20 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



Elko and Eeno, Nev. ; Arlington, Va. ; and Great Lakes 111., and 

 also to 53 stations operated by State agricultural colleges and other 

 broadcasting agencies. As a means of getting market information 

 to the country the radio is growing to be quite popular. This sort 

 of service is still in an experimental stage, but gives promise of great 

 future development and usefulness. 



INCREASED ACTIVITY UNDER THE GRAIN STANDARDS ACT. 



The volume of business handled by the offices of Federal grain 

 supervision during the past year surpassed by far that handled in 

 any previous year. This is especially true of appeals from inspec- 

 tions originally made by licensed inspectors. During the year 

 31,689 appeals, or approximately three times as many as the pre- 

 ceding year, v^^ere handled by the department. In addition to the 

 handling of appeals on complaint of parties to commercial trans- 

 actions, supervisors work in close contact with licensed inspectors, 

 aiding them in inspection problems and in applying the standards. 

 A total of 175,896 supervision samples were handled during the 

 year to check the work of the inspectors in order to secure correct 

 and uniform application of, the Federal standards. 



The large and steady increase in demand for appeal service, as 

 well as the desired supervision of inspections not made the subject 

 of appeal but to secure correct and uniform application of the 

 standards, has taxed to the utmost the personnel in some of the 

 offices in the larger markets. This situation had become so serious 

 by the close of the past fiscal year that it was found impossible to 

 handle the volume of work, which by its very nature must be 

 promptly and efficiently executed, on the available funds. To avoid 

 a breaking down of the efficient organization which has been per- 

 fected, the only alternative was to contract the service by closing 

 field offices. Although serious protest was made by trade organiza- 

 tions and individuals, it has been found necessary to close four of 

 the branch offices. 



ADMINISTRATION OF THE UNITED STATES WAREHOUSE ACT. 



During the past year there has been an unprecedented increase in 

 the number of applications received from warehousemen who operate 

 on a large scale for licenses under the United States warehouse act. 

 At the beginning of the past fiscal year there were licensed 238 cotton 



