AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1272, 30 October 1911, Page 8

AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS.

WORIC OF COLLECTION. . The cpllcction of agricultural statistics has been a very serious problem, according to the Minister for Agriculture. These, ho says, were collected by a branch of the Department, assisted by sub-enumerators specially engaged. The cost of cplleotion amounts to iloOflO. To all intents and purposes it was an agricultural census. It is obvious, says the Minister, that to attain accuracy and completeness the funds required would be much greater. It was then decided that the colleeticij should be limited to tho more important crops—cereals, roots, rape and potatoes. Stock and grasses were excluded, and it again excluded districts where the crops mentioned were comparatively unimportant. It had often been represented by associations and conferences of men interested in agriculture that if postal facilities were availed of the expenditure in connection with tho collection of these statistics would be materially lessened. The schedules in use for the collection of the crops enumerated, including grasses and stock, wore, of necessity, somewhat elaborate, and from experiences of the past were seldom correct!;,- completed by Iho landowner. For this year these schedules were of the very simplest form, cvorv means being availed of to prevent needless inconvenience. Of these reviewed schedules 194 i were mailed to farmers, and but 1175 were completed and returned. The, remainder, after fruitless application had been made, v.-ero collected by ollicers of tho Department or persons specially engaged. This year agricultural statistics will bo complete, as they form a portion of the general census taken. In future it will probably be found sufficient to obtain the complete returns at the quinquennial census of the Dominion, and in the inter- • veiling years to collect statistics of the more important crops through postal facilities and tho officers of the Department.