REPORT OF THE CHIEF OF THE BUREAU OF MARKETS. 



United States Department of Agrictjlture, 



Bureau of Markets, 



Washington, D. C, September IS, 1917. 



Sir: I have the honor to transmit herewith a report of the work 

 of the Bureau of Markets for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1917. 

 Respectfully, 



Charles J. Brand, 



Chief of Bureau. 

 Hon. D. ¥. Houston, 



Secretary of Agriculture. 



On July 1, 1917, the Office of Markets and Rural Organization 

 became the Bureau of Markets. Several lines of work which pre- 

 viously had been conducted elsewhere in the department were merged 

 with the bureau's work, and several new lines were begun as provided 

 for in the Agricultural appropriation act for the fiscal year 1918. 

 For the sake of clearness and for future use, this report is drawn in 

 accordance with these fiscal changes. 



During the fiscal year the work has gradually divided into three 

 main groups not clearly defined last year: (1) Investigational and 

 demonstrational work; (2) service; and (3) regulatory work. In 

 the first group are classified the investigations in marketing and 

 distributing farm products, food supply investigations, cooperation 

 with States in marketing work, rural organization investigations, 

 investigation of cotton standards and cotton testing, and grain 

 standardization investigations. In the second group belongs the 

 work of issuing the several kinds of market reports to be mentioned 

 in detail later. In the third group is classified the administration 

 and enforcement of the United States cotton futures act, the United 

 States grain standards act, the United States w^arehouse act, and the 

 United States standard container act. 



INVESTIGATIONAL AND DEMONSTRATIONAL WORK. 



The investigational and demonstrational work includes the proj- 

 ects reported under this heading last year, wath several others which 

 have been developed since that time. Most of these projects relate 

 to the marketing and distribution of farm products. 



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