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HEARINGS BEFORE COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE. 397 
ernment salaries are lower than those paid by individuals, the Govern- 
ment clerks very seldom leave? 
Mr. Hormes. The Government salaries for the routine clerks are 
probably higher than paid by outside people, but for higher clerks 
they are not nearly so high. 
_ The Cuarrman. For a few experts, I agree with you; I think that 
istrue. That is $2,800 for Mr. Olmstead; now, go on with your items. 
Mr. Hotmzs. The $20,000 in addition to that is all for field work. 
We want more men. We want to pay them $7 a day salary apiece 
and their expenses—approximately $3,000 a year. 
The Cuarrman. How much do you calculate $7 a day would 
amount to? 
Mr. Houtmzs. About $2,000—about $2,100. 
The Cuarrman. Do you pay them for every day of the year except 
Sundays? 
Mr. Hotmes. When they work. It will amount to about $2,000 
apiece. The reason we ask for these men is this—for instance, we 
want to have another grain man. We have the grain States of IIli- 
nois, lowa, Missouri, Kansas, and Nebraska covered by one man— 
one field man. Now they are the great surplus corn and wheat States, 
and we should have another man in there undoubtedly. In fact, we 
have two men covering those States I have named, and Ohio, Michigan, 
Virginia, West Virginia, and Kentucky. We would like to have three 
and divide that group of States into three territories instead of two. 
We need a man there and need him badly. 
Mr. Apams. Your sources of information, as I understand it, are 
State agents, and through them they obtain the reports of their cor- 
respondents in the various counties. In addition to that, I understand 
that is duplicated by the agents who report directly to the Department. 
Mr. Hotmes. By two sets of agents who report direct. 
Mr. Apams. In addition to that you have these men in the field 
who make personal inspection of certain belts of territory? 
Mr. Hotmxrs. When we hear of a severe storm or frost we send a 
man right in there. With unusual conditions is when we use them 
most; and we want them the worst. 
Mr. Apams. These various reports must to a certain extent be con- 
tradictory; then what sort of weight do you give to the reports of 
these inspectors who are experts and specialists and go over the 
round ¢ 
: Mr. Hoimes. It would surprise you to know how nearly they came 
together in ordinary weather. In fact, it is seldom there is a differ- 
ence of one point, or 1 per cent, in the reports of all classes of corre- 
spondence. But suppose after our correspondent has mailed his report 
there should come a severe drought or frost, or any weather detri- 
mental to the crops, we get our field men in there to supplement the 
report of our correspondent. 
Mr. Apams. That very often happens? 
Mr. Hotes. It happens every month. That is one of the men we 
want, and we need another man for cotton and rice, in the cotton 
States. This summer I was forced to put in almost all of my field 
time. One man was all we had, and we had sufficient appropriation to- 
appoint another man for forty days only. I had to keep most of 
those men in Texas about all the time, and one of the men—one of our 
oldest men—I would let make flying trips to the other States. 
