St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1896-04-02
GARLANDs AND POESIEs.
Through Them Congressman Expect
to Reach the Farmers


If the gardens Of rural America blossom
like the rose" or rather, like the pansy and
the sweet pea, this year, 1t will be because
ST. Paul has proved its claim the center of
the banana belt. Secretary Morton has been
forced to assist the honer-sick congressman in
wooing the reluctant constituent with embryo
garlands and immature posies. The congress
sional language of flowers was construed in
to an imperative order that the secretary of
agriculture purchase. for free distribution
100000 packets of flower seed, and the pur-
chase has been made of L. L. May G. Co.. of
this city. UP to 1895 the annual resolution of
congress called upon the secretary to expend
a specified sum in buying new and rare va
rieties" Of flower seeds, which, al, the request
OF congressman, could be sent to voters.
When the voter chased the chickens out Of
the nasturtium bed, he would remember that
this opportunity for wholesome exercise with
an aesthetic purpose, had been accorded him
by the tender solicitude of Hon, Jonas Green,
NJ. G. AS the fall election drew nigh the
stems Of the congressional pansy would tickle
the gentle bosom of the farmers budding
daughter. curve her cherry life into the fond
est of fond SMILES and convince her father
that the purveyor of panses was indeed a
prince Of politics. Thus was the annual flower
seed distribution justly deemed one Of the
most effective and diplomatic wires to be
pulled by the ambitious congressman. But
last year Secretary Morton, with the vulgar
directness Of an honest man, decided that the
$4,000 spent for buying 10000 600 packets of
flower and garden seed and for asserting and
shipping them was useless outlay. The
seeds were usually Of the common varieties.
and no longer served to- disseminate choice
and rare, flowers. as had been intended when
the custom was fnaugurated during war
times Then seed houses We're few and far
between. The secretary received no bids for
supplying new and rare varieties of seed
He therefore rejected the bids and sent out
no seeds whatever. But the present congress
saw that most impolitic move had been
made. No farmer whose eldest son was forced
TO wear dandelions as a houtonniere at the
surprise party, whose daughter pinned sunf1ow-
ers at her belt, could doubt that the congressman
from his district had become hopelessly wrong
on the currency question, and entertained dam
gerous views as to the tariff. At once the
secretary OF agriculture was commanded to
buy flower. seeds or be impeaehed That no
obstacle might permit an evasion of the
command, the words new and rare varieties
were stricken out of the resolution,
The sum appropriated for buying flower and
garden seeds was $4,000. Secretary Morton.
as published in the Geographic columns of the
G o be yesterday, has Just awarded the
contract for 9,OOO 600 packets of vegetable seeds
TO ID. Landreth Sons, of PHILADELPHIA. The
value OF the contract is SCI, 000.- May & Co.
Will receive half cent a packet, or S., 900
altogether, for furnishing the 1000, 900 packets
Of flower seeds. Thus the usual number of
100000 packets of seeds have been secured
by the government this year for SIC, 000 or
just half what 1t cost in 1893. The difference
Is due to tho provision enforced by the pres
ent secretary that the seeds be- packed and
labeled by the firms supplying them Here
| totore the seeds were sent to Washington in
bulk and packed there by government en-
ployes. Thus the contractors were in no.
sition to send many pounds of worthless seeds.
The packets as received by the farmers did
not bear the name of the contractor, and a fall
ure of the seeds to give satisfaction could NOT
endanger the contractors reputation This
year, however, each packet Of seeds bears a
firm name, and must therefore contain only
seeds OF the best quality. At least half of the
seeds furnished by May G Co. were imported
by them from Germany. The remainder were
grown by special arrangement for the firm in
different parts of the United States especiallv
in California. May & Co. furnish seeds to GER
tain persons and pay these persons for all
the seeds gathered from that seasons flower
crop. The government contract will include
| about 100 varieties of flowers of which about
thirty arc new varieties grown in Germany
Among the varieties are none of the more
expensive. There are included, however, all
| the favorite garden flowers that are usually
| grown from seed, such as pansies, sweet peas
China pinks, carnations, nasturtiums bache-
| Tor buttons, calendulas, and the like. May &
| Co. say that they have an extensive a stock
of flower seeds as any florist in the United
| States, and were thus enabled to put in a bid
| at unusually low prices.