Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1872-12-27
POSTAL RATES ON SEEDS 60.

Itwould be interesting to know who II
was that veutured upon the trick Of charg-
ing the rates Of postage upon packages Of
seeds, seions, &c, in the law passed at the
last session Of Congress in relation to the
matter. Members Of Congress declare that
there was no intention of making any such
charge,-that the object of the bill was to
make the postal law still more liberal, in
stead of curtailing the facilities already at.
forded, There seems to be no doubt that
the law as it stands is a piece Of trickery,
played, apparently, in the interest Of the ex-
press companies. By it the rates are doubled
upon all that class Of mailable matter, and
the limit of weight for single packages cut
down from four pounds to twelve ounces.
The effect of this law is practically to ex-
clude the greater portion of the seed business
from the mails, and throw it into the hands
of the express companies. As they are the
only people in the country likely to receive
any benefit from the change, it seems highly
probable that the whole thing was a trick
engineered on their behalf by some sharp
congressional committee man.
But the outrage upon the public is so
great and the demand for return TO the old
law 10 vehement, that it is evident this bold
stroke Of lobbying will prove failure Hon.
John Hill, Of New Jersey, promptly intro
duced at the opening of the present session
of Congress bill to restore the old enact
ment, which has worked so well and with
such universal approval for twenty years.
There was actually no demand and no rea.
son for the change. The law greatly increas-
ed the revenue Of the Post Office, benefited
the farmers and gardeners all over the coun-
try, and was doing more to promote improve
ment Of quality, and increase OF yield in our
agricultural and horticultural products than
any other single thing ever done by the gen.
eral government. Under it large business
has been built up, enabling the producers and
consumers of seeds and plants to deal direct
ly with each other, and giving access to
thousands Of points not reached by the ex.
press companies. This great business is
paralyzed, and would be substantially destroy
ed under the law as it now stands. Mr.
Wick, the great seedman of Rochester, says
truly, on this subject
SO important has the transmission of seeds
by mail become, that the postage stamps
used by several of our leaCing houses range
from ton thousand to fifty thousand dollars
each annually. Every hamlet in the country
has been reached and blessed by cheap post
age for seeds, and the people have learned to
rely upon the mails for the transmission of
seeds from distant growers to their homes.
The facilities afforded by the wisdom of
congress for the dissemination of seeds Mt II
low rate of postage, and in packages of q
convenient size, has also encouraged the
growth of seeds in our country, and we are
becoming every year more Independent of
foreign growers indeed, we are beginning
to send such things to Europe, as experience
has proved peculiarly adapted to growth in
our climate.
We had not the least idea that any change
IN the law was' contemplated. We had not
learned that it was unsatisfactory to any class
gret, nut wiz pat surprise, we learned
through the toffice Department that con-
gress in ameiWhg the post-ofiice law, ut its
last session, and ostensibly for the purpose
of increasing mail facilities, had really made
4 retrOgrade movement Henceforth no
package of seeds could be sent by mail except
ut letter rates If weighing more uhan twelve
ounces and that the rates on these small
packages were doubled, being increased to
one cent an ounce.
The effect of this law is not only to greatly
embarass, but almost to destroy our business,
Its effect on the post-ollices is also injurious.
because compelled to divide the usual four
pound package into six small packages, thus
greatly increasing the labor of packing and
distribution, and compelling us to send by
express whenever it is possible to do so.
We hope that Yermont's representatives
in Congress will cooperate heartily in the
effort to put this matter right with the least
possible delay
Our readers will not fail to notice that We
have eliminated, as fast as the contracts ex.
PRED, all the undesirable and unreliable ad.
yertiscments which came to the FARMEF
through the purchase OF the Times. In
doing this we have only fulfilled oul
pledge that nothing should appear among oul
advertisements calculated either to demoral.
ize or defraud these who put confidence il
the FARMER as a family paper. But few o.
our subscribers, probably, are aware at wha
cost to ourselves, in mIney, we carry ou
this principle, which, just and right as W.
feel it TO be, is by no means one generally
accepted by the newspaper press of this Oh
any other state We are within limits wher
we say that the exclusion of that class o
of advertising will not, in all probability
cost us less than $1,000 for the ensuing year
Sacrificing SO much in order that in every
way the VERMONT FARMER may be credita
BILE to the community from which it is issued
and medium only of good to its patrons
we feel that it gives us an additional CLAIM
upon them to recommend it to their friends
not only for their subscriptions, but for the
advertising patronage.
Years ago wonderful Frenchman, by tn,
name of Thoreau, lived for some time in
little cabin near Concord, Mass, ON tn,
small sum OF four dollars per month every
thing included Prdiric Farmer.
We fear that our Chicago cotemporar!
has not replaced its Biographical DictiOnar.
since the great fire. 1t is hardly safe, il
America, to assign nativity on the strength
OF names, simply, Otherwise we SHOULD
have to credit our President to Scotland, AM
both Of his rivals to the Emerald Isle Tho
reau was just as much Frenchman as Gen
eral Revere or as VIM. b. Astor is a Ger