REPORT OF THE CHIEF OF THE BUREAU OF CROP 



ESTIMATES. 



United States Department of Agriculture, 



Bureau of Crop Estimates, 

 Washington, D. C, October 1, 1918. 



Sir: I have the honor to submit herewith the report of the Bureau 

 of Crop Estimates for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1918. 

 Respectfully, 



Leon M. Estabrook, 



Cliief of Bureau. 

 Hon. D. F. Houston, 



Secretary of Agriculture. 



ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE. 



The entrance of the United States into the war has given new sig- 

 nificance to the functions of the Bureau of Crop Estimates. The 

 responsibility laid upon this Nation not only of feeding itself and the 

 Alhes, but to do so with less than a normal number of agricultural 

 workers, has made it necessary to know more promptly and more in 

 detail than ever before the present conditions and future prospects 

 of the important food crops. 



The organization of the oureau was such that with a comparatively 

 small increase in force it was possible not only to issue the regular 

 reports, but to supply the very large amount of special information 

 desired by officials of the Department of Agriculture, of the Food 

 Administration, and others. 



An instance of this was the so-called food survey made as of De- 

 cember 31, 1917. More than 500,000 inquiries designed to secure 

 special information relative to food conditions at the close of that 

 year were mailed in December. A portion of the returns were sent 

 to the field agents for tabulation; the bulk of them, however, were 

 handled in the Washington office. That portion of the inquiry relat- 

 ing to Hve stock was tabulated and printed in the February issue of 

 the Monthly Crop Report and the remainder appeared in the May 

 issue. All of the information was fully tabulated and available to 

 the department heads and the Food Administration officials at even 

 earher dates. These and other important results in addition to the 

 regular work of the bureau have been obtained with httle or no 

 outward indications of the extra work accomplished. 



One source of anxiety to the administrative office is the lack of 

 adequate working space in Washington. It was considered that the 

 space available to the bureau was fully utihzed prior to the increase 

 in force. With that increase, however, has come no increase in space, 

 so that the performance of the work is difficult and the conditions in 



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