Evening star., 1897-02-06
HOW THEY SENT THE SEED
An Interesting Little Book From the Agri-
cultuial Department.
Important Reforms That Have Reeu
Made I'm the Government.
Seed Policy.

Secretary Morton has issued this week I'm
the place Of the fat annual tome here
tcfore known the Report of the De-
part ment of Agriculture" a lean but rich
little book. modestly called Message and
Documents" 1t contains the annual report
OF the Secretary and his cabinet OF ex-
perts on agricultural science.
The most interesting feature OF the book
ana one which has evidently been prepared
with no small amount of painstaking. is a
full list of the senator's and representa-
tfves who rave svailed themselves OF their
privileges in the way of seed distribution.
This report covers eighty pages Of fine
type and abounds in many interesting reve-
laticns. 1t shows every individual to whom
the l,5n.WO pounds of seed have been sent.
This enormous amount of seed. Mr.. Nor
ton says, would require seventy-iiye mail
cars 10 carry II, ana il has cost the Post
oince Department no less than slpap TO
transport ii to the thousands. of citizens TO
whom m IL has been sent. Omftting the flow
er seeds from the estimate the Secretary
saws that the vegetable and field seeds
We're sufficient to plant 22I.3 acres
Among items i'm this estimate, that of to-
mato seed shows enough TO plant ~ sli
acres; there was cabbage seed enough TO
pant I,3i2 acres and turniD seed sufficient
to put In io.1l3 acres The average num-
per OF packets sent out during the four
years ending in 1885 aas ..yol 1l5 the aver
age cost OF each packet being not quite
TWO cents. Fffty-eight per cent OF this
cost was for salaries for packers paper
bags and other expenses of distribution
tder the new administration OF the
seed business there were sent out in th..
present year 2D.t1G,GSa packets of vegp-
table snd flower seed at a cost per packet
OF little over half cent. and .si2 g1,
quar-, packets of field seed at an average
cost per packe; of four cents
These quart packets were not formerly
sent out The Secretary says that the new
piah buys twice as much seed for The
moi ey spent, and sends IL promptly and
carry 10 the people who want IT. HIS meth
ca mas been to distribute the contracts
among seed dealers in various sections O.
the country. the firms competing with
eich other to sell good seed thoroughly
cilit!es for distribution
he says the only further Improvement
tnat could be commended with sincerity
is the total abolition of the promiscuous
ernmental agencies"
Inc Inst OF people TO whom seed has been
senf SHOWS an Interesting variance -
.ostom ,. On the part of senators and rep
fesenG tiVes In Congress Senator George
o. Ntss1ssit., sent a. Of his seed address,AI
10 the chairmen of the democratic executive
committees In eighty towns i'm Mississinni
Almost none of his quota of seed u,as sa,t
TO ina viduals. Senator Mitchell of Wiscon-
SIN ana Representatives Heiner Of Penn
syiVania, Curtis of New York, Johnson of
North Dakota and Hubbard Of Missouri
addressed all their packages TO postmasters
al various towns in their states Repre-
sentative Hilborn of California with two
or three exceptions, sent his entirely 10 the
edltors OF various newspapers in his dis
trlct Representatives Hill of Connecticut
Poole and Wadsworth of New York and
Warner of Illinois pursued the unique
course of sending all of their seed 10 The
various oranges of the Patrons of IIus-
bandry in their district Repr.
Hyde OF Washington and Northway OF Ohio
sent their quotas to soldiers. Their pack
ages were all put up i'm lots of twenty-five
and addressed to Grand Army posts.
Representative Kleberg of Texas sends
his allotment of seeds to the county Judges
or the various counties i'm his district. Sem
ator Lindsey of Kentucky dispenses his
quota through the newspapers of the stale
Representative Mercer OF Nebraska backed
up the P1ngree potato movement and sent
a large portion of his share to the county
poor farm and the Associated Charities AT
Omaha. Senator Proctor sent his 3on
packages almost without exception to the
masters OF the various oranges in his state
Representative Sulzer sent a large batch
OF seed to the Sioux Indians. through Miss
Grace Howard at the CrowfooT agency
South Dakota. Senator Voorhees, sent his
snare almost exclusively TO the chairmen
OF county committees I'm Indiana A ma
1orlty OF senators and representa- tives had
their 1900 packages sent to themselves
ana distributed them under their own direc-
ton.