RELIABILITY AND ADEQUACY OE FARM-PRICE DATA 
23 
Table 8 shows the distribution of December 1, 1925, cotton prices 
in Texas as given by the crop correspondents reporting to Washing- 
ton. The Texas agricultural statistician received a similar sample of 
price reports. With a large number of reports well distributed, 
there is a marked tendency for the largest numbers of reports to be 
received from those sections where the most sales are being made. 
More reporters are informed concerning the price of an im- 
portant commodity than of an unimportant one. If price reporters 
are well distributed over a State, there is a marked tendency for 
the prices reported to be largely self -weighting. 
For several different months a check was made State by State to 
determine the total number of counties in the State, whether agricul- 
tural or nonagricultural, represented by one or more reports or 
schedules. In September, 1925, there were 34 States in which 50 per 
cent or more of the counties were represented by one or more price 
schedules ; in November, 1925, 33 States ; in January, 1926, 37 States ; 
and in March, 1926, 43 States. In a few States every county was 
represented. In March, 1925, the percentage of the total number of 
counties from which one or more schedules were received varied in 
the North Atlantic States from 100 per cent in Maine and New 
Hampshire to 71 per cent in New Jersey. The range in the North 
Central States was from 9 per cent in Ohio, 10 per cent in Indiana, 
and 11 per cent in Wisconsin and Kansas, to 63 per cent in Missouri. 5 
Table 8. — Analysis of prices received by producers of cotton in the State of 
Texas, December 1, 1925, by crop-reporting districts 
NUMBER OF REPORTS AT SPECIFIED PRICES 
Price, 
cents per 
pound 
District 
1 
District 
. 2 
District 
3 
District 
4 
District 
4a 
District 
5 
District 
6 
District 
8 
District 
9 
State 
12 
2 
4 
12 
7 
12 
8 
19 
6 
10 
1 
2 
1 
1 
4 
13 
1 
2 
5 
4 
7 
26 
15 
44 
8 
5 
2 
5 
14 
4 2 
2 ! 4 
1 
7 
4 
7 
9 
5 
12 
2 
6 
21 
15 
1 
1 
5 
17 
14 
13 
3 
2 
1 
2 
1 
1 
27 
16 
7 
4 
27 
13 
27 
6 
7 
1 
5 
4 
20 
10 
17 
3 
4 
33 
17 
» I 
2 
1 
2 
6 
13 
31 
3 
3 
37 
18 
19 
20 
21 
22 
23 
6 
4 
10 
2 
1 
1 
132 
85 
169 
30 
31 
5 
24 
2 
25 
1 
2 
Total. _ 
83 i 99 
1 
70 
15 
58 
119 
53 
61 
25 
583 
STRAIGHT (SIMPLE) AVERAGE PRICE, CENTS P 
ER POI 
JND 
16.8 
18.9 
18.4 
19.7 
19.6 
19.0 
18.4 
19.1 
19.4 
■18.6 
STANDARD DEVIATION, CENTS 
2.35 
2.08 
2. 05 | 1. 16 
1.03 
1.86 
2.18 
2.05 
1.56 
2.10 
°Thew 
eighted average price for the State is 18.4 cents per pound. 
5 In both Ohio and Missouri the State agricultural statistician receives reports on 
prices from a list of reporters at least twice as large as the list which reports to 
Washington. The returns from both lists are combined in making up the price reports 
for those two States. 
