336 AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS. 



Air. H. D. Vigor, K.Sc, said : Normal does not indicate a 

 perfect crop. Normal comes between average and possible 

 maximum. Full normal is the condition of perfect healthfulness, 

 unimpaired by drought, hail, insects or other injurious agency, ana 

 with unimpaired growth and development. ( In other words, the 

 climatic conditions must be perfect.) Full normal is indicated by 

 100. If thirty bushels of corn be taken as the full normal yield, a 

 condition of 90 would give a prospect of a crop of 27 bushels, 

 and 80 a crop of 24. Full normal, i.e., 100. does not indicate a 

 perfect or the largest possible crop ; it may be exceeded. 



Mr. C. P. Sanger thought it might be said with some truth 

 that the official figures of the United States, and those given in 

 The Times, relating to Normal Crops did not mean anything; that 

 is to say, in order to attach any meaning to them, they had to be 

 expressed in percentages of other figures. It would be very 

 interesting to find the reason why those who were responsible 

 for the collection of statistics should adopt methods which pro- 

 duced statistics very difficult to interpret, if indeed they could be 

 interpreted. 



Mr. Kains-Jackson said they had been told that during the 

 last ten years or more the word " normal " had been used by 

 statistical bodies, but these bodies had found that it was not a 

 very good description so that some now used the phrase " ideal " 

 in place of " normal." That word in turn was open to great 

 objection, although it was better understood than " normal." 

 What he would venture to suggest, as a desirable course for a 

 statistical body, was not to dispense with these normal figures in 

 favour of average figures, but to have two sets of figures instead 

 of only the normal ; the second to be an average based on the 

 total number of years that statistical returns have been taken, the 

 average being also taken for a comparatively short period, such 

 as ten years. 



In the Corn Trade Nezvs of July nth, 191 1, under the head- 

 ing " Weekly Review of the Grain Trade," we read : 



The following statement shows in a tabular form the statistical history 

 of the last American crop with comparisons : — ■ 



Season reckoned 1st July to 30th June. 



Bushels. 

 Farmers' reserves 1st July, 1910 ... ... ... 39,000,000 



Merchants ... ... ... ... ... 35,000.000 



New crop harvested ... ... ... ... 695,000,000 



Total available ... ... ... ... 769,000,000 



Distribution — 



Bushels. 



Twelve months' exports ... ... ... ... 70,000.000 



Quantity seeded ... ... ... ... ... 80,000,000 



Quantity consumed or hidden away in invisible channels 533,000,000 



Now in farmers' hands (official estimate) ... ... 38,000,000 



Grand visible supply now ... ... ... ... 48,000,000 



Total accounted for ... ... ... ... 769,000,000 



