Evening star., 1896-04-11
A Chicago Firm Makes Serious
Charges.
they WERE LOWEST BIDDERS IN VAIN
The Secretary Shows Why Seeds
Were Bought Elsewhere.
s E E. D T E S T I N G

0s'A~@As OSeAA
pany. a Chicago seed firm. have filed
charges at the Department of Agriculture
against Secretary Morton in connection
with the recent award Of seed contracts.
The letters filed asked a reply from the
Secretary, which thus far has not been
forthcoming.
The substance of the charges made is
that the Northrup, Braslan, Goodwin Com
pany were really the lowest bidders for
the TO- 125,OOO packages of vegetable seeds
included in the recent seed contract their
offer being $4,000. The contract was given
to Landreth & Co. of Philadelphia for veg
etable seeds. and to l.. L. May & Co. of st.
Paul, Mipn., for flower seeds, to the value
of 5000.
Tuesday the representative OF the flrm
filed their charges. They state that when
they entered the competition certified
check for $500 was filed as evidence of
responsibility, letters We're presented from
leacing bankers of Chicago affirming their
responsibility, and that while they offered
seed as,good as any offered by competitors,
with a guarantee bond on file and bid
$11, ,OUU lower than any other, they were
not given the contract because Of col
lusion, fraud, corruption, false statements
and especially prepared reports, practiced,
carried and lad done in your depart
ment."
held because members of the firm worked
to secure the passage of the seed resolu-
ton through Congress against Secretary
Morton's wishes. 1t is also charged that
rious officials in the department with re-
gard to the seeds furnished by the firm.
Secretary MOrtOn's Statement.
When Secretary Morton was seen this
morning by Star reporter he said: I'VE
shall be only too glad to have the fullest
investigation possible of this matter. If it
Is desired it may be investigated here or
ia Congress, or anywhere else. If neces-
sary, articles of Impeachment should be
drawn up against me and the matter tested
to the end.
1.-The facts in the matter. briefly stated"
he continued. ''are that the department last
year bought more seed of this firm than of
any other. OF the grand .otal of seed
bought by the department last year. to the
value of S4S,S.O. We bought of the North
rup. Braslan Goodwin Co. seed to the value
of s29,6s3.
Now, to put the matter concretely, I
want to say just this: If we had bought
the seed this spring of the Nor:hrup. Bras
Ian Goodwin Company, under precisely the
same contract that we bought of Landreth,
and their seed under this contract proved
no better than that they sold US last year,
their contract price for it would be $4,000
instead of $G4,OOO, the amount which they
bid.
A Peculiar Business Contract.
ITO explain: All seed purchased by the
department is tested for it's percentage of
purity and it's perez ntage of germinative
power. Landreth & CO.. firm that has
teen in business III years, that itself pro-
duces upon its own farms the seed 1t sells,
obligated itself with bonds to submit 10
deduction from the amount paid them for
seed in precise proportion to the failure of
that seed to come up to the standard tests.
This is the first time in the history of this
department any such contract was ever
made. 1t il a superb business contract.
Now, that is all 1 wish to say in regard to
the matter affecting this Chicago firm.
THE seed vas bought in the open mar
ket. just as Congress directed should be
done. When the joint resolution was pass
ed we had to hurry. It was like passing a
resolution to buy oysters. We had to buy
and get this seed out in a month with r IN
1T 1 wrote to Senator Proctor and to Rep
resentative Wadsworth, the respective
charmen Of the agricultural committees of
the Senate and the House, and asked them
to come to the department and give me
their advice in connection with the pur-
chase Of these seeds.
nr How the Contract Was Let.
IA tabulated statement was made of all
the offers received. They were gone over
carefully by these gentlemen, myself and
Assistant Secretary Dabney. At the con-
clusion Senator Proctor was first to suggest
that the contract be given to Landreth. Mr..
Wadsworth was next to assent Mr.. Land
resh's bid was $4,000. Senator Proctor
said that If he would furnish the seed for
$4,000 we had better give him the con-
tract. Mr.. Landreth was here, as well as
other seedsmen, and we called him in and
told him that We would give him the con-
tract for these vegetable seeds if he would
,s-L< for ne.ff tod n
moment then said: I think could do it
I'll do it, and that settled it,
A Star reporter visited the chemical
laboratory connected with the Department
Of Agriculture, where Mr.. Gilbert H. Hicks,
the seed-testing expert, and his assistant,
Mr.. Edward D. Peters. are in charge. Mr..
Hicks is a graduate of the Michigan Agri-
cultural College and Mr.. Peters Of Cornell
University. Both were students and as
sociates in scientific work with Professor
L. p. Bailey, the famous agricultural scien-
iSt.
Testing Seeds.
1--WE make four tests of all seeds,' said
Mr. Hicks. 1.-The seeds are sent to Us
labeled with letters and we do not know
whose they are. OF all the agricultural
seeds two hundred are used iii duplicate
tests by each of the four methods that
there are practically eight tests made of
each kind of seed and 1,6OO seeds are used
OF eaCn KIM. lue llISt dIlu SiIipleSl TEST
is termination between hlotting pads.
Then we test in asbestos pockets, in sand
and in soil. The standard of purity and
termination adopted by the department is
the result of an average Of tests made in
this laboratory and in the physical labo-
ratories connected with the various ex-
pertinent stations throughout the country.
Scientific Seed Control.
"In the recent contract it was decided to
allow a leeway of 8 per cent below this
standard. We are testing the Landreth
seeds carefully. and where they fall more
than per cent below the standard cor
responding percentage Of deduction will be
made from the contract price, 1t should be
said for the benefit Of the public that Mr.
Peters and myself are acting simply as
scientists. We only desire to be accurate
and just, and science is purely fmpersonal.
1t is true that the Agricultural Department
has been the dumping ground in the past
of immense quantities Of old and useless
seed, and the farmers of the United States
have been regularly and systematically inn
posed upon by seedsmen. 1t is the uni
versal practice to mix old seed in with new,
80 far as the new will stand it. If this
vv,;lv