Notes. 13 



Crop and Market Intelligence. 



The Department issues niontlily a ciup report based on the 

 advice received from correspondents in the various districts of the 

 Union. Farmers are benefited l)y the crop report both directly and 

 indirectly : directly by ]:)eing- kept informed of crop prospects outside 

 of their own immediate districts, and indirectly because the dis- 

 interested reports of the (jrovernment tend to prevent the circulation 

 of false or misleading reports calculated to depress prices. The 

 importance of information of this nature is recognized in other 

 countries -where, with the co-operation of the farming community, 

 every endeavour is made to ensure the publication of reliable fore- 

 casts. Closely allied to this information is that concerning market 

 intelligence, for it is being increasingly borne upon farmers that in 

 these competitive days they must be armed with the most recent 

 advice respecting both the local and oversea market. At present, 

 information of this nature is published in the Journal, but in future 

 it is proposed to include it with the crop report, Avhicli will be known 

 as the ''Crop and Market Report," so that farmers and others 

 interested will be provided Avitli a booklet giving in a handy form 

 intelligence of an essentially useful nature, such as crop prospects, 

 live stock conditions, local and oversea market prices for a wide 

 range of products, the jxjsition of certain world (^'ops, Australian 

 wheat and flour prices, export statistics, etc. 



Advertising the Union's Raw Products. 



Prominent among Continental fairs is the one held at Leipzig 

 in Germany, which is recognized as an outstanding medium of adver- 

 tisement by producers and merchants. There it is that manufacturers 

 meet from all parts of Europe for the purpose of getting into direct 

 touch with their clients, new connections are formed and increased 

 business engendei'ed. The great opportunity of advertising there the 

 Union's products was fully taken advantage of this year in a very 

 attractive exhibit that occupied a conspicuous position in the fair. 

 It was visited by thousands and awakened considerable interest, and 

 it is expected to have lieen the means of setting in motion new sources 

 of trade in South African raw^ materials which, followed by the ap- 

 pointment of a Trade Commissioner on the Continent, should hold the 

 germ of much future expansion. From a record kept of wtdl over 30U 

 inquiries made by manufacturers and merchants in regard to the 

 Union's various products, and the opening of trade relations, it is 

 found that they were not confined to German firms only, but that 

 firms and persons in Austria, Hungary, Italy, Servia, Turkey, Por- 

 tugal, Finland, Denmark, Bohemia, Norway, and Roumania were 

 also interested in the matter of trade in our wool, hides, skins, maize, 

 tobacco, cotton, mohair, ostrich feathers, wattle bark, and other raw 

 products. Mr. Richardson, of the Trade Commissioner's office in 

 London, was in charge of the exhibit, and sedulously fostered the 

 interests of the Union's producers by putting many in direct touch 

 with Continental buyers, and generally in making known through far- 

 reaching advertising mediums the wealth of material tkis country can 

 offer the oversea manufacturer. 



