armistice the mailing list for these summaries was extended to include other government officials and senators and members of the house of representatives. Bimonthly foreign crop reports were issued in the spring of 1919 and will be continued. A vast amount of information was compiled and furnished tn response to inquiries received by telephone, telegraph, letter, or personal call of representatives of the food administration, the war trade board, the war Industries board, the military intelligence office of the war department, the tariff commission, the federal trade commission, the council of national defense, other departments of the federal and state governments, congress, and private Individuals. More than 4,000,000 pieces Of mail were handled by the division of crop reports during the year, as compared with 3,200,000 by the same division for the preceding fiscal year, an increaee of 25 per cent. About the same tlve increase was noted in all other branches of the bureau at Washington. In the state offices of field agents the work more than doubled in ths fiscal year 1919 as compared with the preceding year. The issuance by field agents of monthly state crop reports bearing their names which are generally reproduced in all the state papers has made them widely known throughout their states and has resulted In a heavy volume of correspondence. .