1908.] Official Circulars and Notices. 631 



In connection with the Census of Production, which is being taken this year 

 under the Census of Production Act, 1906, the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries 

 are endeavouring to obtain particulars of the area of 

 CenSUS Of woodland on the 4th June last, and of the production of 



Production timber during the previous twelve months. Occupiers, of 



woodlands are asked to furnish the present acreage if it 

 differs from that returned in 1905, when a special enquiry 

 was last, made, the acreage carrying each kind of tree, and number of trees of each 

 kind felled, or sold standing, with the quantity and value of the timber in each case 

 for the year ending 4th June, 1908. The adoption of this period is necessary for 

 the purpose of correlating the results of the enquiry with the returns of other pro- 

 ducts of the land. 



An endeavour is also being made to obtain fuller details relating to the hop crop 

 of the present year than is available from the ordinary agricultural returns. The 

 further information desired relates not only to the acreage and production of hops, 

 but also to the number of extra persons ("hoppers") engaged in picking. As 

 regards these latter, the Board are asking for as close an estimate as possible of the 

 numbers, distinguished by sex and age. 



An account of the objects aimed at by the Census of Production was given in this 

 Journal, May, 1908, p. 81. 



The Board have issued the following circular letter, dated 

 6th October, 1908 (A™ 2 ) , to the local authorities in Great Britain 

 for the purposes of the Fertilisers and 



Circular as to the Fee ding Stuffs Act, 1906. 

 Fertilisers and Feeding c T , , . . * , r . . u , 



0 Sir,— I am directed by the Board of Agriculture and 

 StuffS Act, 1906. Fisheries to ask you to bring before your local authority 

 the following observations on some of the points that 

 have arisen in connection with the administration of this Act : — 



Statements made by Analysts. — It has been brought to the notice of the Board 

 that in some cases official agricultural analysts add to their certificates under this Act 

 statements as to the amount of compensation that should, in their opinion, be 

 allowed in respect of a deficiency of the guaranteed constituents. 



In cases where the certificate is not required to be in the prescribed form, that 

 is to say, when the sample is not sent to the analyst in duplicate, there is nothing in 

 the Act to prevent the analyst adding such statements to the certificate, provided the 

 local authority have no objection ; and it appears to the Board that the addition in 

 these cases of such information as the analyst feels disposed to give would encourage 

 farmers to avail themselves of the facilities for analysis offered by the Act, and to 

 co-operate with the local authority in the detection of any fraud that may exist. 

 But the Board are advised that those certificates which are required to be in the 

 prescribed form, and which under the Act are made sufficient evidence of the facts 

 therein stated, should not contain any statement not provided for in the prescribed 

 form, as the insertion of such statement might prejudice any proceedings taken on 

 the certificate. 



Sampling of articles exposed for sale.- — An official sampler can, under Section 3 (2) 

 of the Act, without going through the form of purchase and without giving notice, 

 take a sample of goods exposed for sale ; but no proceedings for an offence under 

 Sectidn 6 (1) (b) of the Act can be taken against the person exposing the goods for 

 sale on such a sample. 



It is doubtful whether the Act authorises councils to spend money in purchasing 

 ertilisers and feeding stuffs ; but in some districts it is the practice to do so for 

 sampling purposes, and in cases where an official sampler has purchased a fertiliser 



