SPECIAL FRUIT ORGANIZATIONS 249 



blanks containing a number of questions and places for 

 answers are sent to each post office and the one in charge 

 has had to fill them out and return to the office of crops. 

 From these reports monthly bulletins are compiled and 

 sent to the various papers where they are printed and 

 sent out to the public. Also a regular mailing- list is 

 furnished with these bulletins. These reports are valu- 

 able as they indicate the general crop conditions, but 

 they are not sufficiently accurate to make a working basis 

 for handling the fruit crop. 



Once in 10 years the Government takes a census of 

 the country, which includes, the horticultural products. 

 These serve as guides for the general trend of the fruit 

 business but give nothing much to help the marketing sit- 

 uation. The system of tariffs and revenues makes it 

 necessary to keep accurate records of the imports and 

 exports and their respective value. This information is 

 desirable and of value as an after consideration, but it 

 serves only as a guide and gives no definite advance 

 information. 



A number of the larger exchanges have their statistical 

 department where they can get advance information from 

 their own members. "While this serves their own business 

 admirably it does not add to the knowledge of the public 

 until too late to be of any direct benefit. Such ex- 

 changes usually hold their own information more or less 

 of a secret until it has served its purpose. 



Market Reports. The reports of the prices of farm 

 commodities that appear regularly in the daily papers 

 and agricultural journals are collected in various ways. 

 Very few of the large daily papers have an expert to 

 cover the markets and collect material for reports. Some 



