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 
