Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-05-16
LoRING,s COSTLY SEEDS.
One Hundred Thousand Dollars Ex-
pended in Nine Months.
From the Washington Post.

From tie Washington Post.
Commissioner COman has discovered a
condition of affairs in the Department OF
Agriculture which, TO say the least. is
embarrassing. Soon after he entered upon
his duties his attention was called to the
fact that the laboratory fund was nearly
exhausted. In order to avoid making a
deficiency he was compelled to furlough
several employees until the end Of the fiscal
year without pay. Now it appears that
several other specific appropriations are
in a like condition Of exhaustion and
many minor branches Of work must he
temporarily suspended. The statistical
division suffers the loss Of all its State
agents and other suspensions will neces-
sarily be made. The condition of affairs
in the seed division is peculiarly mixed
MP and in some respects ineXplcable
The appropriation for this divi-iOn for the
current fiscal wear was 500 900. On the
first of the present month there remained
only $50 Of this fund in the Treasury The
estimate made in detail by the head Of
this division and approved 10y the Com
missioner for the purchase Of seeds called
for the expenditure Of $4,000, which
would leave 100000 to pay the expenses
of packing and distribution. The amount
actually expended for seeds from this
fund seems to have been $50 600. As a re-
suit there were several kinds Of seeds on
hand in large quantities, with no money
to pay the expense of packing and dis
tributiOn. There are thus in excess 1900
pounds OF sugar beet seed, between 700
and 500 bushels Of peas and between 800
and 700 bushels Of sorghum seed. There
have been distributed during the past
year about 500 pounds Of the sugar o. {
seed and the supply on hand is sufficient
to last nea- " three years at that rate.
Some " IL pc on hand cost ~ bushel.
A part of the sOrgbum seeds have been
emptied from thei sac upon the floor
and two boys are employed to stir them
around as a measure of precautiOn to keep
them from spelling.
wide variety Of prices seem to have /
been paid for seed. For example, 100 I
bushels Of sorghum seed were purchased /
from a New York firm at prices ranging
from 81 80 to 81 % per bushpl, while 500
bushels of the same variety were obtained .
from a Western man for 81 a bushel. The /
attention of the chemist Of the depart /
ment was called to this fact. and he was /
asked as an expert what would have been /
fair price for the seed at the time this stock /
was purchased. He said il sold as low a :
% cents a bushel in Nebraska. but that 81 |
a bushel would have been an exceedingly /
J 4
prepared for planting.
de was asked how large quantity of
sorghum seed he would have purchased /
had the matter been left to him.
''NOt pound" he replied. ''There was /
no reason for the purchase of either sorg- /
hum or beet. There was no purpose in /
view. There was no new variety 10 be .
tried. There was 70 more reason for dis .
trlhuting the old variety than for sending .
out white wheat"
The force Of employees was apparently +
not managed with that attention to econ /
Omy which would characterize the man 1
agement0 of a successful private establish /
ment. The chief Of the seed division once .
last summer called the attention Of the /
chief clerk of the department to the fact .
that be had more than 200 ladies employed /.
in the seed room, and protested that this /
force could not be economically used, /
but there seems to have been no efficient |
reform.
There seems to have been a very liberal |
distri utiOn Of turnip seed so far this year.
The amount purchased is stated at 10, l6j
bushels, yet the amount on hand is not re-
ported to be In excess. The largest amount
previously purchased within five years
was :, 800 bushels.
These discoveries have been made Incl |
dentally. no formal investigation having |
been undertaken as yet. They present "A
number Of questions which no one now /
IN the department seems able to answer |
satisfactorily, and they justify a suspl- |
cion, to state il mildly, that some OF the /
details of departmental management |
have latterly not been carefully looked !
after,