484 ANNUAL KEPOETS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



of 943 full white sets, 155 fractional white sets, 102 full colored sets, 

 and 36 fractional colored sets had been shipped up to June 30, 1918. 



During the past fiscal year sets have been shipped as follows: 

 Ninety full white, 34 fractional white, 26 full colored, and 28 frac- 

 tional colored. A total of $2,495.50 was covered into the Treasury 

 from the sale and revision of standards, and $23,109.04 was received 

 from the sale of rejected cotton. 



During April and May, an inspection was made in order to deter- 

 mine the condition of the official sets held by the designated spot 

 markets. 



After grade standards for American Egyptian and Sea Island cot- 

 ton were formulated, 50 sets were prepared and will be distributed 

 as soon as the standards are officially promulgated. 



This work is directed by Mr. Fred Taylor. 



UNITED STATES GRAIN STANDARDS ACT. 



The enforcement of the provisions of this act has been continued 

 under the direction of the chief of the bureau, assisted by Mr, George 

 Livingston. Standards for wheat were put into effect at the beginning 

 of the fiscal year and have resulted in a very great increase in the 

 work to be performed under this act. While no new supervision 

 offices have been established, the offices in the large grain markets 

 have been expanded and the force in each has been increased. 



The grain trade of the country has been very vitally affected by 

 war conditions during the past year, and the Federal control exer- 

 cised over the wheat crop has brought about conditions which have 

 made it necessary to maintain close cooperation with the Grain Cor- 



E oration of the Food Administration. The prices fixed for wheat are 

 ased upon the standards established by this department, and tliis 

 has resulted in the use of these standards in practically all sales of 

 wheat, whether moving in interstate or mtrastate commerce. 



Much inspection work has been done for the zone agents of the 

 Grain Corporation and cooperative work has been done with the War 

 Trade Board in connection with the movement of corn to Canada. 

 Under arrangement with this body, corn was shipped to Canada 

 under licenses, accompanied by inspection certificates indicating the 

 grade of the corn. This was done to protect the farmers of the 

 United States against a shortage of seed corn. 



The estabUshment of fixed prices for the 1917 wheat crop and the 

 elimination of competition in wheat brought about entirely new con- 

 ditions for the producer and the grain trade. The Federal wheat 

 grades, upon which the fixed prices w^ere based, had been made 

 effective a very short time before the fixed prices went into effect, 

 and the radically changed conditions brought up questions as to 

 whether the standards were adequate to the needs of the trade mider 

 fixed prices. Suggestions as to revisions of the standards, therefore, 

 were invited from producers, country shippers, country elevators, 

 grain dealers, and all other grain interests. Twenty-two public 

 hearings were held to secure at first hand the ideas of all branches of 

 the grain trade, and, as a result, a revision of both the wheat and 

 corn standards was promulgated by the Secretary of Agriculture on 

 April 13, 1918, and became effective as revised on July 15, 1918. 

 The department changed these standards only after careful and 

 unbiased consideration of a vast amount of evidence, being guided 



