The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1890-05-15
UNCLE SAM,S BIG SEED BARS.
A Rushing Business Done at this Season

UNCLE SAM'S BIG SEED NARS.
a Rushing business Done ut this Season.
Uncle Sans seed barn is just now in
a hum of activity. 1t is SO for about a
month every year at this season. Go
into it, as Star reporter did the other
day, and you will fud it scene of hustle
aud industry-hundreds OF women put.
ting up with rapid fingers ryriads of
paper packages, men dragging heavy
sacks hither and thither and other busy
workers pasting and addressing labels.
They must needs be quick, for within q
few days 100000 worth of seeds of all
sorts have to be sent in small parcels to a
million different individuals in all parts
of the United States. This is the sum
annually appropriated by Congress for
Investment in germs of things vegetable,
10 be distributed throughout the coun.
try; in order that products Of tue soil
may be improved in quality. If you
would like some you eau gel o share by
simply writing without delay 10 the dc.
partmcnt Of agriculture, making the
request. Mention what you want aud it
will be mailed to you free of charge in a
bundle marked "oflicial business" II
You have no place to grow beans aud
potatoes in ask for flower seeds and you
will receive enough to make your garden
bloom for an indefinite period.
1t is stated that Uncle Sam is distribut.
ing this year seeds of better quality
than ever before. Some time ago the
seeds given away by the Government
acquired such reputation for badness
that many farmers would not oven take
the trouble to plant them, considering it
improbable that they would ever come
up. But things are managed differently
now, and the seeds you get from Secrc.
Larry Rusk are accompanied by q guaran-
tee that they will sprout. They are all
tested, in fact, before they are sent of,
and the manner oflhis testing is exceed
ingly interesting
WHERE THE SEEDS COME FROM.
First, however, it will DE hesi to tell
where the seeds come from. Either they
have been bought from farmers and seed
growers, who cent samples to Washington
and received orders on the strength
of them. But this year an agent has
been employed to travel all over the
country and buy up whatever seemed
best. The result is that all the seeds
now being distributed are exceedingly
fine and the department represents a
certain potato that it is seuding out as
probably the most excellent article in
the shape of an Hibernian tnber ever
obtained by cultivation. 1t never offered
potatoes before this season, by the way.
The germs of this wonderful vegetable
will be sent to you, if you make the
request-twenty. FIVE "eyes" in wooden
box, all cut up and ready to plant. Of
course, the notion is that the farmer, OBJ
serving that the potatoes grown from
tLese tTenty five eyes are superior to any
others Of bis crop, will keep them for
seed, and other agricultural persona in
his neighborhood will obtain from him
specimens Of the vegetable for planting,
the product of all that particular district
being in this way improved. Such,
indeed, is the whole idea and purpose of
the seed distribution-that the vegeta
bles and flowers grown in this country
shall be as good aud pretty Of their kinds
as possible.
WHAT is DONE WITH TIE SEEDS
The seeds bought of the farmers by the
agent are sent to Washington in bags,
and in this shape are piled in the storage
of Uncle Sans barn, which
is big brick building just back of the
main structure. An enormous room
adjoining is filled with pretty young
women sitting at little tables and
measuring out seeds from nscks into
brown paper envelopes Some of them
use quart pots, Others pints, and so on
down to mere thimb!es with long han
dies for such little seeds as carrots.
Obviously, too, the envelopes differ in
size. Each envelope, having received
its measure full, is sealed up and label
is pasted on it telling what seed it con
tains, giving directions for planting them
and saying at the bottom: "Pleose report
results" 1t il desired to know, you see,
how the seed turns out. Finally the
packets are put up in bundles of fiyes
and tens, and after being addressed they
are sent off in this shape. lfyou ask
simply for ''some vegetable and flower
secds' you will probably receive ten
envelopes of the former and five of the
latter. 4 sample baude of ten vegeta.
bles would very likely contain quart of
corn, half a pint OF beans, balfa pint OF
peas aud some small envelopes OF cab
bage, pumpkin, tomato, pepper, radish,
cucumber and beet seeds. Quarts are
also given of buckwheat and lawn grass.
a separate room in the barn is devoted
to the putting up of flower seeds, which
are purchased from the big seed houses
HOW THE SEEDS ARE TESTED
But, as has been said, all the seeds arc
taaled before being sent ou', 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 strip of muslin sewed be
tween them, so that when they are laid
together across the pan fold two inches
deep hangs into the water In this fold
all along from unc side Of Lhe pan 10 the
other seeds are put, and the water, rising
by capillary attraction, soaks the mualin
aud causes theaccds to germinate. The
forming roots poke their way iu every
direction through the muslin ard the
plants grow lamously. One lin M pan two
feet long will hold a wonderful number
of sprouts, and it is q simple matter to
count and find out what percentage of
those put in germinate, one fold of mus
lin being devoted to each kind of seed,
Any seeds that do not prove entirely
satisfactory gro sent to the gardener of
the department. to be tried in earth.
Thus Uncle Sam is able to guarantee all
the seeds he distributes this year.
a MINIATURE GARDEN.
The tin pan idea is a new one. The
tin pans are attended to altogether by a