The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-05-24

quarters OF an ounce Of seeds. which he
must in the end, pay for himself.
business Of the country have protested
earnestly against the free distribution by
the government There are 10000 families
ln me United states that have vegetable
gardens Under the convenient system by
which the seed dealer places a nice-bOx Of
assorted seeds in the merchants store and
expects him 20 account for all seeds sold
and return those not sold most Of these
families prefer 10 buy their seeds from the
merchant rather Khan grow them them
selves lnls trade IS great one en-
piOying hundreds OF farmers to grow the
seeds and merchants 10 retail them. The
government seed goes TO more than $500
90 families, and deprives the seed dealers
and growers Of about One-tenth OF their
business. Congress has increased the ap-
preparation for the seed distribution for
next year 50 as 10 make possible the pur-
chase OF about twice as much seed as will
be distributed this year. The recent fight
IN congress has attracted so much arten-
ton 10 the seed distribution that applI-
cations for free seed have greatly increas-
ed in number.
The government is buying its seeds this
year from TWO great firms of dealers. one
furnishing the vegetable and the other the
Hover seeds The peremptOry demand BY
congress that the distribution should be
MADE was uttered so late that no time re-
NAMED for the department of agriculture
10 Duy. clean, sort and pack the seeds for
Shipment. Enterprising seeds men have
offered TO furnish indefinite quantities of
seeds at government rates and to forward
them to the constituents of any congress-
men, II the latter will give the requisite
franks Against this project the depart
nenJ OF agriculture has entered an en-
phatic veto Private seeds must not be dis
trlouted as government seeds, implying
that they have been subjected to tests of
quality by Uncle Sans experts. Besides.
existing law restricts the ranking of
seeds by congressman to such seeds as are
furnished by the department of agricul-
ture
The distribution of seeds by the gov
eminent began in 1899 with an appropria-
ton of Sl,00, which was given TO the
patent office for the purpose of collect
ing and giving away rare and improved
varieties. Since that date, with the aid
of steadily Increasing sums of money fur
nlshed by congress annually, every seed
THAT could be found anywhere Offering a
reasonable prospect of usefulness in any
part OF the country has been purchased
and literally distributed. People all over
the United States have already secured
nearly all Of the vegetable and field
seeds, plants and trees that are adapted
TO their peculiar soils and climates. 1t
goes without saying that the Obtainabie
number Of valuable and uncommon seeds
Is limited. Although a request is sent
with each package for a report as TO
results, not one recipient in 1000 makes
any response.
The department of agriculture is now
engaged in testing samples of the seeds
which have already been distributed. OF
course, this would have been done be-
fore if there had been time. Some of the
tests are maze IN greenhouse devoted
TO that purpose. the seeds being planted
in pots and saucers. The soil in which
they are set has been previously sterilized
by subjecting it TO heat for several hours
in box lined with galvanized iron. This
process destroys all foreign seeds that
may happen TO be in the soil, and il kills
the spores of certain fungi that are apt
to attack young seedlings. These spores
are all in garden soil. In each pot or
saucer are planted 100 Seeds and those
which come up are counted at the end of
ten days.
Experiments are being made with
buggy pease. These pease are infested
with the larvae of a species of beetle.
Farmers claim that they win sprout as
well as any pease, and that the plants are
just healthy; but il is believed that
the little worms must injure the germs
by eating their food. The question is to
be tested by planting buggy pease and
sound ones side by side, and the plants
will be photographed al different ages.
The buggy pease may grow slower, their
vitality being weakened. Finally the
plants will be grown to maturity, and
the crops produced will be compared.
Trials are also to be made of different
methods of growing clover Some farm
ers actually plant their clover by scat
tering the seed on the snow in spring.
Rene Bache.