AN INTERNATIONAL SERVICE 85 



to occupy their entire time, thought, and energy. Their training is 

 along other lines than agriculture, and in fact the commercial 

 attaches who were interviewed in the foreign nations by the dele- 

 gates to the Institute appeared to have very little knowledge of either 

 American or foreign agriculture. Without exception, they appeared 

 to be wholly ignorant of the fact that the farmers of the United 

 States produced in 1920 and 1921 tremendous surpluses for which 

 there was no adequate market and which were sold at ruinously low 

 prices, causing the loss of millions of dollars and reducing the pur- 

 chasing power of farmers approximately one-third to one-half ; which 

 reacted disastrously upon business in other industries and caused the 

 shutting down of factories resulting in widespread unemployment. 



At the Institute and before the Committee on Foreign Relations 

 when we returned from Rome, the American delegation strongly 

 urged the placing of agricultural attaches in foreign nations, these 

 attaches to be to American agriculture what the commercial attaches 

 are to American commerce and industry. As the result of the argu- 

 ments before the Committee on Foreign Relations, a small appropria- 

 tion was made for this work, and the work has been started in a 

 small way. At present the Department of Agriculture has stationed 

 Mr. Foley in London and Mr. Bullock in Buenos Aires, and they 

 are rendering most efficient service. For instance, this past fall when 

 the Department desired prompt information as to the newly sown 

 acreage of wheat in Argentine, the Department of Commerce was 

 notified to get the official figures as soon as available and cable 

 them. At the same time the same question was asked Mr. Bullock, 

 who cabled the desired figures within forty-eight hours. A week 

 later the Department of Commerce wrote that the Argentine figures 

 would not be available for another month. This shows the value of 

 having a man on the spot to render service when it is needed. 



Last June three cotton specialists were sent to the World Cotton 

 Convention at Liverpool and the International Chamber of Commerce 

 meeting at London. Two of these men remained abroad long enough 

 to visit the principal cotton ports and cotton milling centers in Europe, 

 as well as the Nile Valley and Palestine. They obtained information 

 of much value, especially with respect to marketing prospects and 

 the possibilities of expanding trade in cotton in Poland. In the late 

 summer a specialist in the meat packing trade, Mr. E. C. Squire, 

 was sent to Europe. He has been collecting and forwarding valuable 

 data with respect to stocks of dairy and meat products on hand, 

 demand, prices, and trade conditions. 



