534 ANiS'UAL, EEPOIITS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



general press items released through the Press Service of the depart- 

 ment and by special articles contributed to selected and representa- 

 tive magazines. The press has realized as never before the impor- 

 tance of the bureau's work in agricultural economics and has devoted 

 considerable space to the presentation of the bureau's findings. More 

 than 250 news stories and items of an economic character, ranging 

 from 300 to 1,500 words each, have been prepared for this purpose. 

 Effort has been' made also to place brief informative special articles 

 in journals reaching readers other than agricultural, with a view to 

 interpreting the farmer and his problems to the reading public and 

 acquainting that public with progress made. 



RADIO NEWS SERVICE. 



Rapid progress has been made in developing the Radio Market 

 News Service, and the reception of " up-to-the-minute " agricultural 

 reports either by radio telegraph or radio telephone practically 

 everywhere in the eastern two-thirds of the United States has been 

 made possible. At designated hours each day the bureau furnishes 

 current market news to radio stations at the Post Office Department 

 at Washington ; Omaha and North Platte, Nebr. ; Rock Springs, 

 Wyo. ; Elko and Reno, Nev., for broadcasting; the Arlington and 

 'Great Lakes wireless stations of the Navy Department, and to 

 53 stations operated by State agricultural colleges and bureaus of 

 markets, newspapers, and other broadcasting agencies. Another im- 

 portant development of the work has been the broadcasting from 

 these stations of estimates of crop conditions, acreages, and yields 

 as issued by the crop reporting board. 



This entire work has been conducted at comparatively slight ex- 

 pense to the department, inasmuch as it has involved merely a fuller 

 utilization of existing agencies for collecting and disseminating 

 market news. The reports are made up from the market news on 

 live stock and meats; fruits and vegetables; grain, hay, feed, and 

 seeds; dairy products; and cotton, already passing over the leased 

 telegraph-wire system, and is distributed by radio without expense 

 to the department by various Government and private broadcasting 

 stations. 



MARKETGRAM SERVICE. 



The Marketgram Service consists of the preparation and release 

 of a very condensed summary of the principal information secured 

 by the Market News Service," relative to the supply, demand, prices, 

 movement, etc., of agricultural products. This service is now ex- 

 tended to nearly 2,000 country newspapers, agricultural publica- 

 tions, banks, and other agencies that can give wide publicity to market 

 news. The circulation of these mediums is conservatively estimated 

 at five million readers. 



COSTS-OF-MARKETING DIVISION. 



This work was directed by Dr. H. E. Erdman. The division 

 leader was assisted by A. V. Swarthout. 



Particular attention has been devoted during the past year to 

 the cost of marketing live stock in the Corn Belt States. This study 

 has now been extended to include the southern territory and the 



