250 COTTON 



by his rival with his bullish reports given in the 

 hope that prices may advance to his profit. 



It is to the Government we must look for esti- 

 mates of such a character that they may be de- 

 pended upon for accuracy and reliability. Besides, 

 the Government is impartial and aims to protect 

 both producer and consumer, since both contribute 

 to its machinery, and for them it partially exists. 



WHY THE GOVERNMENT GATHERS STATISTICS 



* 



To the Department of Agriculture is intrusted 

 this work ; to no other Department of the Govern- 

 ment could it be more safely and wisely left ; by no 

 other Department can the condition of the growing 

 crop be so accurately and completely ascertained. 

 The purpose of the Government's cotton reports 

 is to ascertain the actual facts as to the acreage, 

 growing condition, and the prospective yield of the 

 crop. Its general aims may be enumerated as fol- 

 lows: 



1. To give information to producers, consumers 

 and dealers as to actual yields; also to report as 

 to the actual conditions of promise. 



2. To enable market centers to better balance 

 supply against demand in defining what prices are 

 warranted by natural conditions. 



3. To insure whatever stability of prices a chang- 

 ing state of natural conditions allows. 



4. To be so certainly authentic and comprehen- 

 sive and definite for entire crop areas that interested 

 parties cannot well credit nor warp the figures with 

 their own estimates, and thus bring about unstable 

 markets. jjji 



5. To enable ^producers to know the facts as to 

 the promise of prices for the crop, that false re- 



