298 ANNUAL EEPOKTS OF DEPAETMENT OF AGEICULTUKE. 



As supplementary to the bureau's estimates of durum wheat pro- 

 duction the Division of Crop Records made its eleventh annual esti- 

 mate of the total exports of durum wheat from the United States, 

 vrhich was based upon reports received from various commercial 

 agencies. 



A large number of special compilations were made for the Secre- 

 tary, the Assistant Secretary, other branches of the department. Sen- 

 ators and Representatives in Congress, and other persons interested in 

 agricultural statistics. Food production and supply in the United 

 States and foreign countries was a frequent subject of inquiry. 



In order to furnish data as promptly as possible, a series of office 

 tables, with duplicate copies, is maintained. The tables number over 

 400 and cover subjects for which there is likely to be a demand, and 

 which relate to croxD estimates. 



FIELD SERVICE. 



The field service, composed of salaried field agents and crop spe- 

 cialists under the supervision of Mr. S. A. Jones', made excellent 

 progress during the past year. The present force consists of 41 

 State field agents and 10 crop specialists. Each field agent has charge 

 of a State or group of small States, and in both Texas and California 

 two field agents are stationed, each being responsible for the reports 

 on certain crops. The crop specialists disregard State lines, but 

 where two or more are engaged in reporting on the same crop the ter- 

 ritory is divided. 



TRUCK CROP ESTIMATES. 



The truck-crop estimating service, which was organized in 1915, 

 increased the scope of its inquiries considerably in the past fiscal 

 year. Three assistant truck-crop specialists were appointed and as- 

 signed permanently to .the Atlantic Coast States, the Gulf Coast 

 States, and the Pacific Coast States. The work of this section shows 

 an increase of more than 60 per cent during the year, and the number 

 of reports on truck crops more than doubled. Since July 1, 1916, 

 estimates of acreages of various truck crops and car-lot shipments 

 have been compiled by shipping points, and much other valuable in- 

 formation for future use has been collected. 



Owing to the extremely perishable nature of truck crops it is real- 

 ized that the present method of reporting on them monthly is inade- 

 quate as a guide to enable growers to determine the acreages which 

 may safely be planted in different regions or to meet the needs of 

 growers and commercial handlers in marketing and distributing.thc 

 crop. It is therefore planned to inaugurate a system of weekly truck- 

 crop reports during the coming season. 



FRUIT CROP ESTIMATES. 



In order to determine more accurately the fruit production of the 

 United States a fruit-crop estimating service was organized in the 

 latter half of the fiscal year 1917. Three assistant fruit-crop spe- 

 cialists were appointed and were directed to travel in the principal 

 producing regions (1) to make a statistical survey as a basis for fu- 

 ture estimates, (2) to organize a corps of voluntary fruit-crop re- 



