BUREAU OF CROP ESTIMATES. 425 



in excess of $10,000,000,000. It represents in value more than half 

 of all sales from 0,000,000 farms. Yet at the present time (1920) 

 the Bureau of Crop Estimates has less than $25,000 available for 

 ascertaining the essential facts regarding this great industry. All 

 that can be done witii the present inadequate appropriation is to 

 estimate once a year the gross number of farm animals, the number 

 of brood sows, and losses from disease. The bureau has never at- 

 tempted to estimate dairy and poultry production, which have an 

 estinuited annual value in excess of $3,000,000,000. 



(c) Foreign crop and live-stock production. The hm-eau propo.ses to collect 

 and publisli timely foreiirn crop :ind live-stnclv statistics, especially for cora- 

 petintr countries of surplus jjrodurtidn. for tlie information of American farmers 

 and lousiness men. The relation of supply and demand and resulting; prices 

 operates not only in competing counties and States but throughout the United 

 States and all foreign countries. Great interest in foreign crop statistics lias 

 developed since the war period. World V)ala nee sheets should be prepared regu- 

 larly. i>erhaps quartei-ly, showing consunijition, pnxluction, not imports and 

 exports, and net surpluses and d<ticiencies for all the i)rii!(ii)al coinitries of 

 the world. This information will be of vital importance to farmers" organiza- 

 tions, the Federal and State Bureaus of Markets, and all other agencies con- 

 cerned in the formulation of constructive programs of production and marketing. 



(d) Analysis, interpretation, and graphic presentation of crop and live-stock 

 statistics. It is proposed by more frequent and timely publication, by more 

 thorough analysis', summarization and interpretation, and by graphic methods 

 of presentation to make more strikingly and readily apparent the significance 

 of the essential facts disclosed by text and tabular statements. This will 

 economize the time of all who have occasion to use agricultural statistics and 

 jnake them of greater practical value. 



This program was approved and advocated by the Secretary of 

 Agriculture and was specifically mentioned in the President's message 

 to Congress. It was submitted at the last session of Congress because 

 the bureau had been under an intensive course of preparation for the 

 census year of 1920, when data would be available to enable it to shift 

 from a State to a county basis of estimating; because it had developed 

 a highly efficient skeleton organization ; because during the World 

 War every feature of the program had been demonstrated to be 

 entirely feasible with respect to one or more crops in one or more 

 States ; because of the growing demand for such service ; and because 

 of the necessity and value of data with respect to the essential facts 

 of production and supply on the future advancement of agriculture, 

 and to all agencies interested in promoting agricultural production 

 and the cOicicnt markctiuir and distril)ution of agricultural 'products. 

 To provide the organization and funds necessary to make the program 

 effective would require an increase in the present appropriation of 

 about $500,000. No increase in the appropriation was granted by 

 Congress, presumably because of its announced policy of economy 

 and retrenchment. It was therefore necessary to hold the bureau's 

 program of expansion and improvement of tlie crop-reporting and 

 statistical service in abeyance until it can be resubmitted at the next 

 session of Congress. 



When it is considered that the maintenance of an ample supply of 

 farm products depends upon the profitableness or unprofitableness 

 of farming as a busijiess, that this in turn depends u})on tlie prices 

 farmers receive for their products, that prices depend mainly upon 

 relative supply, that relative supply is the equivalent of crop and 



24435— AOB 1920 28 



