TWENTY-FIRST ANNUAL MEETING. 31 



family a blank on which the farmer should note the amount of his farm, 

 fruit, and market garden productions; these blanks so distributed to be 

 taken up by the statistician in a second canvass, late in the season, say the 

 first week in December, the totals copied in another blank, footed, and the 

 blank sent to the secretary of state. This it will be noticed would give 

 the complete statistics to the public at least six months earlier than by 

 the system proposed. It is probable that objections to a plan involving 

 the distribution of "prior schedules" and a second canvass of the town- 

 ship each year would make it impracticable at the present time, but some- 

 time in the future this will be the favorite plan. 



Now, what are the advantages of the proposed system? It seems that it 

 would correct all the present system. First, it takes the statistics out of 

 the hands of the assessing officer, it leaves him unhampered by duties 

 that are wholly foreign to those he is elected especially to perform, and it 

 leaves no excuse for anyone to refuse to give a true statement of his crops 

 lest taxes should be thereby increased. 



Second, the farm statistics, being collected at the date named, could 

 include in addition to the data now reported, the area planted to spring 

 crops as well as the area sown to wheat, the area of wheat plowed up 

 because winter-killed or otherwise destroyed, the number of sheep and 

 pounds of wool sheared, the area of bearing orchards, vineyards, berry 

 fields, and in market garden crops, the present condition of wheat and 

 spring crops, and of all kinds of fruit. This it will be seen would furnish 

 the best basis possible for estimates during the next three months of the 

 probable out-turn of the season's crops. 



The advantages of having the acreage in the several crops accurately 

 reported, can not be too strongly emphasized. During the growing season 

 the condition of the crops can only be estimated. Nothing better is 

 possible. These estimates are the expression of the reporter's best judg- 

 ment, and may, and often do come wide of the mark. If in addition, the 

 reporters are required to estimate the acreage, the chances for error in 

 statement of probable final output are greatly increased. 



Again, holding the office for a long series of years, the statistician would 

 acquire an expertness impossible to the supervisor, who is elected annually 

 and in too many cases changed annually. The statistician would 

 soon become well acquainted with every farm and every farmer in the 

 township. It is obvious this would greatly aid him in preparing his reports. 

 He could make them more quickly and more accurately each succeeding 

 year. 



The statistician should foot his report before sending it to Lansing. 

 This would complete in a part of a single day, work that now requires 

 weeks of time in the office of the secretary of state. Complaint is often 

 made that under the present system the publication of the reports is so 

 long delayed as to deprive them of much of their value. Under the pro- 

 posed system there should be no occasion for such complaint. The saving 

 of time in the secretary's office would of course result in a corresponding 

 reduction of expenses. 



One point of great value to the state should not be overlooked, though 

 perhaps of no consequence to the crop reporting system. The local sta- 

 tisticians could be utilized in census years by making them census enu- 

 merators. Their experience in statistical methods and consequent expert- 

 ness would enable them to canvass their township or district in less time 

 and do their work far better, than is possible for inexperienced enumera- 



