Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1890-07-25

large SUMS Uuat sue IS W
squander on her entertainments abroad.
And we'll he may; for while Mrs.
Mackay entertains lavishly, she is not
e%xtravagant.
Uncle Sam's Seed Barn.
Every spring Uncle Sam distributes
one hundred thousand dollars worth of
farm and garden seeds to a million diff
ferent individuals in all parts of the
United States. These seeds are first
bought from farmers and fowergrowers
by agents employed for the purpose;
they are sent to Washington in bags,
and in this shape are piled in the stor-
age department of Uncle SANS barn,
which is a big brick building just back
Of the main structure of the Depart
ment Of Agriculture. An enormous
room adjoining is filled with pretty
young women sitting at little tables
and measuring out seeds from sacks
into brown paper envelopes. Some of
them are quart pots. others pints. and
so on down to mere thimbles with long
handles for such little seeds as carrots.
Obviously, too, the envelopes differ in
size. Each envelope, having received
its measure full, is sealed up and a
label is pasted on it telling what seed it
contains, giving directions for planting
and then saying at the bottom: please
report results" 1t is desired to know,
you see, how the seed turns out.
Finally, the packets are put up in
bundles of fives and tens, and after
being addressed they are sent off in
this shape. A separate room in the
barn is devoted to the putting up OF
the flower seeds. All the seeds arc
tested before being sent out, and the
way in which it is done is very curious
indeed. Shallow tin pans half full of
water are employed, and across these
parallel are laid thick wires in pairs.
Each two wires have q strip Of muslin
sewed between them, so that when they
are laid together across the pan o fold
two inches deep hangs into the water.
In this fold, all along from one side of
the pan to the other, seeds are put, and
the water rising by capillary attraction,
soaks the muslin and causes the seed to
terminate. The forming roots poke
their way in every direction through
the muslin and the plants grow famously.
One tin pan two feet long will hold a
wonderful number of sprouts, and it is
a simple matter to count and find out
what percentage of those put in ger
inmate, one fold of muslin being de-
voted to each kind of seed. Any seeds
that do not prove entirely satisfactory
are sent to the gardener of the depart
ment to be tried in earth. Thus Uncle
Sam is able to guarantee all seeds he
distributes. Two-thirds of all the
seeds go to Congress, each member of
which gets about five thousand enve-
lopes Of them yearly. Usually the
department sends them off under in
structions from the Congressman. The
remaining one-third is distributed to
the department as it sees fit. It's
generosity is often abused, for people
sometimes send as many as a dozen
times for seeds in one year. AS q rule
they get them, too, for it is the policy
of the department to be very amiable
and to conciliate everybody.
Isaac Murply's Finest Finish.
Two years ago Baldwin's horse vo-
lante was to III one day at Saratoga,
and Baldwin called Murphy up into the
grand stand and said:
"Now, look here, Murphy, I don't
want any monkeying about this race
none of your sensational finishes. You
just cut the old horse loose and send
him along from the fall of the flag to
the finish. I've got q lot of money on
this race. and I don't want to be wor-
RED about the result"
Murphy showed his white teeth in q
smile Of acquiescence, and then in a low
tone informed the ladies in Baldwin's
party that he would make the old man
faint away"
When the flag fell Murphy pulled
Volante back to fourth place and held
him steady around the first turn; down
the backstretch the leaders flew, with
Murphy trailing along quietly on Vo-
lante as though he was out for o pleas
ure ride. Baldwin began to kick and
bite off a big chunk of tobacco and be.
gan to chew at o tremendous rate. AS
the horses rounded the lower turn and
entered the stretch Murphy began NOV
ing up inch by inch, but It seemed an
impossibility for him to reach the
leaders, but he did, and one by one
they surrendered. until when within a
bundled feet of the wire Volante had
disposed of all but one. Then with q
magnificent exhibition Of horseman-
ship Murphy fairly lifted his mount up
to even terms and in the last bound
landed Volante a winner by a nose, or,
as the sporting fraternity term it, "by
| IN eyelaSh." Before the iockavs die.
mounted, Baldwin turned to a member
of the party and said: George, 1 wish
you Would get these Volante tickets
cashed| and bring the money down to
the hotel for me. I'm going home right
away, don't feel we'll. Some fellow
swallowed a chew of tobacco which I
had in my mouth, when that black
devil made that close finish"
A Chicken Tragedy.
AS a traiu on a New Jersey railroad
Wa recently running through q u
try District a hen, with a brood of eleven