BUBEAU OP STATISTICS. 789 



country dealers and 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 RESEABCH AND REFERENCE. 



The work of this division during the past fiscal year has in gen- 

 eral consisted of: (1) The assembling of statistical and other data 

 and the composition of text for bulletins and circulars; (2) com- 

 piling, reducing to equivalents in United States units, and coordinat- 

 ing for publication in the Yearbook official statistics of various 

 foreign Governments on the area and production of certain crops; 

 (3) preparing answers to requests from other depart inents. other 

 bureaus of this department, statesmen, economists, stutisticians, edu- 

 cators, commercial exchanges, and business men, for statistics relat- 

 ing to agriculture and allied subjects; (4) reading and revising all 

 manuscript prepared in the bureau for publication; (5) translating 

 from foreign languages for the use of the bureau; (G) management 

 and care of the bureau's statistical library and the maintenance of 

 a card index of the agricultural statistics contained therein; (7) 

 stenography and typewriting. 



Ten circulars, each entitled " Foreign Crops," have been prepared 

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

 thereto, 2 bulletins, T circulars, 2 Yearbook separates. 12 monthly 

 editions of the Crop Reporter, and 3 miscellaneous publications, all 

 prepared in other branches of the bureau, have been read and revised 

 both in manuscript and in proof in this division. 



Four bulletins entitled, respectively, " The World Production, 

 Trade, and Consumption of Coffee." " Some Stati.stical Results of 

 Farm Bookkeeping in Switzerland," " Land and Labor," and " Com- 

 parative Prices of Staple Products in Leading Markets of the T"'^nited 

 States," are now being prepared in the division and will probably 

 be ready for pulplication during the next fiscal year. 



The remaining work of the division has varied little from the 

 usual routine; statistical statements liave been compiled from for- 

 eign and domestic publications, in response to many hundred in- 

 quiries for information respecting various phases of agriculture, 

 prices, etc., in the United States and various foreign countries, and 

 much other research work of a miscellaneous character has been 

 completed which is not readily classifiable in condensed terms. 



The statistical library, which forms the basis of the division's 

 research work, has during the year been considerably enlarged and 

 improved, special attention having been paid to completing llie files 

 of official statistical reports of foreign countries on their import and 

 export trade. The collection of agricultural and commercial sta- 

 tistical literature is now fairly complete. 



SUPERVISION OF FIELD SERVICE. 



The time and attention of the assistant statistician has been de- 

 voted particularly to the supervision of the field service of the 

 bureau. The inspection and instruction of the agents in the differ- 



