Evening star., 1895-04-30
SENDING OUT SEEDS
Busy Times Over at the Agricultural
Department.
EVERYBODY WANTS TO EXPERIMENT
But Little Practical Benefit De-
rived From Free Distribution.
INTERVIEWS OF INTEREST

INTERVIEWS OF INTEREST
"Please find inclosed the paper bags OF
different seeds sent me last year. which did
exceedingly we'll in this latitude. Please
send me some more seed and oblige."
THAT is a specimen of the two or three
hundred letters we are receiving every
day." said Mr. NJ. E. Pagan. chief of the
seed division of the Agricultural Depart
ment, tossing the epistle containing the
quoted sentence to a Star reporter. Not
one person in a thousand who is furnished
with seed by the department ever returns
any intelligent Information regarding the
results attained from it's planting, although
every seed bag sent out contains printed
request for such a statement, as plain as
words can make it.
What we want to know" continued Mr..
Fagan. 'is the character of the soil in
which the seeds are planted the time of
planting. the manner of cultivation and the
time when the plants reach maturity;
whether the variety withstood any drouth
or wet spell that might happen to occur
and similar information which would let us
know the adaptability of the different seeds
to the different sections of. the country.
But we never get it more than once in a
thouSs times. Is this busy season in
the department? Yes; exceedingly SO.
About the middle of December in each year
the requests for seeds begin coming in at
the rate of about 200 day. This rate
keeps up for a couple of months, when it
rapidly increases. Since January 1 we have
sent out over 25.OOO packages containing
several varieties of seed each, and the re-
quests are coming in in large numbers
every day. They are always complied with
when there is any seed Of the variety
asked for on hand
Just then a gentleman came in who had
received letter from friend in New Jer-
sey asking him to visit the Agricultural
Department and get the writer some strip
ed sugar cane seed.
He says he wants to make some expert
ments with it, said the visitor.
All Want to Make Experiments.
'They all do" responded Mr.. Pagan
promptly. 'It would be almost funny to
find any one wanting seed who does not de-
sire to make experiments. If they would
all carry out their intentions the United
States would be one vast experimental
farm. I'm sorry he added, genially, that
we can't accommodate your friend. We
have none of that kind of seed. as sugar
raising experiments by the government
have been discontinued
"Some people have queer ideas Of econ
omy.' said Mr.. Pagan when his caller de-
parted. after leaving a list of names of
persons to whom he desired to have seed
sent. Now. that gentleman In Jersey
could have sent over to any seed seller in
New York, inclosing ten cents. and gotten
striped sugar care seed enough to raise a
small plantation by return mail. but he
sends here to a friend, who leaves his busi-
ress and loses time of value, all to no use"
'The department.. then. does not get many
valuable results from the distribution Of
seeds?" suggested the reporter.
Il cannot say that it does in the reports
1t receives Look at these letters. You see.
every one of them speaks in general way
OF the results attained from the planted
seed. This one says the cabbage did fine.
Here's one that reoites that the corn was
first-class and had to have its suckers
pulled three times. This says the radishes
did prodigious. The department however,
Is doing valuable work in carrying out Sec
letary Morton's policy of distributing ideas
in preference to distributing seed. You
might call over and see Mr.. Bane. the su-
perintendent of the folding room, and learn
something about it,
Superintendent Will H. Bane greeted the
reporter in hi; office in the museum build
ing, detached from the main structure
Publications. of Great Value.
II believe that one farmers bulletin such
are periodically issued from this depart
nlent now will do more real good to agri-
culture In America than the distribution Of
a thousand packages Of seed" said he, with
the emphasis Of conviction. Last year
Congress devoted $4,000 to the prin ting and
distribution Of this class of literature and
this year the amount was increased to
$4,000. So popular have they become that
we receive every day four or five hundred
requests for them from farmers all over
the country. Last year over 100000 farm
erS' bulletins Were sent out by Senators and
members of Congress, besides those sent
from the department. OF course they are
free to every one, and all that is necessary
to insure them being sent regularly is for
a person to transmit his name to the de-
partment and request that 1t be placed on
the mailing list. The bulletins are each
devoted to some particular subject of inter-
est to the agriculturist.
"They are plainly and simply written so
as to be easily comprehended by any one,
and are devoid of the technical phraseology
that formerly characterized agricultural
publications. There Is one bulletin in par
ticular that has saved thousands of dollars
to the farmers of the country. You are
perhaps aware that hog cholera Is very
prevalent in most sections of the United
States and carries Oft porkers innumerable
every year. Farmers Bulletin No. "a was
devoted to this disease and directions for
its treatment, and it contained a formula
for the medicine to be used that has been
found to be an absolutely specific cure for
the dangerous disease. We receive every
day thankful letters attesting to its infalli-
bility. So, you see. there is one instance of
the Immense value Oh the bulletins.
Some Facts and Figures.
Retui ming t. the seed division, some in
teresting figures We're obtained regarding
the number of packages of seeds distrib-
uted and their cost to the government
The year 1895 was taken, as all reports for
it are in and complete.
"You know, the government pays as
much for the seeds it distributes as private
firms or individuals" said Mr.. Pagan, "be-
cause it requires the best, and will have no
other. In 1893 7,704,943 packages were sent
out through all agencies. including 3S7 va
reties of vegetable, flower, garden and
field seeds. The cost in round numbers was
about Sl60,OOO, making an average cost of
about cents package. exclusive of the
cost of transportation through the mails of
nearly 800 tons of mail matter. Averaging
the packages sent at five to each person
the recipients would have numbered 1,541,-
COO. Now. as 1 said to you before, each
package bore upon it's face a request that
the result of the trial of the seed contained
therein be reported to the department.
Two hundred thousand" answered the