BUREAU OF AGRICULTUEAL, ECONOMICS. 173 



Until February 23, 1923, the act applied only to cotton, grain, 

 wool, and tobacco. On that date the law was amended to apply to 

 such agricultural products as the Secretary might consider properly 

 storable under the act. Already the department has received requests 

 from a number of sections for licensing warehouses for the storage 

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

 peanuts, pecans, canned goods, broomcom, onions, cottonseed, cane 

 and maple sirup, flour, sugar, hay, and other products. As fast as 

 the necessary trained men can be added to the staff, v.-arehouses for 

 the storage of products other than the four staples originally covered 

 by the act will be proclaimed licensable. 



STEPS TOWARD TOBACCO STANDARDS. 



In the field of tobacco standardization, nnich progress has been 

 made. Tentative standards have been established covering the dark- 

 fired, flue-cured, and sun-cured types of tobacco of Virginia and the 

 Carolinas, and the dark-fired tobacco of Kentuclcy. These standards 

 were used by the cooperative associations of those States in the past 

 year. 



Tentative standard lengths for cigar leaf tobacco ^^ere also estab- 

 lished and have been used by the Cigar Leaf Tobacco Growers 

 Association in Wisconsin. Standard lengths and grades have been 

 developed covering the principal cigar leaf tobacco produced in the 

 Connecticut Valley. These will be used by the Connecticut Valley 

 Tobacco Growers Association for the 1924 crop. It is estimated 

 that two-thirds of the total tobacco production for the country will 

 be marketed in 1924 under the tentative standards prepared by the 

 Department, despite the fact that less than tiiree years ago there was 

 a general feeling that standards could not be developed for tobacco. 



Special investigations were made covering the classification of 

 cotton in the hands of one of the cotton growers' associations. Spe- 

 cial investigations were also made relative to the delivery of products 

 contrary to the law and regulations. As a result of these investiga- 

 tions one case has been turned over to the Department of Justice 

 for prosecution. 



Investigations have been started to secure data preliminar}^ to 

 drafting regulations for the storage of peanuts, broonicorn, and 

 potatoes. 



DIVISION OF COST OF MARKETING. 



A. V. SwARTHouT, In Cliarge. 



Information on costs of marketing livestock has been gathered, 

 and mimeographed pamphlets have been issued from time to time 

 covering the costs of marketing livestock. Ks this information 

 covers a period of one year only, positive statements as to costs and 

 trends can not yet be made. It was found that a large number of 

 variable factors which influence cost were not easily measured and 

 in many cases were not possible to ascertain. Much valuable infor- 

 mation' has been secured, however, and it is planned to issue a com- 

 plete report on the cost of marketing livestock in the Corn Belt 

 States in the near future. In cooperation with the State of Ohio. 

 a study was made of the operations of eight county- wide associations 



