COMPILATION OF LISTS.

On July 1, 1918, approximately 13,300 correspondents were on the list of this section as compared with 14,000 on July 1, 1917, a decrease of about 5 per cent. This decrease is due to a cleaning out of the lists during the past year of "dead" correspondents.

MAIL HANDLED.

In the past year 145,157 pieces of mail matter were sent from this section, as compared with 109,449 pieces during 1917-an increase of about 32 per cent. This includes the extra addressing of envelopes, correspondence, miscellaneous inquiries, etc., and does not include the schedules or reports sent in addressed envelopes furnished by the Division of Publications. The record by months is as follows: July, 6,217; August, 5,991; September, 3,311; October, 3,783; November, 8,638; December, 6,599; January, 6,154; February, 9,694; March, 18,481; April, 23,519; May, 23,473; June, 29,297; total, 145,157. In addition to the foregoing a large amount of incoming mail matter was tabulated, sorted, and filed for future reference.

ORGANIZATION.

On July 1, 1918, the organization of this section consisted of 3 assistant truck-crop specialists; 1 assistant to the specialist; 1 temporary stenographer; 7 permanent clerks, 2 temporary clerks; 2 onehalf time clerks; and 1 messenger. During the year, in addition to the personnel on July 1, 1917, 17 new clerks were assigned to this section, and of these 14 resigned, were transferred to other bureaus, or their appointments were terminated, being temporary. In a bill now before Congress, 2 additional assistant truck-crop specialists are provided for, and an examination for eligibles was held on August 21 and 22, 1918, 13 candidates appearing. In this bill provision is also made for the employment of 25 correspondents to report weekly on the truck-crop situation.

TRAVEL.

The three assistant truck-crop specialists have made extensive trips over their territory, gathering information concerning truck crops. In addition to the foregoing travel, one trip to Ohio, Indiana, and Wisconsin, one to Massachusetts, three to Texas, one to Florida, one to California, and two to Norfolk were made by the truck-crop specialist, as well as two trips to Virginia and Maryland by his

assistant.

MISCELLANEOUS.

A large amount of miscellaneous tabulating, typewriting, filing, etc., which is not indicated in the foregoing, has been done during the year.

SUMMARY.

During the year the number of inquiries made increased 33 per cent and reports published 106 per cent. The number on the lists decreased about 5 per cent. A start was made on the market-garden phase of the truck-crop project and the information collected was published. The Weekly Truck Crop News is improving each week and as soon as additional correspondents are provided for it is expected to enlarge the scope of the report. This work has been hampered in the past

by the lack of a stable organization, many of the clerks being assigned to it for only temporary periods. As an indication of the unstable character of the organization attention is called to the fact that of the eight clerks who were assigned July 1, 1917, at the present date only three remain, although approximately 17 new clerks were assigned during the year.

DIVISION OF CROP RECORDS.

This division, under the direct supervision of Mr. Frank Andrews, chief of division, has charge of the official records of crop estimates concerning the United States from Federal, State, and private sources, and also of agricultural statistics of foreign countries. The records have been compiled from published and unpublished reports in such a way as to show in concise and convenient form information that is given in the original reports in a more or less scattered way, usually in a long series of reports and frequently in foreign units of weight and measure. In every completed office record these units of foreign weight and measure have been converted to the equivalent American units. Statistical records giving acreage and production of crops have been compiled for 27 foreign countries. In addition to the regular compilation of records the foreign crop work has included a large amount of special compilations and correspondence. When the compilation of agricultural statistics for the remaining countries is finished (probably within the next year) the Bureau of Crop Estimates will have one of the most complete records of estimates and statistics relating to world crops and live stock in existence, all expressed in terms of American units and in such convenient form as to be immediately available for reference. Estimates of crop production, as made by State officials and private agencies and individuals, have been segregated and entered on record practically as soon as received in the division.

The special investigations of this division included a comprehensive inquiry as to production compared with supply of principal farm products. Some results of this inquiry relating to wool and hides were given in two articles in the Department Yearbook for 1917, and a bulletin on the production and supply of potatoes was in press at the close of the fiscal year. An inquiry as to geographic variations in prices paid to farmers was completed and the results were given in three reports on wheat, corn, and oats, respectively. The bulletin on wheat prices was published during the year.

Reports on the sugar crops of the United States and Hawaii are compiled in this division. These reports are based upon actual enumerations, and in this respect are an exception to the general crop-reporting system of the bureau. During the year three reports were made relating to beets and beet sugar-namely, acreage planted, preliminary estimate of beets produced and sugar made, and after the close of the season a final estimate of beet and sugar production. There was also made, in December, the second annual estimate of this bureau on the acreage and production of sugar-beet seed. Three reports were made on the Louisiana sugar industry; one in December, giving the estimated tonnage of cane to be used for sugar; one in January, giving a preliminary estimate of the sugar made; and a final report in May, giving the annual production of sugar, as well as the tonnage and acreage of cane used. One report was made for

the Hawaiian industry, giving the final figures for acreage and production of cane and the production of cane sugar. The third annual report on maple sugar and sirup was planned and completed in this division.

A large number of' statistical compilations were made for the Secretary, the Assistant Secretaries, other Government officials, and other persons interested in agricultural statistics. Food production and supply in the United States and foreign countries was a frequent subject of inquiry.

In order to furnish data as promptly as possible, a series of office tables, with duplicate copies, is maintained. These tables number over 460 and cover subjects for which there is likely to be a demand and which relate to crop estimates.

BUREAU LIBRARY.

The library of the Bureau of Crop Estimates, which is a branch of the library of the department, during the fiscal year received approximately 192 foreign and 294 domestic periodicals containing useful information regarding agricultural statistics. Of these periodicals about 164 were monthly, 118 weekly, 40 daily, and the remainder were issued at other periods. The foreign periodicals received were about 58 less than in the fiscal year 1917-a decrease owing to war conditions.

The books in the library comprise the agricultural reports of practically all countries issuing such reports; also a fairly complete collection of the official reports of exports and imports for each foreign country. The collection of State reports on agriculture and live stock is practically complete; also annual statistical reports of commercial agencies, such as boards of trade, chambers of commerce, cotton exchanges, etc.

Constant use has been made of the books and periodicals, also of the working space provided here for investigators from outside the bureau. A large amount of research work was done in this library during the year by persons connected with other branches of this department, with the Food Administration, War Trade Board, Federal Trade Commission, Tariff Commission, Shipping Board, and Committee on Public Information.

INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE OF AGRICULTURE.

Monthly reports on crops and on exports and imports of cereals and cotton, also various data on other agricultural subjects, were sent by mail, cable, and radiogram to the International Institute of Agriculture, Rome, Italy. In addition to the International Crop Report, the Institute's Yearbooks, and other printed matter, 14 cablegrams relating to crops in various countries were received from the Institute.

FRUIT CROP ESTIMATES.

The special Fruit Crop Estimating Service is now well organized, with three fruit crop specialists engaged in field work, one statistical clerk in charge of office work, and additional clerical assistants at Washington. This service has undertaken the work of issuing regular reports giving accurate forecasts of the amounts of different fruits 97335°- -AGR 1918-21

which may be expected to reach commercial channels. Cooperative relations have been established with leading growers and shipping associations in all parts of the country for the purpose of collecting and disseminating this information, which is of vital importance to producers and consumers of commercial fruits. During the fiscal year 1918 complete surveys were made of practically every important apple and peach producing county in the United States.

Apple and peach forecasts giving detailed estimates by States and regions, together with complete comments upon the growing conditions in all parts of the country, are now being issued monthly, and it is planned to extend this service to other fruits. Approximately 10,000 voluntary apple reporters and 4,000 peach reporters are included in the special lists of correspondents reporting to this office. The total crops included in this work had a value in 1917 of $274,143,000.

PUBLICATIONS.

Twelve numbers of the Monthly Crop Report were issued during the year, aggregating 136 quarto pages of estimates and agricultural statistics.

Two hundred and nine statistical tables were prepared for publication in the department Yearbook for 1917.

The following Department Bulletins were published: No. 594, Geography of Wheat Prices. No. 685, Honeybees and Honey Production in the United States.

Three articles were contributed to the Department Yearbook for 1917 on (1) Wool: Production, Foreign Trade, Supply, and Consumption; (2) Hides and Skins: Production, Foreign Trade, Supply, and Consumption; and (3) Sugar Supply of the United States.

The following Department Bulletin was in press at the close of the fiscal year 1918: Potatoes: Acreage, Production, Foreign Trade, Suppły, and Consumption, by George K. Holmes.

MONTHLY CROP REPORTS.

During the year the bureau issued estimates of the numbers, prices, and value of different classes of live stock, losses from disease and exposure, number of breeding sows, and the number of stock hogs compared with last year.

Acreage estimates were made in June for barley, oats, spring wheat, alfalfa hay, clover hay; in July for corn, rice, kafirs, timothy hay, potatoes, sweet potatoes, beans (dry), cotton, flaxseed, sorghum cane, tobacco, broom corn, hops, peanuts; in August for buckwheat, hay, (tame hay, wild hay, and total); in September for clover seed; and in December for rye and winter wheat. Acreage remaining after abandonment was estimated for winter wheat and rye in May and for cotton in December.

Monthly during the crop season estimates were made of the condition of the growing crops as a percentage of normal for cereals, including barley, buckwheat, corn, oats, rice, rye, wheat (spring and winter); forage, including alfalfa hay, alfalfa for seed, bluegrass for seed, field beans, field peas, clover for hay, clover for seed, hay (tame hay, wild hay, and total), kafirs, millet, pasture, and timothy hay;

fruits, including apples, apricots, blackberries and raspberries, cantaloupes, cherries, cranberries, figs, grapefruit, grapes, lemons, limes, olives, oranges, peaches, pears, pineapples, plums, prunes, and watermelons; vegetables, including lima beans, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, onions, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and tomatoes; miscellaneous, including almonds, broom corn, cotton, flaxseed, hemp, hops, peanuts, percentage of planting done, percentage of plowing done, sorghum cane, sugar beets, sugar cane, tobacco, English walnuts, and wool.

Yield per acre was estimated in December for all principal crops for which acreage estimates were made. During the growing season the condition reports, expressed as a percentage of normal for all crops for which acreage is estimated, were interpreted in yield per acre as a forecast of production.

The percentage of a full crop produced was estimated in April for celery in California; in May for cauliflower in California; in July for cherries in California; in August for clover hay, blackberries and raspberries, pineapples (Florida); in September for alfalfa hay, bluegrass seed, timothy hay, apricots (California), cantaloupes, peaches, plums (California), watermelons and wool; in October for alfalfa seed, millet (hay and seed), prunes (California), field beans (grain and forage), lima beans (California), cabbage, onions, tomatoes, and broom corn; in November for clover seed, field peas, kafirs, apples, cranberries, figs (California), grapes, pears, almonds (California), peanuts, and English walnuts (California); in December for grapefruit and limes (Florida), lemons and olives (California), and oranges.

Farm prices of all crops and live stock were estimated monthly. Final estimates of acreage, yield, and total production were made in December for barley, buckwheat, corn, oats, rice, rye, wheat, hay, potatoes, sweet potatoes, flaxseed, cotton, tobacco, broom corn, hemp, kafirs, beans, hops, and cranberries; and of production of apples, peaches, pears, and oranges.

The percentage of the corn crop cut for silage was estimated in November.

The percentage of the crop of merchantable quality was estimated in March for corn.

The percentage of crops shipped out of counties where grown was estimated in March for barley, corn, oats, and wheat.

The quality of crops produced was estimated in August for rye, winter wheat, and clover hay; in September for tame and wild hay and peaches; in October for barley, oats, spring wheat, and hops; in November for buckwheat, corn, apples, cranberries, grapes, pears, potatoes, sweet potatoes, flaxseed, peanuts, and tobacco; in December for grapefruit and limes (Florida), lemons (California), and

oranges.

Supplies on farms were estimated in March for barley, corn, oats, and wheat; in May for hay; in July for wheat; in August for barley and oats; and in November for corn.

The weight per fleece was estimated in July for wool; and weight per bushel for barley, oats, and wheat in November.