BUREAU OF MARKETS. 555 



laws have been compared with the proposed uniform seed hiw, which 

 has been approved by the Association of Official Seed Analysts of 

 North America and the American Seed Trade Association, to deter- 

 mine the important dilferences existing between them. 



MARKET NEWS SERVICE ON HAY, FEED, AND SEED. 



Mr. G. A. Collier assisted the division leader in the conduct of the 

 market news service on hay, feed, and seed. 



During the year this work was curtailed and branch offices are now 

 maintained at Chicago and Kansas City only. During the early part 

 of the year they were maintained at Chicago, Minneapolis, Kansas 

 City, San Francisco, Spokane, and Atlanta. Since January, 1920, 

 reports covering sui)i)ly, demand, movement, and prices of hay, feed, 

 and seed at more than 15 of the principal markets have been issued 

 from Washington in The Market Reporter. At the two branch 

 offices first-hand information regarding market conditions in the 

 fiehl is obtained and sent to AVashington, where it is embodied in the 

 published reports. Special reports relating to seed production and 

 shipment were published during the year. 



MARKETING STATISTICS. 



Elsewhere in this report the development of a statistical section 

 in the Bureau of Markets was discussed. Dr. C. J. West was placed 

 in charge of this section in March, 1920, The statistical work of 

 the bureau has been carefully surveyed; work preliminary to the 

 preparation of a complete statistical summary for all projects has 

 been done; tables have been planned and arranged for pulDlication 

 in The Market Reporter; and assistance has been given to various 

 projects in devising the best methods of compiling and tabulating 

 data. / 



DISSEMINATION OF MARKET INFORMATION. 



The need for distributing the market information from the bureau 

 in an increasingly effective manner was discussed in the first part 

 of this report. As a step in this direction a division of market in- 

 formation was organized on Marcli 16, 1920, and Mr. W. A. Wheeler 

 was given general supervision of all information work for the bu- 

 reau. Tills division noAv supervises the editing and issuance of all 

 {)rinted i)ublications or bulletins of the bureau, including The Mar- 

 cet Reporter: the preparation or approval of all news items concern- 

 ing the work of the bureau ; and the preparation and display of all 

 bureau exhibits, photographs and lantern slides, motion pictures, etc. 



COSTS OF MARKETING FARM PRODUCTS. 



In the summer of 1919 a special investigation of the retail meat 

 frade was ])egun under the direction of Mr. Herbert C. Marshall, 

 assistant chief of the l)ureau, and is in progress at the present time. 

 It is expected that this investigation Avill make available a large 

 amount of information relative to the prevalence and comparative 

 numbers of the various types of shops, such as straight meat market, 

 combination grocery and meat market, stall in public market, and 



