, 1885-03-03
CONGRESS- SEEDS.
HOW OUR STATESMEN DISPOSE OF
DR.. LoRlNe's CROPS.


IWOsthirdG OF THIS sum goes Dack IN seeuh
to the 400 senators and representatives,, and
the commissioner Of agriculture distributes
the rest through other channels Each con-
gresham Is allotted &C, 900 papers OF flower
seeds TO begin with. In addition, the menu
bers from tobacco districts lave received
In the past years 500 papers of imported
tobacco seed each; the cotton-belt members
nave each had 200 quarts Of cotton seed; the
winter wheat men have had 200 quarts
apiece Of their sample grain the spring wheat
Representatives have been equally favored,
and the corn congressman have been
blessed in abundance with kernels Of choice
maize. All the congressman received in
July, about the timo the nominating conven-
tions were held, 1000 papers Of turnip seed
each; and grass seed, three or four bushels
to the member, was showered alike upon the
Just and unjust. Sorghum and sugnr-beet
seeds were sent also to favorable districts
The peculiarities of statesmen are often
indicated by the manner in which they dis
pose Of DR.. Loring's crops. Some latitude
of choice Is allowed, and member who are
well up in farming and gardening get their
quota in the ono or two grains or vegetables
that are staple articles In their districts. and
thus make themselves solid fof years There
Is Joe Blackburn, for instance, who moves
over from the house 10 the senate on the 4th
Of March. whose enduring fame in Ken
lucky 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 with steadily increasing majorities, Is
particularly strong in turnip seed, although
his gallant bachelor heart always prompts
him to SOW a few choice fiower seeds in the
gardens OF his lady admirers Blount, Of
Georgia, runs entirely to cotton seed, and is
solid with his constituents. Sunset Cox of
course distributes beautiful flower seeds to
his constituents who have summer homes In
the country. He gives part Of his allowance
TO southern members. Hon. Jack Adams
gives his in the same direction Hon. Abram
s. Hewitt takes whatever the commissioner
gives him, and sends the packages TO his
New Jersey country seat
Hon. John II. Ketcham Is perhaps the
most able seed distributor in the house. In
the long years he has been here he has never
made the mistake Of sending turnip seed to
tho Poughkeepsie msthetes or flower seeds to
horney handed -wood-choppers, acts which
often fill a congressman's soul with bitter
thoughts In after years. Ketchman knows
the tastes of his constituents better than
they know them themselves, and not a seed
grows by the wayside or among thorns-
Frederick Nick Mueller never sends any
grass seed to Battery park He gives his
order to brother congressman who have
ground TO put tho seed In. Hon. Samuel ].
Randall has all his seeds sent In q bundle TO
Bryn Mawr, and attends to their distribu-
ton when he gets home. Speaker Carlisle
snot so m~ethodical Whenever a constitu-
emit asks him for seeds he sends the letter to
Commissioner Loring, and asks him to at
tend 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 a good third
These congressman represent big and grow
ing districts, with innumerable wants. They
are omnivorous. They exhaust their own
allotments of seeds early, and then get as
many assignments OF orders from other
congressman as they can- A literary con-
gresham who want to swap seeds for doc
uments Is a great find for a seed congress
man. The average congressman sends from
ten to three hundred names Of seed con-
stituents to the commissioner Occasionally
the lists reach 1000 names, and there have
been members who lave sent in 5000 names,
with the request to send one paper of seed
eachi
Hon. Thomas Porterhouse Ochiltree was a
great ~seed-hunter before he was a congress
man, but having once been elected, he ne
elected his constituents in this particular
strangely. In TopiJ W tho 4hot hobnlCatAoh
that seeds were awaiting his order he re-
piled: my constituents don't go much on
seeds, but they are mighty fond of part
ridges. You may send a few coops around
to my rooms" DIR. Loring is looking up the
law on the subject to see II he can comply
with the requisition. Col Ochiltree says If
a member can hav cologne and suspenders
charged to his stationery account, he sees no
reason why partridges can not be enumer-
ated under the head of turnips and Jerusa-
lem artichokes.
The senators draw their seeds with as
much punctuality as representatives. War
ner Miller does not send out small ~sapplings
tina will grow into wood-pulp trees, as has
been supposed. He has a very complete list
of half breeds, to whom DIR. Loring franks
choice flower and vegetable seeds. Mr.. E.
@. Lapham sends his crop chiefly to agri-
cultural societies. Nevada Jones has a con-
stituency that grows nothing but quartz
rock. He gives away his seeds TO his swarms
| Of friends Edmunds is as formal and mys-
FERROUS in the seed business as he is in every
thing else. Nobody ever secs his list OF bone
hciaries. He does not send it to the depart
ment, but orders the seeds sent to his room
In bulk. He then goes into executive session
with himself, and before coming out makes
a solemn oath never to divulge what has
| happened