The statistics of agriculture were obtained for the census of 1890, as for previous censuses, upon special schedules carried by the enumerators, by farm to farm visitation, and from the farmers.

There is very little change in the scope of the agricultural investigations since the census of 1880. The orchard products, cotton seed, and horticulture appear in this report, for the first time at any census.

In the Eleventh Census, as in previous censuses, it was necessary to take the productions of agriculture for hte year preceeding the year in which the population was enumerated. Comparisons with the population and live stock are based upon the same relative figures in all those reports. The production of 1880 being the nearest known crop to the census of June 1, 1890, all averages and percentages appearing in this report showing the relation of hte productions of the country to the population or to the live stock are based upon the production of 1889, and the returns of population or live stock on June 1, 1890.

The total values of all farm products, as given in this report, are the aggregations of the values furnished either to the enumerators or directly to the Census Office, by the producers themselves, but being to a large extent estimates, as stated in the tables, they are doubtless affected by that well-known tendency of farmers to underestimate the values and in some cases also the quantities of such their products as are consumed wholly or in large part upon the farm. Such total values, therefore, must be taken only as estimates, and with the understanding that they are considered too low. In the few cases in which the values of particular crops are given, and such crops are money crops, there is no reason to think that the figures published are open to the criticism above stated.

Also included with this report:

1. Report on Agriculture by Irrigation in the Western Part of the United States, and
   
2. Report on Statistics of Fisheries in the United States.