BUREAU OF CROP ESTIMATES. 419 



by means of charts, maps, graphs, and diagrams, which are really 

 pictures, in striking and easily understood forms to the mind of tlie 

 average man. Also, because of their attractiveness as news matter, 

 they secure an immensely increased circulation through newspapers, 

 magazines, farm journals, and the like, which are disinclined to print 

 simple statistical tables and text, no matter how important, because 

 of the tradition that statistics arc " dry " and not interesting " news " 

 matter. In the State of Georgia, for instance, the Agricultural 

 Statistician obtained for material carrying maps and charts a news- 

 paper circulation equivalent to 5,000,000 copies monthly, while the 

 same reports sent direr^t from his office to individual's amounted 

 to only 2,000 copies monthly. Like results are reported from many 

 •other States. This growing utilization of crop reports, coupled 

 with the fact that the offices of the agricultural statisticians are 

 visited daily by representatives of newspapers seeking such news 

 matter, indicates the growing interest in and importance of crop 

 estimates. 



The value of the estimates put out by the bureau and its field 

 representatives would be many times multiplied if proper facilities 

 were provided through adequate equipment, sufficient compensation 

 to secure and hold men of the requisite technical training and mental 

 caliber, and necessary clerical assistance. 



It is an unhappy commentary upon the poor business methods of 

 the Government that the agricultural statistician for Georgia, just 

 mentioned, the worth of whose services to the farmers and business 

 men of that State can hardly be estimated, was compelled to resign 

 and go into commercial work to secure a living salary, the Govern- 

 ment paying him less than the wage of a skilled mechanic. 



These accomplishments of the field service have been in the face of 

 conditions of utmost discouragement. Following a reduction of 25 

 per cent in the appropriations of the bureau for 1920, Congress still 

 further reduced the appropriations for 1921 by 20 per cent, or to a 

 figure about equal to that of 1914. with price levels now more than 

 double. The result of this action was to reduce the clerical force one- 

 fifth and force the resignation of one fourth of the bureau's trained 

 technical employees, including many of its best men; to hold at unjust 

 and disheartening salaries those whose long years of training, special 

 adaptability, and devotion to the work prevents them from sacrificing 

 public service for personal gain ; to practically cut out all travel by 

 them for the investigati(m and inspection of crops in the field, which 

 is essential to full understanding and correct conclusions; to limit 

 needed clerical assistance and lower its level of efficiency; to restrict 

 through absolute shortage of paper and envelopes the collection and 

 dissemination of the information which the bureau is maintained to 

 furnish ; and to force the discontinuance of many reports of demon- 

 strated financial value to producers and business men. 



The present unprecedented movement among agricultural pro- 

 <hicers toward oriranization for geiu-ral and cooperative i)urp()ses has 

 as a principal object tli<> solution of the one big remaining problem 

 upon which the future welfare of agriculture in this country depends, 

 namely, the satisfactory marketing of farm products under condi- 

 tions insuring just treatment to all. This i>urpose can not be success- 

 fully accomplished without fidl, dependable, and country- wide data 

 on crop prospects, volume of farm production, and farm reserves. 



