The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-05-18
GARDEN SEEDS WILL COME.
Why the Secretary agriculture Has
Been Delayed.
From The state Journals Special Cor.

From The State Journals Special Cor
Washington. May 18.-Kansas con-
gressmen have been among those who
had the most cause to complain on ac-
count of the slow delivery of their quo
tas of garden seeds.
Resolutions passed both houses ask
ing the department of agriculture i'm
mediately to communicate why the de-
lay had happened.
The following is the reply and may
explain to constituents who are ex-
pecting seeds why it has taken a long
time TO get the seeds ready for distri-
button
The secretary Of agriculture says;
The joint resolution Of the senate
and house of representatives authOriz-
ing and directing the secretary of ag-
riculture to purchase and distribute
valuable seeds for the year 1895, as has
been done in preceding years, took eff
feet on March ia.
The department of agriculture pro
ceeded Immediately to prepare lists Of
vegetable and flower seeds for distri-
button, secure prices, and establish
standards OF purity and termination,
and made a. contract for 10125, 600 pa
pers Of vegetable seed on March 81. Tt
made contract for 10000 900 papers of
flower seed on April i. In making these
/ contracts due consideration was given
to the ability Of the contractors to fill
their contracts with the greatest speed
I possible.
THE contracts as at first drawn pro
vided that the quota OF vegetable seed
for each congressman should be put up
in 4 000 mail packages and the quota of
flower seed in 90 mail packages. When
this was communicated to congress
men. a strong desire was expressed
that these mail packages be divided
into three parts. In accordance with
an expressed request to this effect the
contracts were amended on April so
as to divide each quota of Vegeta BILE
seed into 5000 papers and each quota
OF flower seed into $50 papers This ne
cessitated the preparation of addition
al packets and a modification of the ar
rangements for packing the seed,
which caused a slight delay
The seed were collected and clean
ed, the necessary facilities were pro
vided, paper packets We're made print
ed, and filled, and the delivery Of the
seed by the contractors was begun on
the 25th of April. Up to & p. m. on the
18th Of May the contractors for vegeta-
BILE seed had delivered to the mails o.
866,595 papers of vegetable seed These
have been divided in accordance with
the modified contract. into 181 quotas
for senators, representatives, and dele
gates, and have been forwarded in ac-
/ cordance with their orders.
I'm accordance with the law and the
customs of the department in previous
years, the orders for the different dis
Bile in the order of their latitude be-
ginning ait the south The average
daily shipment of Vegetable seed this
week has been 20 congressional quotas
per day.
up to the close of business May z
the contractors for flower seed had pre-
pared and delivered to the mails to-
tai Of 22l 900 papers of seed. divided into
1855 quotas. which have been sent out
in the order in which the franks We're
forwarded The contractor for flower
seed is now delivering those seed at
the rate Of 43 quotas per day
Considering the circumstances. it
win be seen that there has been no
avoidable delay Of distributing the
seed contracted for