6 EXPEEIMENT STATION RECORD. 



Census; Mr. Victor H. Olmsted, Chief of the Bureau of Statistics 

 of this Department; and Mr. Edgar K. Champlin, of Boston. 



Aside from the administrative reports upon organization, finances, 

 and the routine work of the various bureaus, a number of special 

 questions of international importance were presented to the assem- 

 bly for discussion. The results of an inquiry as to measures in opera- 

 tion in the various adhering countries for the protection of birds were 

 summarized by the permanent delegate of Hungary, E. de Miklos. 

 The feasibility of an international meteorological service was dis- 

 cussed by the French delegate, Louis Dop. Prof. G. Cuboni, dele- 

 gate of Ethiopia, described measures to be taken to establish an 

 effective cooperation between nations in the combating of plant, dis- 

 eases, and suggestions were made as to the measures desirable to 

 check the spread of dodder. The utility of an international agree- 

 ment as to insurance against hail was discussed by the Norwegian 

 delegate, G. Fjelstad, and the Austrian delegate, V. de Pozzi. 



The subject of agricultural statistics was, as usual, a leading topic 

 of discussion, as this is one of the principal duties specifically 

 intrusted to the Institute. Dr. T. Miiller, delegate of Germany, 

 reported on those for crop production ; the Russian delegate, G. Zabi- 

 ello, on jorices and similar commercial aspects; the Belgian delegate, 

 O. Bolle, on the organization of an international service of foreign 

 correspondence; and the Austrian delegate on statistics of agricul- 

 tural and cooperative societies. A phase of statistical work which 

 received particular consideration was the method of expression of 

 statistical reports as to crop conditions. It has been learned that the 

 method in vogue in the Bureau of Statistics of this Department in 

 which the conditions are expressed in percentages was adopted as 

 the official method of the Institute. 



The compilation of agricultural statistics has from the start re- 

 ceived particular attention from the Institute. Among its earliest 

 publications were volumes entitled ^organisation des Services de 

 Statistique Agricole da^s les Divers Pays^ IJ'orgmhisation des Services 

 de Statistique en Suede^ and Statistique des siiper-fices Ctdtivees, de la 

 Production Vegetale^ et du Betail dans les Pays Adherents. Since 

 January, 1910, there has also been published a monthly Bulletin of 

 Agricultural Statistics, issued in English, French, German, Spanish, 

 and Italian editions, and briefly summarizing the prevailing crop 

 conditions throughout the world. 



Another duty formally assigned to the Institute is to " study ques- 

 tions concerning agricultural cooperation, insurance, and credit in 

 all their forms, collect and publish information which might be use- 

 ful in the various countries in the organization of agricultural co- 

 operative insurance and credit institutions, [and] state the wages of 



