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 ts 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- 
