Part II.] FEDERAL OFFICE OF MARKETS. Ill 



highly perishable strawberry crop to the semi-staple onion and 

 potato crops. 



Daily reports on the crops were issued from 11 city offices, 

 which have mailing lists ranging from 100 to 3,000. Far more 

 numerous reports have been sent out from field offices in pro- 

 ducing territory, thus bringing the information closer to the 

 shipping public. 



In short, the object of this work is to collect and distribute, 

 by telegram, mail or otherwise, timely information on the sup- 

 ply, commercial movement and market prices of fruits and vege- 

 tables, thus assisting shippers in securing better distribution of 

 perishable products. Daily telegraphic reports are obtained 

 from common carriers of the number of cars of each crop 

 shipped from certain producing areas, together with their des- 

 tinations. These reports, with the number of cars offered and 

 the prices prevailing on each of the principal markets, are sum- 

 marized daily during the heavy shipping season for redistribu- 

 tion to producing districts, markets and the press. During the 

 past season daily market reports were issued free of charge from 

 the Boston office on the following commodities: — 



Apples. 



Cantaloupes. 



Grapes. 



Onions. 



Peaches. 



Strawberries. 

 Tomatoes. 

 Watermelons. 

 White potatoes. 



Marketing Live Stock, Meats and Animal By-products. 



This project is just beginning the daily issue of news concern- 

 ing the market prices and distribution of live stock and meats. 

 The railroads have begun reporting daily all carload shipments 

 of live stock, giving their destinations. Information is gathered 

 from stock men, live-stock associations, stockyards, commission 

 firms, live-stock exchanges and others relative to the number of 

 head of marketable live stock, especially cattle, hogs and sheep, 

 in the principal live-stock feeding and growing sections. Repre- 

 sentatives of the office are stationed at the principal centralized 

 live-stock markets and in consuming centers for the purpose of 

 forwarding daily to the Washington office information relative to 



