Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1913-04-11
NO MORE SEEDS TO
Be SENT BY MAIL
NOW GIVEN AWAY IN 10-POUND
LOTS TO MEN WHO WILL
CARE FOR THEM.

BOISE, April S.-ReVOludiOn has
come in the matter of the free dis
tributiOn of seeds by congressman
/ The old system of sending small
packages of seeds through the mail
for political purposes TO every Tom
Dick and Harry has passed away.
I'm the future the mails are not TO
be loaded down with packages sent
| by ambitious Congressman TO their
constituents, charging the entire
cost of this system of soliciting
votes upto Uncle Sam.
Isle Morrison, who has been
placed in charge of the distribution
of seed under the new department
OF agriculture of the federal gov
eminent, is in Boise. His special
work is TO distribute the seed, for
merly distributed in insignificant
packages through the mails free,
and to distribute them in a way
to get results.
1t is admitted now that the old
system of distributing seed is
failure; that it had become a farce
and a joke; that it had resulted
in a tremendous waste, and that
nobody anywhere has ever derived
benefit from 1t.
Seeds for Picked Men.
Mr.. Morrison announces that
hereafter seed will be sent out
from Washington in nothing less
than i0-potlnd packages, and they
will be sent only to picked men,
who will give them a fair trial,
and make experiments worth some
thing to the government and the
farmers. Congressman will suggest
some of the most progressive
farmers in their districts; the SUI
perintendents of the various exper-
iment stations will suggest others,
and these will try out the new seed
under the most favorable conditions
State Seed Commissioner COglOn
and Professor w. H. DIN are deep
ly interested in this new move.
They were in conference with Mr..
Morrison yesterday. This gentle
man was making his first trip
terested in the work being done
here. 1t was decided to plant the
government seed this year in the
neighborhOOds of the experiment
stations in order that the superin-
tendents of the stations may SUI
perVise the experiments and advise
the farmers in the best methods of
doing the work.
New Plants to be Tried.
African sorghum IS one of the
new plants from which great things
are expected. Where it has been
tried out it has already given re-
suits away in advance of any 9TH
er grass known on the first years
trial. This is not grown for mo-
lasses, as its name would imply, !
but for cattle feed. 1t is a sort
of millet and is expected to do ex-
well in the west.
Extensive experiments will also |
be made with a northern grown al
falfa of the Grimm variety. This
is the hardest and best known to |
the department of agriculture. 1t
is expected to do exceptionally well
in Idaho.
Mr.. Morrison is given $4,000 by
his department to try out the eX-
pertinent of distributing seed in 10
pound packages, and he proposes to
make extensive tests in this State,
not only with the plants named
above. but with corn, barley, wheat .
rye and many kinds Of grasses and
Aid i'm Farm Management.
Another important visitor in the
city yesterday was o. E. Baker,
from Washington. d. C.. Mr.. Baker
is employed under Professor Spill
man. who has charge of the gov
ernment's department of farm
He will render valu-
able assistance in the work of or
ganizing the counties for the pur-
pose of establishing county farm
pr advisors.
Up to this time Idaho mas had
no assistance from the federal gov
eminent in this line of work Now,
the efforts of Mr.. Baker,
that assistance is to be fOrthcom-
ing. He is so favorably impressed
With the work being done in Idaho
and with the character of the farm
Ars that he proposes to Withdraw
some of the government support
rom the Eastern States and give
Idaho a lift.
After a conference yesterday with
Commissioner CoglOn and Professor
Din he announced that he would {
government support now [
,oing to Eastern States sufficient '
o enable him to appropriate $3.50 {