BUREAU OF CROP ESTIMATES. 307 



consideration must give way to completing the tabulation. Simi- 

 larly, the statistical-research clerks have acquired afamiUarity vnth the 

 statistical data of all nations and an ability in the treatment of inter- 

 national agricultural statistics not indicated by their titles nor, in 

 many cases, recognized in the way of salary. 



The need of civil pensions has long been lelt in the Bureau of Crop 

 Estimates. A proper pensioning system is not only desirable from a 

 humane standpoint, but would be in accordance with sound business 

 pohcy long since recognized in the commercial world. 



COOPERATION WITH THE CENSUS BUREAU. 



During the past year this bureau has cooperated with the Bureau 

 of the Census in the preparation of the schedules for the agricultural 

 census, to be taken January 1, 1920. Fifty thousand tentative 

 schedules were "tried out" on the crop reporters of this bureau with 

 good results. The 1920 census schedule will omit questions of value 

 of crops, as the Bureau of Crop Estimates will be depended upon for 

 this information; this will cause a saving of nearly 20 per cent in the 

 number of items called for and to be .tabulated. 



FIELD SERVICE. 



From an administrative as well as from a service standpoint the 

 greatest advances made by the bureau occurred in the field. These 

 advances were along two lines — internal improvements in the field 

 organization, equipment, and methods, and the establishment of 

 cooperative relations with crop-reporting services existing in several 

 of the States. 



As to the internal improvements: 



Formerly the field agents -w^th few exceptions maintained their 

 offices in their homes. Their equipment consisted of a few filing cases 

 and a typewriter. They made their own tabulations, •vsTote their 

 own letters, and performed all other necessary office work without 

 assistance,, except such as might be rendered voluntarily by members 

 of their families. In a very few cases offices were maintained in 

 Federal buildings. The necessary travel kept the field men away 

 from their homes the greater portion of the month, so that upon 

 their return they were confronted by accumulations of work consist- 

 ing of correspondence, filing, opening, and tabulating returns, pre- 

 paring their crop report, and inclosing and mailing hundreds of 

 sohedules relating to the succeedmg month's report. This has 

 always involved an enormous amount of work for one man to handle. 

 On more than one occasion field agents have worked from sunrise to 

 sunrise without stopping for rest, and on some occasions 18 hours 

 a day for several days in succession. The average hours of labor in 

 the field during the period when the men are at their headquarters 

 is probably in excess of 12, Sundays included. 



In this connection it should be said that the spirit of the men in 

 accepting work days of 10 to 14 hours and more as a matter of course, 

 and without complaint, is a striking testimonial of their devotion to 

 duty and loyalty to the service. 



But the necessity for securing quickly reliable reports along special 

 lines, and the appropriation of funds for that purpose, have made 

 possible immediate improvements in the service. The efforts along 



