BUREAU OF AGRICULTUEAL ECONOMICS. 145 



pasture condition figures, were used by stoclimen as an index to prospective 

 marlietings and condition of livestoclj. 



(2) Numbers of cattle expected to be sold from New Mexico and Arizona for 

 spring delivery and from all Western States for fall delivery ; also numbers 

 of sheep expected to be sold for fall delivery from the chief western sheep 

 States. 



(3) Calf and lamb crops of the first half of the calendar year 1923, also 

 losses of sheep and cattle for the same period. For some States also market- 

 ing and slaughter of cattle and sheep. 



(4) Number of cattle and sheep on feed in December, 1922, and January, 1923. 



(5) Weekly reports of numbers of fed lambs marketed from Colorado and 

 California during March and April. 



Movement of cattle from the Southwest into Kansas, Oklahoma, California, 

 and Colorado, spring of 1923. 



Special reports for individual States included: Cattle for market from the 

 Flint Hills section of Kansas ; goats and mohair in Texas ; pasture condition 

 in each county of California, monthly ; percentage of fat cattle for market 

 compared with previous year, for Oklahoma. 



SWINE REPORTS INDICATE PRODUCTION OF HOGS. 



The special swine reports on the spring and fall production of 

 pigs and intentions to breed which were started in the spring of 

 1922 in cooperation with the Post Office Department have proved a 

 real success. In the spring of 1922, out of 500,000 schedules sent 

 out to the rural carriers in the 17 States on which to gather infor- 

 mation direct from the farmers, nearly 300,000 were returned. 

 Based on the returns of these schedules a report was issued on June 

 25, 1922, which attracted a great deal of attention and which later 

 developments showed to be approximately correct. Schedules were 

 sent out and another report was issued in December similar to the 

 one issued in June but covering the entire United States, and a 

 third report was issued as of June 1, this 3'ear. 



These reports have demonstrated their value as an indicator of 

 the number of hogs that may be expected at market months in 

 advance of the time wiien the report is made. The forecasts of 

 intentions to breed are also of direct benefit to farmers and should 

 become an important factor in stabilizing the supply. As the work 

 develops and the weaknesses in the method are discovered and 

 eliminated, it is believed that the actual number of pigs available 

 for market can be forecasted many months in advance with a high 

 degree of accuracy. The economic value of such information can 

 not be questioned. 



MONTHLY LIVESTOCK CHANGES REPORTED. 



Another line of investigation in connection with livestock report- 

 ing has been actively pushed during the past year, namely, the re- 

 porting of changes taking place from month to month in the 

 livestock population on farms. These monthly reports, which cover 

 cattle, sheep, and swine, show the number of each species of live- 

 stock on the farm on the first of the month when the reports are 

 made, and for the previous months, and the following information : 

 (a) Births, (h) purchases, (c) sales, (d) deaths, and (e) number 

 slaughtered on the farm. The demands for the results of this in- 

 quiry are numerous. So far, reports have been only for the United 

 States as a whole. State details not being given. The data for the 

 past years are now being reworked for the purpose of furnishing the 

 information by geographic divisions as well as by States. 



