Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-07-29
TIE SEED DEPARTMENT.
Purchases Will Be Made in the
Open Market Instead OF by
Contract.
Many Changes Made in Scope
and Methods OF Distri-
button.
Secretary Wilson Has Made De-
partment One OF Importance
and Usefulness.
Special to Times Republican.


agriculture, u day or two since.
Just now it is between hay and grass
with the department.. Very little is do
ing of general interest, altho, of course
comprehensive and important investi-
cations and experiments are in prog
ress at all times. The seed proposition
will not come up for several months
but about November the department
will get very busy as it starts upon the
undertaking of placing fifteen millions
of packages of seeds where they will dc
the most good.
Col. Geddes says the government viii
buy its seeds this coming year in the
open market. rather than contract them
in bulk from one or several concerns, as
| heretofore. OF course the greatest care
/ will be exercised in buying, only the
very best varieties and quality OF SEEDS
but, with the experience of the experts
in the past, little difficulty will be eN-
perienced. Col. Geddes says 1T is tlme
the returns from seeds sent out last
spring We're pretty generally received
| so far as relates To terminating guam
| ties, but says that up to date there nave
been absolutely no complaints.
/ The seed department of the bureau is
nat what it was five years ago, When
| Secretary Wilson took charge OF the de-
| partment. AT that time the department
was regarded somewhat in the nature
| of a joke; now it is considered one OF
| the most important and useful bureaus
of the government. The seed item alone
| illustrates what has been accomplished
along Just one line. From compara-
lively few packages of seeds for each
member seeds the quality of which
were very much in doubt, the seed fea-
ture has been brought to 4 point where
it is really matter of interest to the
congressman and to the American far
mer From a few hundred thousands
to fifteen millions the scheme mas
grown. and the seeds now sent are
seeds that grow; seeds that are the best
on earth.
The average farmer has little know
ledge how much attention the con-
gresham gives to this matter of seed
distribution. Formerly few packages
were sent out here and there. Now the
congressman representing a farming
district aims to send practically every
farmer package of seeds.
! About two weeks before the seeds for
| that particular section will be ready the
secretary notifies the congressman. and
then the latter and his secretary, and
probably members of the family, go to
work addressing labels which are to be
pasted upon the packages of seeds.
The government printing office makes
this just as easy as possible. The
members frank is printed upon the
label, also the word Iowa for Iowa
congressman, so that the name of a
uerson and town only are required. The
icb, even then, however, is something
tremendous
CITY congressmen escape this work.
vet they are given the full quota of
seeds--over 10000. Many members rep
1esenting agricultural districts fall far
short of sufficient packages and there is
6 Wholesale bartering going on. The
city member has no earthly use for his
seeds, but he likely wants something in
the way of documents which the asri-
cultural member has no use for. An
exchange is made on this basis. Some
times, however, no such trade can be
seeds paws the city member so much
per thousand in cold cash and then
sends the seeds to his constituents. This
is frequently done.
The secretary of agriculture who is
given an allowance of 100000 packages
for his own use, is besieged for a few
more thousand packages by this mem
Der and that, and it goes without SAYING
| that he usually gets what he wants.
| Politics cuts no figure in the distribu-
| ton: the democratic and populistic
member gets exactly the same number
| CT packages as the republican and the
seeds are just as good.
| Not long ago there was hurry call
on the secretary for a few thousand
packages of seed from member who
does not live a thousand miles from
Iowa. He got the seeds.
| It is admitted now, by old congress
men, that under the present system the
package of seeds is the most potent po-
litical pull the congressman has. The
package of seeds represents but q
triiling value yet ii carries with 1T the
evidence that the farmer to whom it is
! sent is not forgotten by the congress
| man, and when the farmer notes his
| fourishing garden and the family par
! take of a particularly fine mess of peas
! or beans and melons, the remark usu-
/ ally crops out that these grew from the
seeds that congressman So-and-So sent
and the effect is potent.
With this knowledge in mind the
| congressman uses the utmost precau
| tions that his lists are complete an
that all farmers are supplied
| 1t is said that General Joe Wheeler
who far years represented district il
| .slabama, was a fiend on the subject o.
seeds He begged, borrowed ans
bought all he could get hold of and i:
said to have spent the last year he wa.
in congress more than $1,000 for seed.
in addition to his regular quota and In
he could secure in other ways. Genera
\ Wheeler did not go so much on tlowe
eeeds and he worked the congressma,
from the south representing the cit!
\ districts to a finish. getting ten pack.
ages of garden seeds for one of TIL,
"poseys."
The greatest care is exercised in get
ting the right seed into the right pack
age, yet once in a while q mistake vii
be made. y veteran congressman tell
the story that one day he was met at
station by Il large crowd and Will
shaking hands all around one grizzle,
old farmer shouted, BILL, those water
melon seeds you sent me made might.
good pumpkins for the COWS last fall
l"Of course there was a great laugh ant