REPORT OF THE SECRETARY, 93 



The latest comprehensive investigation of the wage rates of farm 

 labor was completed during the past year, so that the department 

 now has a record of averages of such wage rates for each State, for 

 geographic divisions of States, and for the United States extending 

 back to 18GG. A simultaneous investigation was conducted with re- 

 gard to the supply of such labor, and this constitutes the first com- 

 prehensive treatise that has been published on this subject. 



The efforts of railroad companies to promote agriculture, especially 

 by soliciting settlers to farm lands, b}^ aiding in agricultural educa- 

 tion, and by making other special efforts not strictly to be classed 

 as transportation, were treated in a bulletin which went to press 

 about the close of the fiscal year. The aim of this undertaking is to 

 make practically a complete survey of the activities of the railroad 

 companies in the promotion of agriculture.'^ 



In a bulletin published during the year are embraced the dates of 

 planting and harvesting corn, winter wheat, spring wheat, fall-sown 

 oats, spring-sown oats, barley, rye, buckwheat, flax, cotton, and 

 tobacco. The collection and tabulation of materials for another 

 bulletin relating to the forage crops was nearly completed. At the 

 same time a third line of work, the dates of planting and harvesting 

 vegetable crops, has been in hand. 



A system was established for the collection of annual statistics of 

 cane sugar and sugar-cane production in the United States and its 

 insular possessions. Statistics of the campaign of 1911-12 for most 

 of Louisiana and Texas and of the campaign of 1010-11 for Hawaii 

 and Porto Rico had been obtained by the close of the fiscal year 1912. 



An article was prepared for the Yearbook for 1911 on the reduction 

 of waste in marketing fresh fruits and vegetables, as effected by 

 improved methods of distribution and by better transportation facil- 

 ities. The regular annual publications prepared in this division 

 included the bulletin on exports of farm and forest products from the 

 United States; the corresponding imports bulletin; a statement giv- 

 ing the shipments of apples on railroads of the United States for the 

 crop of 1911, and another statement showing the exports of durum 

 "wheat. Monthly receipts of eggs and poultry at large cities were 

 shown regularly in the Crop Reporter. The production and domestic 

 supply of cotton, tobacco, rice, and hops in the United States, from 

 the earliest available date to the latest, were shown in four circulars. 

 These statistics were formerly included in the Yearbook. 



DIVISION OF RESEARCH AND REFERENCE. 



Ten circulars, each entitled " Foreign crops," have been prepared in 

 the division at regular intervals during the year. In addition tliereto. 

 2 bulletins, 7 circulars, 2 Yearbook separates, 12 monthly editions of 



