BUREAU OF AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS. 161 



OFFICE OPENED AT FORT WORTH. 



On December. 1922. a branch office Avas located at Fort Worth, 

 Tex., and a news service begun for the benefit of the local trade. 

 Reports are also disseminated through the press, commercial tele- 

 graph companies, and by radio. 



A limited service was given on livestock at Atlanta through co- 

 operation with the Crop Estimates Division. During the present 

 fiscal year a more complete service will be possible at this and other 

 points. 



NEWS SERVICE ON WOOL REGINS. 



Weekly reports on wool conditions throughout the range States 

 were secured through the bureau representatives for the producing 

 areas during April, May. and June of this year. This information 

 was assembled and transmitted by wire to the division's branch 

 offices for mimeographed release and for general publication. A 

 mimeographed publicati(;n. Wool Xotes. has been issued on the 

 first of each month. This carries information on conditions and 

 ])rices in the United States and abroad, a review of wool conditions 

 in the farm and range States, a summarized statement of monthly 

 consumption of wool, and detailed figures on imports of wool at 

 Boston and Philadelphia. Quarterly stock reports were continued, 

 showinff the stocks of wool in the hands of dealers and manufac- 

 turers. 



WIDE PUBLICITY FOR CURRENT INFORMATION. 



Without additional cost to the Government a very much wider 

 dissemination of the information on prices and market conditions 

 l\ns been secured. Special reports are prepared by this division for 

 both the United Press and the Associated Press to send to the various 

 newspapers subscribing to their service and for the Western Union 

 and the Postal Telegraph companies as a special feature in their 

 Commercial News Dispatch service, commonlj' known as the C. N. D. 

 service. Radical changes were made during the year in the form of 

 the reports furnished these press associations, and it is generally 

 accepted that the reports have been greatly improved. Branch offices 

 l^repare special weekly reviews of livestock market conditions for the 

 Associated Press. The distribution of these reports through the press 

 associations makes it possible for practically every newspaper reader 

 in the country to have access to the bureau's market reports without 

 delay. 



LIVESTOCK STANDARDS WELL RECEIVED BY TRADE. 



Results obtained during the year in connection with the develop- 

 ment of standard grades for livestock were gratifying. Standard- 

 ization of grades for these products has been given attention since 

 the inauguration of the livestock market news service in 1917, but 

 did not attract attention of producers and the trade until the past 

 year. Not only have many inquiries been received regarding the 

 work being done, but there has been a demand for literature and 

 demonstrations to show how the standards might be applied in actual 

 practice. Leading trade journals have manifested an active interest 

 in the subject and one of them conducted a vigorous campaign for 

 the purpose of educating its leaders as to the need of a standard 



