Omaha daily bee., 1903-01-24
HOW UNCLE SAM PACKS SEEDS
Nearly Forty Millions viii Ne Die
by the Agricultural
Department.

The work OF distributing 9 1000. 600 OF
seeds by the government has begun, sale
B. F. Brown. the inventor OF the various
machines used in the distribution. 10 e
Washington Star reporter. i nave the
contract this year for the first time, and
have added new machines and improved
the old so that there Will be practically a
new plant. They are planting seed in the
South and Pacific states, while the New
Englanders are gathering their ice crop,
and consequently we must govern our dis
tribution accordingly. We huve divided
the country into six divisions for this pur-
pose. By December 20 seeds will have been
sent to Alabama, Arizona, California,
Florida. Georgia, Hawaii. Louisiana, Mis-
sissippi. New Mexico. South Carolina an6
Texas By December 81 Arkansas. North
Carolina. Oklahoma, oregon, Tennessee and
Washington will be reached. The other
states are reached in January. February
and March. Idaho, Maine. Montana, New
Hampshire. North Dakota. Vermont and
Wyoming come last, and seeds to this, the
sixth division, win be sent by March 81.
Under the present system this work is
let to the lowest bidder. and ] have the
contract this year. The result OF this
rivalry is thai there IS close competition
in wages. and the wages paid are about
the same as those received by folders and
counters of houses distributing circulars
Of various kinds. about 81 a week. While
this is not large, girls come from these
houses TO seek employment, and while We
will employ in ali ABOUT 100 girls, we
have over 200 applications on file, not
counting those employees Of last year. many
OF whom want to come back. We will give
them the preference. because they we're
tried last year and found satisfactory, and
besides have had the experience.
We have seeds in stock 10 supply the
first two sections Of the country named.
We have printed envelopes and wrappers
for this work and this portion Of It is com
pleted and organized. Altogether we have
on hand about one-third Of the seed. We
get our seed from all parts Of the world.
The best cabbBges in the world are raised
in Long Island California furnishes let
'tuoe seed OF such a superior quality tina
recently arrangements were made by
which the world supply OF lettuce seed
will come from that state. California fur
nisbes good onion seed, and California and
Michigan furnish our radish seed. This is
q progressive step as the result of some
experiments recently. Up TO a short time
ago all our radish seed came from
Europe"
At the building, POI Thirteen and One
half street, used for the distribution Of gov
eminent seeds, wOrkmen are busy remodel
ing the plant. Another set Of bins to hold
the seed is being added, and there viii be
another row Of machines to count and sack
the seeds. The process is no accurate and
30 complete that the scales show every
package of lettuce seed to weigh l2Sth OF a
pound and every package o: tomato seed 10
weigh 240th Of a pound. But what is more
remarkable, package after package OF hower
seeds after going through the bins ehutes
and machines weigh exactly the same, the
weight in the instance OF one flower being
l-lOOOth OF a pound, and in another
1~-l2OOth cf q pound. Starting at the top OF
the building, the seeds descend 10 the mail
carts. sorted. sacked. tagged and routed for
the poEtohce authorities, almost all by
machinery.
on the upper floor there is a row Of small
bins with chutes TO The machines just be
low Boys nh these bins with seed from
sacks as IL comes 10 the department from
the various sources. Automatically II is
fed 10 the machines. zach operated by ons
girl These machines measure the guan-
titv, put the seeds IN tho small sacks and
seal the sacks. A chute currieE these
sealed sacks 10 large bins on the next no0r
below. bins large enough 10 hold 26O, 900 Of
these package Belts run along the out
side Of these bins, sixteen IN number, and
@ larger sack iE used here. Tho belt car
rics The sack along the bins and girls sta
toned along place in the sacks the varieties
needed. 40 mistake can be made. An
operator cannot PICK up any other variety.
and she cannot wen miss the sack as il
slowly passes on the wide belt. Colone.
James Morrison. inEpector-in-chief alsl
looks after that.