REPORT OF THE STATISTICIAN. 



U. S. Department of Agriculture, 



Division of Statistics, 

 Washington, D. C, November J)., 1901. 



Sir : I have the honor to submit herewith a report of the work of 

 the Division of Statistics for the fiscal year ended June HO, 1901. 

 Respectfully, 



John Hyde, 



StaUstician. 

 Hon. James AVilson, Secretarij. 



WORK OF THE YEAR, WITH RECOMMENDATIONS. 



"With a smaller appropriation available for its work than was ex- 

 pended for a like purpose in anj^ fiscal year from 1891 to 1898, inclu- 

 sive, the Division of Statistics has endeavored to meet the ever-growing 

 demand for statistics of the agricultural industry. It handled during 

 the fiscal year nearly 2,500,000 returns from a corps of correspondents 

 numbering- about 250,000, the results appearing in 13 ordinary and 

 special reports, of which over 1,500,000 copies were printed. 



The work has consisted largely, as in past j^ears, of the preparation 

 of reports relative to the principal products of the soil, including the 

 extent and geographical distribution of the area of production, the 

 condition and prospects of the crop during the growing season, and 

 the quantitj^, quality, and disposition of the product harvested. 

 These reports, together with the latest information concerning the 

 crops of foreign countries and other statistical matter of general 

 interest, have been published in the monthly Crop Reporter. Of 

 this publication theie were jprinted during the year a total of 1,434,000 

 copies. This number was utterlj^ inadequate for the requirements 

 even of the Department's statistical correspondents, and I earnestly 

 recommend the printing of at least 250,000 copies of each future issue. 

 The Department's statistical correspondents render most valuable 

 service without compensation, and while the impracticability of print- 

 ing special reports in suflBiciently large editions to permit of their gen- 

 eral distribution among so numerous a body of men is fully recognized, 

 correspondents should surely be given a publication embodying Avith 

 the results of their own work so much other timely information of 

 interest and value to them. 



special reports. 



The special reports prepared or issued during the year comprise 

 the following: " The course of prices of farm implements and machin- 

 ery for a series of years," by George K. Holmes; "The cotton crop 



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