36 ANi^UAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



marketed with increasing amount of trash and foreign material. 

 F»r example, with respect to hard red spring wheat produced in 

 the central spring-wheat belt, records covering a recent crop move- 

 ment show that there was marketed with the wheat over 10,000,000 

 bushels of trash and foreign material. This is a burden upon the 

 producer of wheat and represents an economic waste which this 

 department has been working to overcome with a view to putting 

 more dollars into the farmer's pocket for the wheat he produces. To 

 accomplish this, the department has developed a cleaning device de- 

 signed for attachment to threshing machines. Educational work is 

 being carried on to bring about the general use of this device and to 

 demonstrate the value of marketing clean grain, as it will insure 

 enormous financial benefit to the wheat grower. 



AUTHENTIC FARM POPULATION STATISTICS. 



A detailed study of the movement of farm population in eight 

 rural counties of the United States from census reports of 1920 is 

 practically completed. This study, to be published by the Bureau 

 of the Census, will furnish authentic information as to shifts of 

 population from farms to villages and cities and vice versa, as well 

 as " moves " from farm to farm in various sections of the United 

 States. 



FARMERS' STANDARD OF LIVING STUDIED. 



The main purpose in connection with studies on the farmers' 

 standard of living is to determine what farm families use and what 

 they pay for the various materials such as food, clothing, rent, 

 fuel, and other things. Another purpose is to learn what propor- 

 tion of the expenditure goes for each of the various classes of goods 

 consumed. Still other purposes are to obtain information concern- 

 ing living conditions actually prevailing in certain selected areas 

 and to determine the relation of success of farming, of value of house 

 and its furnishings, and of several of the more social factors to the 

 family living. Such information gathered from various parts of 

 the United States is needed by institutions attempting to direct agri- 

 cultural development on a sound basis. It will help to answer some 

 of the questions regarding the advantages of city versus country life, 

 so far as the material well-being of the families is concerned. 



