Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-04-26
UNCLE sAM's BIG SEED BARN.
1t is Doing an Enormous Business at
This Season OF Planting.

DISTRIBUTING MILLIONS OF PACKETS OF SEEDS
ALL OVER THE ooUNTRY-IF YOU WANT AMI
SEND FOR soME-rHEY ARE GIVEN AWAY WITH
OUT CHARGE, BOTH FLOWERS AND VEGETABLES.
~ ~ NCLE SAINTS seed barn Is just now
in hum OF activity. II is so for
q "A about a month every year at this sea-
son. Go into it, as a Stan reporter
w did the other day, and you will find
it a scene of hustle and industry-hundreds OF
women putting up with rapid fingers myriads
Of paper packages, men dragging heavy sacks
hither and thither and other busy workers past
ing and addressing labels. They must needs
be quick, for within 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. That is the sum
annually appropriated by Congress for invest
ment in germs of things vegetable, to be dis
tributed throughout the country, in order
that products of the soil may be improved
in quality. II you would like some you
can get share by simply writing with
out delay TO the Department of Agriculture,
making the request, Mention what you want
and it will be mailed to you free of charge in a
bundle marked official business" IL you
have no place to grow beans and potatoes in
ask for flower seeds and you will receive
enough to make your garden bloom for an in
definite period.
1t is stated that Uncle 81 IN is distributing this
year seeds of better quality than ever before.
Some time ago the seeds given away by the
government acquired such a reputation for
badness that many farmers would not even take
the trouble to plant them, considering it i'm
probable that they would ever come up. But
things are managed differently now, and the
seeds you get from Secretary Rusk are accom-
panied by a guarantee that they will sprout.
They are all tested, IN fact, before they are sent
of, and the manner of tins testing Is exceed
ingly interesting.
WHERE THE SEEDS COME FROM.
First, however, it will be best to tell where
the seeds come from. Hitherto they have
been bought from farmers and seed growers
who sent 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 dis
trlbuted are exceedingly fine and the depart
ment represents certain potato that 1t is
sending out as probably the most excellent ar
ticle IN the shape of an Hibernian tuber
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 a wooden box, all cut up and
ready to plant. OF course, the notion is that
from these twenty-five eyes are superior to any
others of his crop, will keep them for seed and
other agricultural persons in his neghborhood
will obtain from him specimens of the vege-
table for planting, the product of all that par
tlcular district being in this way improved.
Such, indeed, is the whole idea and purpose OF
the seed dlstribution--that the vegetables and
flowers grown in this country shall be as good
and pretty of their kinds at possible.
WHAT Is DONE WITH THE 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 department
of Uncle Sans barn, which is big brick
building just back of the main structure of the
Department 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 use 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 con-
tains, giving directions for planting them and
saying at the bottom: please report results 4"
1t is desired to know, you see. how the seed
turns out. Finally the packets are put up in
bundles of fves and tens. and after being ad-
dressed they are sent off in this shape. IL you
ask simply for ''some vegetable and flower
seeus you VIII PROBABLY receive ten envelopes
of the former and five of the latter. A sample
bundle of ten vegetables would very likely con-
tain a quart of corn, half pint of beans, half a
pint of peas and some small envelopes of cab
bage, pumpkin, tomato. pepper, radish, cucum-
Der 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 are 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 strip of muslin
sewed between 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 one side OF the pan TO The other
seeds are put, and the water. rising by capil-
larry attraction, soaks the muslin and causes
the seeds to terminate. The forming roots poke
their way in every direction through the mus
lin and the plants grow famously. One tin pan
two feet long will hold a wonderful number Of
sprouts, and it is q simple matter 20 count and
lind ont what percentage OF those put in ger
inmate, one fold of muslin being devoted to
each kind of seed ANY seeds that do not
prove entirely satisfactory Are sent 20 the
gardener of the department 10 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 pretty enthu-
siast in petticoats who thinks il great fun TO
have "a whole botanical garden within half
dozen square feet of room. She does the
whole business on a window ledge. and simply
in the water that way she has grown beans big
enough to eat. And she ate them. Try it for
yourself. Use q good sized tin pan from the
kitchen and fix wires and muslin in the way de-
scribed. Write to the department for the seeds
you want and You all ready TO go into
business. Own your own kitchen garden;
every city family should have one on the
window ledge. Flowers will do as well
Two-thirds of the 800 900 worth of seeds go
to Congress, each member of which gets about
5000 envelopes of them yearly. Usually the
department sends them off under instructions
from the Congressman. The remaining one
third is distributed by the department as il sees
fit. Its generosity is often abused. for people
sometimes send as many as a dozen times for
seeds in one year. As a rule they get them,
too. for it is the policy of the department to be
very amiable and to conciliate everybody.
Written for The EVENING STAR.
A Suuuv nar