Excerpt from the Report: In writing this handbook, the authors were prompted by many inquiries concerning the actual operations of selecting and using area samples for farm surveys. We have endeavored to bring out important points that need attention in the application of probability area sampling and to relieve misapprehensions on other points that are of little consequence. We have also indicated how probability area sampling can be adapted to a number of special cases, thus emphasizing its flexibility and general utility. For a discussion of the merits of probability sampling and relevant material on the principles of sampling, the reader is referred to existing literature.