Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-01-02
HOPE LIES in CONGRESS
Climate and Soil Conditions to Be Con-
sidered From Scientific Standpoint
Northern Iowa Could Cultivate Drug
PIants-waste in Distribution Of
Seeds.

/ session or congress. NV AOA6SA Wa 49,
annual appropriation of quarter OF
million dollars be made for the beneft
of congressman desiring to make votes
by free distribution of seed to people
who have no use for them.
The plan proposed contemplates the
introduction and breeding of new
plants and fruits and the extension OF
the growing of others in climates suited
to them. This is being done on small
scale. but its development is hindered
by the necessity of filling orders OF
senators and members Of the house for
seed which usually prove Of little value
in the district where sent
AS an example of what the depart
ment wants to do take the corn crop.
1t is proposed to improve corn by SIM
ply breeding and selecting grain
adapted to different climatic and soil
conditions turnout the country. The
work would be applicable in large part
to all portions of the United States.
Corns for extreme north, corns for the
south, corns for highly fertile soils, and
corns for poor, thin lands, corns adapt
ed to river bottom lands, drought re-
sistant corns, and corns that could be
grown successfully under irrigation are
some of the lines involved in this
project.
In Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Wisconsin
and northern Iowa drug plants could
be cultivated. 1t is estimated that the
United States imports from 100000
to s5,Oo0.O0O worth of drugs each year
Preliminary Investigations establish
ed that many of the drugs, such as OPP
home. The department will introduce
seeds of promising drug plants and
encourage the production Of crops, this
being done in cooperation with indi-
vidual farmers and Others
These examples indicate what is in
the departments mind, but they by no
means represent the extent Of the
scheme under consideration. From
seventy three to seventy tive projects
have been developed and these and
many others will be submitted to con-
gress There is the question of in
creasing the production of beet sugar.
Practically all seed for this plant now
comes from abroad. Preliminary eX-
periments and tests indicate we can
grow as good or better seed in this
country. 1t is intended if congress
gives permission to produce and dis
tribute commercial sugar beet seed
with the primary object of developing
a new American industry.
The department has come also to the
conclusion that it will be a compare
lively easy matter to introduce harder
varieties OF winter oats in the south
ern portions of Illinois and Missouri
and in practically all of the southern
states, with the exception of southern
Florida and western Texas.
The growth of new tobacco varieties
could be arranged by securing and dis
tributing carefully selected seed of for
eign grown varieties, such as Sumat-
"a, Cuban, and Turkish, and these var
ieties of tobacco produced by investiga-
tors of the department of agriculture,
lished varieties into sections where to-
DdCCO Is IlOL hiFONll WHICH ScGlA
adapted to cultivation Of the plant on
account of climatic and soil conditions.
1t is believed this could be done in
portions Of Illinois, Ohio, Missouri,
Michigan, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Ten
nessee, Virginia, Louisiana, eastern
Texas, the New England states, with
the exception of Maine, some of the
north Atlantic states, and some of the
far western states.
The department has obtained naked
oats from Russian Turkestan, various
hulless barleys from Chinese Tibet and
Chinese Turkestan; wheat barley and
peas raised by Kargan Tibetans; bar
ley and wheat from eastern Tibet,
where the temperature during the
growing season falls to or 10 degrees
below zero, centigrade, at night: rice
cotton, and maize from various parts
ley and glutinous rice from northern
China.
It is proposed to introduce these
grains into our own mountain areas
where ATTITUDES on the average, are
not as great as in central Asia. The
United States imports annually $4,000
600 worth of mating from foreign
countries 1t is believed most of this
material could be made in the United
States If raw material were grown
here.
Secretary Wilson does not believe
free seed distribution should continue
because he regards it as waste Of
money When the department
was first organized congress aptly and
authorized 1t to distribute
rare and valuable seed with satisfac-
tory addition to the productive power
and wealth of the country and the
of the interest of the
farming population.
If the distribution were confined to
"rare and valuable" seed, there would
be no objection to an appropriation.
but for years the department has been
compelled to go into the open market
and buy seed of ordinary varities.
which are sent to the constituents Of
members of congress for the sole pur-
pose Of making them believe they are
not forgotten by their representatives
in Washington. 1t makes no difference
whether the man in the city gets
wheat and the man in the country
flower seeds. The representative feels
he has done his duty.
1t remains to be seen whether con-
gress will adopt the better plan which
Secretary Wilson has formulated