BUREAU OF STATISTICS. 783 



As an illustration of the hmg service of many correspondents it 

 may be stated that of the entire list of county correspondents en- 

 rolled in January. 1912, 88 per cent had served more than 1 year, 

 GT per cent more than 3 years, 42 per cent more than 6 years, 21 per 

 cent more than 11 years, 4 per cent more than 2G years, and 1 per cent 

 more than 36 years, the average length of service of all the county 

 correspondents being about 7 years. The stability of service of the 

 correspondents, as above indicated, is evidence of a high standard of 

 quality. Careless or indifferent farmers will not take the pains to 

 report, month after month and year after year, without money com- 

 pensation. Voluntary correspondents render a service of great value, 

 not only to themselves cooperatively, and to the farmers of the coun- 

 try generally, but to the public at large, which profits by the more 

 economical distribution of farm products brought about by a knowl- 

 edge of general crop conditions. 



PREPARATIOX OF MONTHLY CROP REPORTS. 



The reports of State statistical agents and special field agents are 

 forwarded by them, by mail or telegraph, to the Secretary of Agri- 

 culture, and delivered by him to the Bureau of Statistics. The 

 reports of these agents regarding certain crops of a highly specula- 

 tive character (corn, wheat, oats, and cotton) are retained in the 

 po.ssession of the Secretary until the morning of the day of issuance 

 of the bureau's reports; those relating to other crops are delivered 

 by the Secretary to the bureau when lie receives them, to enable their 

 tabulation long enough in advance of the preparation of each crop 

 report to render them ready for use as soon as needed. 



The results of the tabulations and computations, by States, of re- 

 ]>orts of voluntary correspondents are delivered to the chief of the 

 bureau as they are completed for their tabulation in connection with 

 the reports of the State statistical agents and special field agents 

 referred to in the preceding paragraph. 



The figures for each State derived from the reports of each class 

 of correspondents and agents are tabulated in parallel columns on 

 sheets, each of which has reference to a separate crop or subject, so 

 that the figures for each crop or subject in each State are in juxta- 

 position: and the reports of the buroau, from month to month, are 

 derived from the figures thus brouirlit together. 



The work of finally making the bureau's crop estimates, each 

 month, culminates at sessions of the Crop Reporting Board, com- 

 posed of five member":;, includinir the chief of the l)ureau, A\ho pre- 

 sides as chairman. The personnel of the board is changed each 

 month. The meetings are held in the office of the chief of bureau, 

 which is kept looked during the sessions, all telephones being discon- 

 nected. The procedure of the board and the method of issuance of 

 reports are described in the annual reports of the biireau for 1005 

 (in which year the board was e.stablishexl), 1000, 1007, and in circular 

 No. 17 of this bureau. 



SCOPE OF CROP REPORTS. 



The following tabulation is desifi^ned to show, in abbreviated form, 

 the scope of monthly crop inr|uines of the Bureau of Statistics, in 

 1912, and the time and nature of inquiry for each crop; slight mo<.Iili- 



