UBRARY 



MONTHLY REPORT. ^^^J.^^au 



GARDEN 



Department of Agriculture, 



Statistical Division, January 30, 1875. 

 Sir: I herewith submit a report for January, 1875, of the comparative 

 numbers and home prices of farm animals in the several States, with the 

 respective rate of yield and current prices in December of the principal 

 farm products last season. I include, also, an abstract of a plan of in- 

 ternational statistics of agriculture and forestry, condensed from a doc- 

 ument received through the State Department from the minister of agri- 

 culture of Austria ; other minor statistics of this and other countries ; 

 and a current report of progress by the entomologist, and a report of 

 microscopic investigation. 



:i:;::„:i;i:i j. e. dodge, 



'_:''l'^2l^^!l statistician. 



Hon. Frederick WatEs^ ,==,',»„.. .- 

 Commissioiier. 



DIGEST OF MONTHLY RETURNS. 



The circulars for December relate to yields and prices of the promi- 

 nent products of the farm for the current j^ear. Those for January in- 

 quire the comparative numbers and prices of farm animals. From the 

 October returns of product, as compared with those of the previous year, 

 and the June and July returns of acreage, the yield per acre can be de- 

 duced. These direct estimates of the rate of yield in December are, 

 therefore, entirely independent, and furnish a means of verification, and 

 when discrepancies appear, of correction of acreage. There is often a 

 wonderful agreement in the results of these separate returns, and when 

 difiTerences occur they are usually found to result from a low report of 

 aggregate product or a high estimate of rate of yield, or both together. 

 There is a tendency in farmers' estimates to make a good showing of 

 rate of yield, whether from a bias of pride in good culture or soil-capa- 

 bilities, or from neglect to note the areas of failure or neglected culture ; 

 and at the same time a disposition to underrate the total quantity of the 

 crop, especially if it is not a full one. Our correspondents are intelli- 

 gent, with less of this bias than is usually observed in rural estimates of 

 production, and our aim has been to secure as near perfect impartiality 

 ^nd accuracy as possible. 



, As to prices, both of products and of domestic animals, it is easy to 

 j^port actual average prices current in the local markets of the county, 

 '^so that our statements of average prices for each State, made fairly and 

 .carefully by combining county prices in proportion to quantity of local 



18834d 



