The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1885-02-21
SEEDS FOR THE CONSTITUENT.
How Vegetable Seeds, Flower Seeds and
Tobacco Seeds are Dealt Out by DIR.
Loring's Department..

Iopacco seeds are Dealt Out by Dr.
/ Loring's Department..
! DIR. Loring's garden seed department
at Washington, is a busy place these
days. The statesmen over in the Cap
itol who got circulars from the Doctor
at the opening of the session notifying
them that they had $3.50 worth of seeds
apiece due then. have been remarkably
prompt in responding. Congress votes
100000 annually for seeds. Two
thirds of this sum goes back in seeds
to the 400 Senators and Representa-
tives, and the Commissioner of Agricul-
ture distributes the rest through other
| channels.
Each Congressman is allotted 5000
papers of vegetable seeds and 1000
papers of flower seeds, to begin with.
In addition, the members from tobacco
districts have received in the past year
500 papers of imported tobacco seeds
each the cotton belt members have
each had 200 quarts of cotton seed !;
the winter wheat men have had 200
quarts apiece of that staple grain; the
spring wheat Representatives have been
equally favored, and the corn Congress-
men have been blessed in abundance
with kernels of choice maize. All the
Congressman received in July, about
the time the nominating conventions
were held, 1000 papers Of turnlp seed
each ; and grass seed, three or four
bushels to the member, were showered
alike upon the just and the unjust.
Sorghum and sugar beet seeds were
sent also to favorable districts.
The peculiarities of statesmen are
often indicated by the manner in which
they dispose of DR.. Loring's crops.
Some latitude Of choice is allowed, and
members who are we'll up in farming
and gardening get their quota in the
one or two grains of vegetables that are
staple articles in their districts, and thus
make themselves solid for years. There
is Joe Blackburn, for instance, who
moves over from the House to the Sen
ate on the 4th of March, whose endur-
ing fame in Kentucky is in no small
degree due to the fact that he takes
out all his allowance IN hemp seed, and
induces the Commissioner to give him
several bushels over.
Ben Lefevre, who comes back to the
House term after term with steadily in
creasing majorities, is particularly strong
in turnip seed, although his gallant
bachelor heart always prompts him to
SOW few choice flower seeds in the
gardens Of his lady admirers.
Blount, of Georgia, runs entirely to
cotton seed, and is solid with his con-
stituents.
The Hon. Samuel ]. Randall has all
his seed sent in bundle to Bryn Mawr,
and attends to their distribution when
he gets home.
Speaker Carlisle is not so methodical.
Whenever a constituent asks him for
seeds he sends the letter to Commits
sioner Loring, and asks him to attend
to the request. He is careless about
getting his full allowance.
The champion seed distributors of
the House are Taylor, of Tennessee,
and Jones, of Texas, with Lanham, of
Texas, good third. These Congress
men represent big and growing districts.
with innumerable wants. They are
omniverous. They exhaust their own
allotment of seeds early, and then get
as many assignments of orders from
other Congressman as they can. A
literary Congressman who wants to
swap seeds for documents is a great
find for seed Congressman.
The Hon. Thomas Porterhouse Och,
iltree was a great see hunter before he
was Congressman, but, having once
been elected, he neglected his constit-
uents in this particular strangely. In
reply to the last notification that seeds
were awaiting his order he replied:
"My constituents don't go much on
seeds, but they are mighty fond of par
tridges. You may send few coops
around to my rooms"
DR.. Loring is looking up the law on
the subject to see if he can compl,
with the requisition. Col. Ochiltree
says if a member can have cologne anc
suspenders charged to his stationery
account, he sees no reason why par.
tridges cannot be enumerated under
the head of turnips and Jerusalem ar
tichokes.
Nevada Jones has constituency tina
grows nothing but quartz rock. HI
gives away his seeds to his swarms o
friends.
The frosty Edmunds is as formal ant
mysterious in the seed business as hi
is in everything else. Nobody ever see
his list of benefciaries. He does no
send it to the department, but order
the seeds sent to his rooms in bulk
He then goes into executive session
with himself, and before coming on
makes solemn oath never to divulg
what has happened.
OF THE STUFF THAT STARTLES.
What Dynamite Is and How 1t is Made, Wit
Other Points About the Explosive.