The Warner weekly sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1885, 1884-11-14
sEEDs roR THE PEorLR.
The Great Distribution by Congressman
Nearly -Four MILLION Packages Yearly
Mailed from the Agricultural Depart
Ynant-

Nearly -Four MILLION Packages Yearly
Mailed from the Agricultural Depart.
ment.
An average Congressman prizes moth
ing more than his seeds. They are al
ways appreciated, and appeal to the
great mass of country constituencies.
This seed distribution is apeculiar af-
fair. From it's inception the Agricul-
tural Department has relied upon it as
a chief means of keeping in the good
graces of congressman, with remarkable
success. The seed business began small,
but last year $75 900 was voted for its
support, and this year 500, 600 Is set
aside for that purpose. Formerly the
business was done in the basement OF
the Agricultural Department, but two
years ago a spacious building was erected
for the purpose, which now also shelters
the Civil Service Commissioners.
/ went down there the other day to
find 100 and ffty-eight men
busily employed in putting up the seed.
The men get $3.50 per day and the
ome $1.25. Mr.. Longly, the chief,
presides. Every year he buys tons OF
seeds. Some comes from abroad, the
greater part all grows IN this country.
He is constantly on the lookout for new
varieties, which are bought, tried by
the department gardner, and, if a sue
cess, sent out. Two-thirds of his APP
preparation he spends in seeds, the rest
in putting them up. Half the women
paste together stiff paper envelopes for
the smaller kinds, and others sew cot
ton bags for the farm seeds. Then
boys with different sized scoops fill
them, and at long tables other women
gum the envelope laps, or with a few
quick stif hes, sew the bags. Then
they are piled up in heaps like a small
grist mill, waiting to- be sent away.
This work is going on all the year.
Now the winter wheat is being prepared,
to be followed by the cotton for the
South.
During the year just over Mr.. Long
ley has mailed 1922, 1888 packages, all
going free. OF these 1912, 730 are Civ
en- TO the congressman, although by
law they are only entitled to two thirds.
Then the agricultural department has a
crop correspondent in every county and
a general one in each state. The form
er got 395, 900 packages, the latter r.
400, while miscellaneous applicants re-
ceived 279, 1853. And so perfect is the
system that great books are kept where.
in each recipient and what he receives
are set down. The seeds are of all sorts,
from field corn and potatoes to the rar-
est flowers. Peas, beans, corn and po-
tatoes are put up In quart sacks and
the flower seeds In tiny envelopes. The
list includes over fifty kinds, while of
vegetables there are 1913 varieties, and
flowers 131. These two are more than
two-thirds of the whole. Last year
2,351, 1876 lots of vegetables and 563, 638
of flower seeds were distributed, tur
nips ranking next, with 425, 858, wheat
90, 900, tobacco, 114,671, potatoes, 49,
900, sorghum, "a. 359, while of the poor
despised suntiower sos packages were
given away.
But, the reader will say, what q job
it must be for a Congressman to do up
and address such a number Of packages.
Allowing that the division was made
equally, each one received last year T.
103. This is not literally true, for the
city members very often exchange their
seeds with bucolic statesmen for books
and other perquisites, while the country
members, who never get enough seeds,
go in troops to DR.. LoriDg to beg for
more than they get by allowance
and exchange. He always manages to
squeeze out a few extra, which accounts
for their having more than two-thirds,
D..k 4fr.nn~ AL ..4x-ah1. evan
1000 of these bundles to direct would
be a large job. Instead of that, they
do this: Every Congressman keeps q
wonderful book of He ran
sacks directories, writes to local
politicians and relies on his meni-
DRY to get a List of all the
men In his district who for any reason
are worth looking after. Thousands Of
them, with addresses are thus on hand.
This volume is sent to the Seed Office.
There the sissks direct to each name a
variety of seeds, and in the mail goes
at the same time a neat Official postal
card which bears these words, the blank
appropriately filed;
SIR-At the request Of Hon.-we
send you . package Of. Very respect
fully,
GEoRGE b. LoUNG, Commissioner.
Thus the recipient sees wherce the
donation comes, even if the Taember
does not have the bags sent to his room
to be directed by his own hand. One
wagon is kept constantly carrying the
parcels to the postoffice, and, if the in
crease goes on, no n knows what
bounds this grand distribution may not
reach Correspondence Cincinnati
| Commercial.
The Lively Girls of Saratoga