2. Climate has a great influence on all vegetable production. The climate of 

 the United States is a peculiar one, marked by great extremes of heat and cold, 

 and wet and dry. It is as essential to study its characteristics as it is to determijie 

 the properties of our various soils. Hence the importance attached to it in 

 these monthly reports, by a publication of the meteorological tables furnished 

 by the Smithsonian Institution, showing the phenomena of the climate for each 

 month, and when compared Mith a period of five preceding years. These tables 

 will be preceded by an article in reference to them, and by which it is hoped 

 the American farmer may be induced to take an interest in a climate so peculiar 

 in its differences between the Pacific and Atlantic coasts, and in its changes, 

 uncertainties, and extremes in the older States. For this purpose, too, it is 

 recommended to carefully preserve these reports, because references to preced- 

 ing reports \v\\\ constantly be make in succeeding ones. 



3. The tables for July demand that the earnest attention of our regular coi*- 

 respondent* be called to the manner in which our estimates are made from their 

 reports. 



First. To questions asking the amount of a crop, answers are returned in two 

 ways; Jir.t, by the whole amount being stated in figures, thus: wheat, 120,000 

 bushels; and second, by the amount stated as an average, thus: 10, meaning 

 there is an average crop; or in tenths above or below an average. Now, in such 

 States as California and Ohio, where the amounts of the crops are annually 

 taken with reliable care, there is furnished to our correspondents a basis by 

 which they can estimate the amounts raised; but where they are not thus takeiv 

 the estimates must partake too much of guessing. But as it is desirable t» 

 have uniform returns, it is requested that all answer according to the above 

 second mode; that is, by stating how much it is above or below an average 

 crop, which is represented by the figures 10. This Department possesses better 

 means of determining what an average crop is for each county than its corre- 

 spondents; and the familiarity of the statistical division with the general sub- 

 ject enables it to make the proper investigations. When the several States 

 shall have adopted a proper and uniform mode of returning their agricultural 

 productions ^innually, the difficulties embarrassing our correspondenis and this 

 Department will have vanished. 



Second. A good mmy of our correspondents make no returns of tie injuries 

 to the crops. This leaves it doubtful whether there is any injury, or whether 

 the injury is omitted to be stated. Such course involves this ditfiicirlty : If ten 

 counties are returned, and of these the injury to a crop is stated in five, and 

 not stated in the remainder, the araouut of the injury of the fiN'e is- taken and 

 divided by ten, the number of all the counties, because any oth^r course would 

 make the five injured crops represent the condition of the entire ten. Hence, 

 our coiTcspondents are especially asked to give the injury ia all cases, and 

 where there is none to represent it by a 0. 



Third. An intelligent correspondent suggests that in making upithe averages 

 for the States from the returns of the counties, counties of equal production 

 should be averaged together. This is doubtless the correct mode when precise 

 quantities are to be obtained, but that is unnecessary in our tables of the con- 

 dition of the growing crops. Our purpose is to show whetlier the crop approxi- 

 mates to an average one, and this is sufficiently determined when all the counties 

 are averaged together. The labor of averaging counties of equal production, 

 that the small differences in the two modes might be obviated, would be too 

 great. 



Fourth. A gentleman who is a corresponding seereliary of the State Board 

 of Agriculture of a leading western State thus writes: "There are too many 

 abstractions in it, (the table,) and the results are too complex — rather too 

 'crowded' to suit the majority of readers. It is so condensed that it requires 

 men to think, and very few take that trouble about anything." 



