REPORT OF THE CHIEF OF THE BUREAU OF MARKETS 



AND CROP ESTIMATES. 



United States Department of Agriculture, 



Bureau of Agricultural Economics, 



Washington^ October 5, 1922. 

 Sir : I have the honor to transmit herewith report of the work of 

 the Bureau of Markets and Crop Estimates for the fiscal year ending 

 June 30, 1922. 



Respectfully, 



Henry C. Taylor, 



Chief of Bureau. 

 Hon, H. C. Wallace, 



Secretary of Agriculture. 



On July 1, 1921, the Bureau of Markets and the Bureau of Crop 

 Estimates were consolidated under the name of the Bureau of 

 Markets and Crop Estimates. At the same time the department 

 made recommendation in its estimates for the fiscal year 1923 that 

 a further consolidation be effected by uniting the Bureau of Markets 

 and Crop Estimates with the Office of Farm Management and Farm 

 Economics. Congress gave favorable consideration to this recom- 

 mendation, and in the act making appropriations for the Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture provision was made for the creation of the 

 Bureau of Agricultural Economics, to be charged with the exercise 

 of all powers and the performance of all duties formerly imposed 

 by law on the three separate bureaus. Although the latter consoli- 

 dation did not actually take place until the end of the fiscal year cov- 

 ered by this report, an informal reorganization was effected by which 

 related lines of work were brought into close cooperation and activi- 

 ties were regrouped in order to secure a more effective organization. 



Especial attention has been given during the year to the prosecu- 

 tion of economic research studies, as it was felt that this work was 

 fundamentally necessary as a basis for recommendations for im- 

 provements in marketing methods. The successful conduct of service 

 and regulatory work also depends upon the bureau's possessing 

 comprehensive and accurate information with regard to marketing 

 conditions. Effort has been made to coordinate the economic studies 

 of the bureau in such a manner that information can be furnished 

 covering each phase of the whole process of production, marketing, 

 and distribution. 



Among the activities which have been given especial attention 

 during the past year were the studies of the costs of marketing; the 

 collection of information relative to agricultural competition of for- 

 eign countries with the United States and the demand for American 

 farm products in foreign countries, and the effecting of arrangements 



505 



