Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1907-02-01

On Oroer OF SonSressmen view Narte-
ties Of Seeds and Information on
Their Cultivation Will Be Distributed
to Any AsricuIturist They Name.
Advantages to Be Derived.
DIR. Beverly T. Galloway. chief Of the
bureau of plant industry. has devised
new system of seed and plant dis
tribution which he hopes 10 Induce
congress to adopt in place of the anti
| quated and worse than useless method
/ of distributing free seeds now popular
with the men who seek to curry favor
with their agricultural constituents.
says the New York Tribune's Wash
ington correspondent. Some of the
most prominent representatives and
/ senators, notably Senators Lodge and
Hale. have sought earnestly In sessions
| past to abolish the ridiculous system
Of free seed distribution now In vogue
/ though TO no effect, but there Is reason
| to hope that members Of congress will
appreciate the advantages to be de
rived from DR.. Galloway's new plan
and that 1t will be adopted.
The new plan consists In the intro
ductlon of new. varieties of seeds and
plants, together with the publication
OF information bearing on their cult
walton, the seeds plants and bulletins
to be distributed on the order of mem
bers of congress and to farmers whom
they will name. All the details of the
plan have been carefully worked out
and DR.. Galloway has already sub
mitted TO members of the agricultural
committees maps and data showing the
practicablity aud the benefits to be
derived from the adoption of his sub
stitute Nor would this substitute be
! wholly in the nature of an experiment.
as in small way DR.. Galloway has
already attempted the scheme and has
found ii 10 work most satisfactorily
when conducted by the department in.
! dependent of the members OF congress.
In outlining this plan DR.. Galloway
I has submitted To the members of the
agricultural committees eighteen sub
divisions Of the plan, among them be
ing extension of alfalfa growing into
states where II is not now staple
crop" extension of cold resistant al
| falfas." extension of dry land alfal-
fas," distribution of new varieties of
| nptfnt, tntppIuptinr, nf MATING In 70
and their culture In the United States"
Improvement of cowpeas," new to-
| bacco varieties" introduction and test
ing of alkali resisting crops" grains
! for high attitudes" adaptation of Win
ter oats" sugar beet seed growing"
Improvement of corn" bulb grow
Ing in the United States" cultivation
of drug plants" dry land arboricul-
tural work" introduction Of hardy ap
pies" and introduction and breeding
of citrous fruits"
In operation the member of congress
will select certain farmers whom he
believes to be willing to undertake ex-
periments in cooperation with the de-
partment will furnish their names and
addresses to the department, which
will send out the seeds. cuttings. bulle-
tins. etc, under the frank of the mem.
ber. AS fast as new information is OBJ
tanned it will be sent to the same men
in the same manner The farmers Sc
lected will be requested to furnish TO
the department the results of their eX.
periments. and in this way thousands
of farms would be converted into min
iature experiment stations, while doubt
less many farmers would be put In
possession of crops and information
which would yield them handsome
profits.
Speaking of his plan. DR.. Galloway
says:
I'VE import In the neighborhood of
$4,O00OO0 or S5000000 worth of drugs
each year, and preliminary investiga.
tions would indicate that consider
able portion of these drug plants might
be grown at home. The work would
be equally applicable to nearly all the
states bordering on the Atlantic coast
including New England, and also some
of the western states, such as Ohio. In.
diana. Illinois, Wisconsin and northern
Iowa. The object would be to intro.
duce the seeds Of promising drug plants
and encourage the production of the
crops this being in cooperation with
individual farmers and Others"
Speaking Of the introduction OF
hardy apples, DR.. Galloway says;
This work would be applicable tC
the entire tier Of northern states from
Maine to and including Montana. The
object would be to find ont, through a
study of published accounts of trav'
elers and explorers, where in different
parts Of the world are to be found ap
pies or forms related to them which
are likely to prove valuable III the
breeding of harder and more drought
resisting apples for this northern coun'
try. This work would be largely done
in cooperation with the experiment
stations"
Secretary Wilson is especially inter
ested in the introduction Of mating
plants In the United States, for it Is q
part of the gospel Of the secretary OF
agriculture that it Is a sin to import
what can just as well be grown in the
United States. To that end the depart
ment has for some time been conduct
ing experiments. DR.. Galloway says
, that the United States imports abou,
$5,O00.000 worth Of mattings annually
, and that he believes the material from
which they are made could just as
well be grown in this country as
abroad. There is, in his estimation
plenty Of land in the Carolinas, Geor