COTTON 
bo 
Or 
ie) 
ANNUAL ESTIMATE OF COTTON CROP 
It has been the custom of the Department of 
Agriculture annually on December Ist to estimate 
the yield in cotton for each State and the total for 
all the cotton-producing States. This estimate 
compared with the report of the Census Bureau 
(which is charged with the duty of publishing the 
exact amount produced after the crop has been 
entirely ginned) forthe last seven years, shows that 
the estimates of the Department of Agriculture have 
been within an average of one and four-tenths per 
cent. of absolute accuracy, which, in view of the 
fact that “‘to err is human”’ is little short of mirac- 
ulous. 
This fact is shown in the table following: 
NUMBER OF POUNDS OF LINT COTTON 
Year Department ef Census Bureau ARS LL et 
Agriculture Over | Under 
1899 | 4,320,193,000 | 4,457,097,000 3.1 
1900 | 4,856,738,000 | 4,846,471,000 2 
1901 | 4,529,954,000 | 4,550,950,000 rs 
1902 | 5,111,870,000 | 5,091,641,000 4 
1903 | 4,889,796,000 | 4,706,591,000 | 3. $ 
1904 | 6,157,064,000 | 6,426,698,000 4. 2 
1905 | 5,083,909,000 | 5,389,155,149 5. 0 
MORE FREQUENT REPORTS 
The objection to the reports of the Department 
now may be said to lie with their infrequency. So 
important is correct and accurate information to 
the producer and consumer, and so important too is 
