REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE. 39 



mated that the expenditure of State funds in 1917 will reach approxi- 

 mately $60,000,000, or an increase of nearly 50 per cent. These funds 

 are distinct from local expenditures and indicate an advance in State 

 participation in highway work. 



THE GRAIN STANDARDS ACT. 



The preliminary steps in connection with the Grain Standards Act 

 were discussed in the last Annual Report and need not be repeated 

 here. Progress has been made since that time in increasing the effi- 

 ciency of the administrative machinery, and the work is now on a 

 very satisfactory basis. Thirty-five supervision districts, with as 

 many central headquarters, have been fully equipped for the task. 

 Forty-one supervisors, 10 assistant supervisors, and 80 grain samplers, 

 together with the necessary clerks and other employees, have been 

 appointed and assigned to duty. 



On February 6, 1917, tentative official standards for wheat 

 were made public and hearings immediately were begun in all the 

 important wheat sections and wheat markets of the United States. 

 The final hearing took place in Washington on March 7, and the 

 standards were promulgated in final form on March 31. They be- 

 came effective for winter wheat on July 1 and for spring wheat on 

 August 1. 



Licensing of inspectors proceeded throughout the month of Novem- 

 ber, 191G, and on December 21 a complete directory of persons 

 licensed to inspect corn was issued. Seven hundred and four appli- 

 cations for licenses to inspect corn and wheat have been received, 

 and three hundred and forty-three have been approved. The de- 

 mand for inspection of grain by licensed inspectors is steadily in- 

 creasing. Approximately, 569 appeals have been taken to the 

 Secretary of Agriculture under the provisions of the act through 

 the various field offices. 



The supervision of inspection has not been confined to the determi- 

 nation of appeals and disputes. Ten thousand six hundred and fifty- 

 six official samples of shelled corn have been secured and analyses 

 made to determine their true grade. This was done in order to check 

 the accuracy of inspection as carried on in various markets and in- 

 spection departments. From December 1, 1916, to May 30, 1917, 

 237,595 cars of shelled corn were inspected and graded by licensed 

 inspectors according to the Federal standards. 



