St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1901-08-03
DIGGING I'm THE DIRT


The aniable member of congress
who represents the most thickly set
tied and crowded district in Chicago
answered the amateur farmers re-
quest for seeds in this manner:
6 As you are, perhaps, aware, there
are few agriculturists among my con-
etituents. / have therefore exchanged
my allotment ofseed potatoes and 9th
er garden vegetables with the con-
gresham from the Shutdown district
in the southern part Of the state. We
fixed up rate of exchange by which
he paid me two copies Of Delivers
speech on the condition of Cuba for
each packet of turnip seed, while Bey-
eridge on tie Philippines went even
against half pint of seed corn. In
this way I got rid of all my vegetables
and have accumulated large supply
Of documents which I am diligently
sowing among my constituents and
trusting that they may bring forth
much fruit. However, in the interest
Of agricultural science, I have person
ally requested the secretary of agri-
culture to send you package Of Sc
lected varieties of seeds, and I trust
that your experiments may rebound
at the same time to your own profit
and the public good.
incidentally, 4 might remark that
the popular idea that the seeds fur
nished by the government are espe-
cially choice is mistaken one. They
are bought By the government from
the lowest bidder, and are not at all
likely to be anything out Of the ordi-
nary
BY the time the package marked
stFTee Public Business" arrived
from Washington the amateur farmer
had accumulated asupply of seeds suf-
feient to have stored another ark in
case of a second food. a Adozen friends
had CONTRIBUTED Of their choicest, and
O scoffer who lives in New York had
forwarded by express, collect a
package Of what he declared to be
giant watermelon" seeds, which he
had purchased at ten cents apiece on
a recent visit toartlral acquaintance
IN Connecticut. The original vine, he
reported, had been brought from Per
sia, and it bore Watermelong so big
that the greediest and strongest wa
termelon thief could do ne more than
carry off a slice. Careful inFestiga-
tion with the sharp point Of a knife,
after the giant watermelon seeds had
laid in rich, sandy soil for two weeks
without sprinkling, revealed that they
were made Of an excellent quality Of
hard maplewood, carefully whitfield
into shape and finished with the best
grade Of black varnish. Theyare now
preserved as proof of the fact that the
Land of Wooden Nutmegs. is still
true to its traditions.
When it came TO actually planting
the seeds there was a great conflict of
authority sThe Complete Guide to
Successful Agriculture said one
thing; the retired agriculturist who
lived next door and who came over
every morning to lean over the fence
and direct operations advised plenty
of @small stuns for dreenage, and
Fritz, the assistant experimentalist.
had his owRopiniens, which he usual
" proceeded to follow. Fritz had ac-
quired his knowledge Of agriculture
during a seasons work on Michigan
celery farm. His idea Of making |
garden, therefore. was to construct,
IN the first place, d miniature cross
section Of Sierra Nevada mountains. |
When the mountain range was com
plete Fritz sunk a number Of mining |
prospect holes, in the bottom of which
he deposited a number of seeds. 0cca-
sionally he varied this method BY |
throwing up a series Of isolated noun
tain peaks, like extinct volcanoes, in |
the craters Of which lie put the seeds, |
trusting that later they would burst
forth in an eruption Of leaves and /
blossoms.
When the retired agriculturist came /
IN and declared that Fritz don't
know nothing about what he thinks
he's doing, and the assistant expert +
lnentalist hotly Eetorted: DOT old