EDITORIAL. 321 



Forestry, 187 in the Bureau of Statistics, 180 in the Bureau of Soils, 

 lUG in the Office of Experiment Stations, 151 in the Division of Pub- 

 lications, and 58 in the Bureau of Chemistr}', the remainder being- 

 distributed through the various divisions of the Department. The 

 above number inchides the inspectors, microscopists, and taggers 

 engaged in the meat and other inspection work of the Bureau of 

 Animal Industry, the forecast officials and observers in the regular 

 service of the Weather Bureau, and a considerable number of special 

 agents, student assistants, collaborators, etc., in various branches of 

 the service; but does not include the voluntary observers and corre- 

 spondents of the Weather Bureau and the Bureau of Statistics. The 

 latter have an important part in the collection of data by these l)ureaus, 

 as is indicated by the aggregate number, which reaches 67,337. 

 The Weather Bureau has 3,811 voluntary observers and 13,996 vol- 

 untary crop correspondents. The voluntar}- service of the Bureau of 

 Statistics includes 11,000 county correspondents and their assistants, 

 9,000 State statistical aids, and 3(>,000 township correspondents, from 

 whom monthly reports are received, and these reports are supple- 

 mented from time to time by reports from farmers and planters, 

 cotton ginners, millers, and others, bringing the total number of 

 voluntary" correspondents in its service up to approximately 256,000 

 persons. 



In the classification of the regular force of the Department nearly 

 two thousand fall under the head of " scientists, scientific investigators, 

 and their assistants.'' While this classification does not show the 

 number who are stricly occupied with investigation, it indicates in a 

 general wa}" the present magnitude of the scientific force of the Depart- 

 ment engaged in investigation and in inspection, and undoubtedly 

 places the Department in a class by itself among institutions of its kind 

 in this or any other country. 



