The daily morning journal and courier., 1899-11-23
FREE SEED DISTRIBUTION.
Secretary Wilson to Return to the Old
 Restrictive Plan.

Secretary Wilson to Return to the Old | Restrictive Plan.
 Washington, November 1S.-Secretary | Wilson is now preparing that part of his report which treats of the free seed distribution. Few government expedi- lures so small as this is in the aggrs- gate-about S130,000 annually-have oc-
 casioned so adverse comment. Logic ally the appropriation has. no standing. As often pointed out, there is no moro reason for giving seeds to the farmers than free hooks and nets to the fisher men, and yet all the argument on the subject produces no effect Secretary Morton, who made determined effort to shut off the free sesd distribution, found as net result of all ris endsav-
 ors that the appropriation had been in creased and the distribution made man datory.
 Secretary Wilson does not intend to antagonize Congress by a campaign
 against the free seed distribution. He
 would also like to avoid the hostility of
 the seedsmen which the practice invites.
 and SO has worked-out plan which he
 believes will accomplish both of these
 objects. He will go back to the new
 and unusual varieties, which were
 originally contemplated in the appro-
 priation, and distribute the varieties Of
 seed which the commercial seedsmen for one reason or another are not handl-
 ing, the experimental seeds which have not gained a foothold The department
 agents, who are engaged in a tireless
 search for new and improved varieties in all parts of the world bring in many
 interesting specimens. When one of
 their new varieties has been tested by the department scientist and found promising it will be distributed in the appropriate sections of the country, and its value practically dementrated. After a species has gained foothol6, the seedsmen may be trusted to take care of the current demand, and with them, the department. will not furthsr com pete.
 In this field Secretary Wilson believes there is ample work for the depart ment without distributing ordinary time tried cabbage and turnip SC ds. There is enough room in improved gras- ses alone to absorb to advantage the entire appropriation that the govern ment allows for seed, In rice, of in- terest in he South, the introduction Of one new varity which is now growing successfully Is said to have a cQmmarc- ial value of $1,000,000 a year to the American producers. It seems that broken rice sells for two cents pound less that the head rice. and in the old varieties there is breakage of at least 40 per cent. The department recently
 introduced some Japanese rice. cal ! kiu shu. in which the average of bre9k age from this years experiments has been only r per cent. It is better quality, besides and is decidedly more productive to the acre. This saving of two cents pound on 23 per cant. of the ! would amount to $S00,000 a year It is estimated that the introduction of this variety has cost the government S5,OO0. \
 Secretary Wilson is greatly interested | in rice in an artificial swamp, Nhich can | be drained off when harvesting time i arrives SO as to permit the use of labor saving machinery. This was the lead ! of some Northern farmers, who went i to Louisiana a few years ago. They wanted to raise rice, but were not con- tent with the hand-labor by which it 1 had always been necessary to harvest it, and so they created a swamp which would be under their control. Mn. Will son, on his recent trip, saw one piece
 of prairie into which ,000 gallons of