Rensselaer Union, Volume 7, Number 9, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 November 1874 — Farmers and Statistics. [ARTICLE]

Farmers and Statistics.

No class in human society is more interested in accurate statistics of the productions of the earth than farmers; yet they have hitherto paid least attention. Being the great producing class it is of the highest moment that they should accurately Study supply and demand. They, more than any ocher class, depend upon this knowledge for a remuneration of labor. Agricultural productions are largely perishable, and must be sold or lost within a brief period, while mechanical labor results in comparatively indestructible products, which may be kept without injury. Farmers then should strive to know, as far as possible, not only the extent of the demand for a given product, but the area of cultivation required to supply it. Before railroads, undet the old system of transportation by horse-power, markets were mostly local and it required little study to determine the demand and the requisite supply. But now, with railroads across the continent intersecting a net-work of other roads, reaching almost every district, there is a most complete interchange ot products, requiring the crops of the whole country to be considered in the study of supply and demand. “-The new system' of inland transportation has greatly changed the, status of the farmer; he is now become a commercial operator, and to be successful must understand thoroughly the statistics of his business. Much more than ever before will a knowledge of political economy be required by him. And this new education must begin by perfecting a complete system of crop reports The farmer must be the observer and reporter. He alone understands the subject and can judge of the condition of the crops as they progress. As the whole country now is embraced in the daily telegraphic reports and the trade and commerce of one section are dependent upon those of the other, so these crop reports must be conducted upon a general system embracing every crop and every product finding its way into commercial channels. It will require a thorough cooperation of the farmers of the whole country, and this may be greatly facilitated by the assistance of the Patrons of Husbandry. These Granges, numbering 12.000 subordinate societies, reach a larger class of farmers than any otlier organization, and, having a thorough system of inter-eom-munication, any plan adopted could be put in practice in ten days in all pa’ ts of the country where these Granges exist. And as crops are intimately connected with meteorological phenomena

it is quite proper that the Signal Service should take charge of these reports and place them before the people as it does the weather reports. When the Signal Bureau takes this task to perform it will send out blanks to its observers requiring but little writing and greatly facilitating the reports to be made? We believe the Grangers propose the present season to make an effort to ac» complish these reports of grow-ing crops, but we fear they will lack the means to give such frequent publicity to them as is required. They can accomplish the reporting, but we think the Signal Service should be charged with receiving and publishing them as often as once in two weeks. The publication must be prompt and the distribution thorough to fully accomplish the objects in view. This is a national object, benefits the whole people, and the expense should be paid from the national Treasury. But the expense will not be large, as the newspapers will be the mediuin of communication with the people and will publish these reports gratuitously. The telegrams conveying these reports to headquarters will be the greatest item of expense. We hope our present Congress will make some provision for these reports before its adjournment. Agriculture has entered upon a new era, and is in future to be carried on byeducated hands and brains. „ The farmer isto-steptothefront—andoccujythe place naturally intended—first in production, first in employment and honor. Agriculturist.