30 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



able under the act. The department has since received requests 

 from many sections for licensing warehouses for the storage of 

 beans, eggs, and other cold-storage products, apples, potatoes, and 

 many other products. Just as fast as the necessary trained men can 

 be found to add to the staff, warehouses for the storage of additional 

 products will be proclaimed licensable. 



MARKET NEWS SERVICE EXPANSION. 



This year marks the first substantial expansion in the market news 

 service of the department since the funds were curtailed at the close 

 of the World War. For the present fiscal year Congress increased 

 the appropriation for this work by nearly $300,000, this increase 

 being granted for the purpose of extending the service to the far 

 West and to the South. On July 1 the leased wire was opened to 

 San Francisco, passing through Denver and Salt Lake Citj^, and on 

 September 1 a similar wire was opened to Atlanta, Ga., passing 

 through Richmond, Va., and Raleigh, N. C. Offices at Los Angeles 

 and Portland, Oreg., were opened on July 1, and are reached by 

 radio and commercial wire service from San Francisco. 



New branch offices were opened in both the West and South to 

 collect and disseminate market information. While this expansion 

 does not restore the nation-wide system that existed during the war- 

 emergency period, the extension to the far West and to the South 

 are making our market reports available to a very large number of 

 producers. This extension has imposed a heavy burden upon the 

 working force in the larger market centers, however, and further 

 additions to these forces will be necessary in order to maintain the 

 scope and quality of the work. 



Before the extension to the Pacific coast can be of the greatest 

 usefulness it will be necessary to increase our program by reporting 

 a number of crops, such as prunes, which heretofore have not been 

 covered. Urgent demand has been made upon the department also 

 for the reopening of branch offices in a number of important eastern 

 markets, but until additional funds are made available it will not be 

 possible to meet this demand. 



RADIO NEWS SERVICE. 



Radio broadcasting as a means of disseminating market informa- 

 tion has been given a thorough trial during the past year and has 



