252 COTTON 



the best means of securing reliable information. 

 It should be further extended. The State Agent 

 should receive a salary commensurate with the re- 

 sponsibilities of his position, and sufficient to en- 

 able him to maintain a well-equipped office and 

 look after his large body of aids. 



Then there are three special field agents who 

 travel constantly through the cotton territory, each 

 covering a group of States assigned him. These 

 men are trained statisticians and selected because 

 of their wide knowledge and broad information 

 regarding the cotton crop. They travel systematic- 

 ally over the districts in their charge, note carefully 

 the acreage and conditions; keep in close touch 

 with the best informed opinion as to the cotton crop. 

 Their knowledge and information is therefore of 

 the highest value in correcting inaccuracies: and 

 it is given monthly or oftener to the Statistical 

 Bureau by mail and telegraph. 



To supplement these, information is obtained 

 from county and township correspondents who 

 have been selected because of fitness and knowl- 

 edge; from the cotton ginneries and from corre- 

 spondents representing bankers, and country mer- 

 chants. 



SCOPE OF COTTON STATISTICS 



Cotton schedules are sent to all these classes of 

 reporters each month of the growing season. The 

 May schedule is the first of the year and deals with 

 the acreage and condition of cotton. Following 

 this are the June, July, August and September 

 schedules dealing with the condition of the crop. 

 The August report also deals with the amount of 

 old cotton on hand; in the November report is in- 



