No. 123.] REPORT OF COMMISSIONER. 51 



participation in crop reporting is now a proper and a necessary 

 line of work. It is proposed to merge the crop-reporting and 

 marketing services of the United States Department of Agri- 

 culture, and this will facilitate the proposed co-operation in 

 crop reporting, — the two services should be conducted as one. 



Fundamental Importance of Crop Reports. 

 Every successful line of business in laying out its marketing 

 plan finds production and progress reports for that line of 

 goods essential, and a main function of the trade association 

 is the furnishing of this information. Similarly current, re- 

 liable crop reports and statistics are essential to successful 

 marketing of farm products. Business men dealing with farm- 

 ers in turn find the reports of great value in enabling them to 

 distribute their goods more in accord with probable demand. 

 New England agriculture is dependent in several ways for its 

 markets and for its supplies upon regions outside its borders; 

 hence, the double usefulness of the reports. 



Reports and Statistics must he Timely and Reliable. 

 Clearly these reports must be both timely and substantially 

 accurate so that they may be accepted with confidence. With 

 a view to improving and extending its reports to important 

 crops not now covered, the United States Department of Ag- 

 riculture asks the six New England States to join forces with 

 it in establishing a co-operative crop-reporting service for all 

 New England. The chief arguments for having the six States 

 act together are that their combined area is about equal to 

 that of an averaged sized State; that the commercial crops 

 grown here come from several of the States and find their 

 markets throughout all six; that crop reports and statistics 

 covering only part of the States would have very limited 

 usefulness; that a service covering all six will cost much 

 less than six independent services; and that the six States 

 together form the smallest efficient crop-reporting unit. The 

 United States Department offers to pay half the cost if the 

 six States together will pay the balance. This makes the cost 

 to any one State relatively small. The reports on commercial 

 crops would cover each State here and every other important 



