The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1913-04-25
FREE GOVERNMENT SEEDS.

FREE GOVERNMENT SEEDS.
Tests of seeds furnished by the gov
rnmen h;tve been made at the agrl'
cultural high school at Grafton, Will
the result that the stuff sent out is de-
scribcd as junk. useful, if sent out in
large enough quantities, for fertilidins
purposes hut of no other value. IN
one class the percentage of seeds that
terminated was as low as six. while
in the ordinary vegetable seeds. such
AS arc commonly grown i'll every gar
den. only forty per cent Of the seeds
terminated.
Ii is TO be hoped that for the sake
of giving accurate information to the
public the Grafton expcrimenters will
continue their work, and raise some of
the plants to maturity, in order to see
whether even the seeds that do ger
inmate produce anything worth rails
ing. If the seed sent out this year
is like what has often been sent out
before it will be found that the prod
OCI ID OF poor QudlltSs siitO 1Ol WIZ u
the time that it takes TO raise it.
OF all the petty gratis that exist
in connection with this government Of
ours this free seed business is of
the cheapest and most contemplate.
Like many other bad things it had
y good beginning, that Is. the intent
of the law providing for seed dis
tribution VAS excellent. There were
no agricultural colleges that mount
cd to anything. Government expert
ment stations We're unknown. The
agricultural department itself had not
been created. n existed merely in
the form of a subordinate bureau Of
another department.. Men interested
in the promotion Of agriculture wish
ed to do something. but did not know
what to do. and were poorly supplied
with funds with which to do anything.
The idea was conceived that it would
the farmers and gardeners Of the
country the seeds Of rare plants which
had cone from abroad. or which had
been developed in isolated localities
of our own country, not as g%ratuities,
but as things with which to expert.
ment for the good of the country.
Accordingly the practice was begun
Of sending out seeds for his pur-
pose. with the request that the re-
cipient would note carefully the re-
emilia orI rAror$ g.. $1o H.
order that information might be avail
able as to the suitability Of this or
that plant for culture in the United
States or any part of it. The idea was
very good, as far as it went. Just
what 1t amounted to in practice in the
early days We do not know. We VEN
ture the guess that very few reports
were ever received. At any rate. bet
ter methods of testing out seeds and
plants were speedily devised. Experi-
ment farms were started all over the
country. and there the work OF in
yestigating the qualities of seeds and
plants was conducted by government
employees who were trained in the
"SA 0AAA NlIOSS ACpOIl wSIc IUdOC
rs q part Of their routine, these re-
ports including accounts not only OF
yields and qualities. but of all the con-
ditions under which culture was con-
Quoted. This removed any necessity.
that had ever existed for the distribu-
ton Of seeds promiscuously for ex-
detrimental purposes.
A business organization would have
discontinued the seed distribution as
soon as a better method wa put in
practice. blu not SO with the govern
ment. 1t had been discovered that
the seed distribution furnished a cheap
and easy method for statesmen to keen
themselves in touch with their con-
stituents. Congressman Blank could
send out to his farmer friends little
packages Of seeds with his compli-
ments, and as there is a genera ten
dency to like to get something for
nothing. the nan who received such
a package was supposed to be remind
ed very pleasantly of the congress-
mans existence, n Of the fact that
lie was looking properly after the
welfare Of the folks back home. What
had been started as Il means of sccur-
ing knowledge was continued az n net.
ty graft in order to promote the in.
terests OF members Of congress. And
30 it continues until this day.
The need for the experimental fea.
ture having vanished the whole thing
is unjustidablc and improper. The
market value of the standard collec.
ton Of seeds sent out would be pcr.
haps IS cents. if the seeds were any
good. 1t is no more a function Of the
government to supply to certain of it's
citizens a quarters worth OF seeds
than it is to furnish them a Quarters
worth Of sugar, or -four. or postage
stamps. The practice costs something
like a quarter of n million dollars an
naally. which. of course. is not n very
great sum for a very large country.
But the principle IL wrong, and the
practice is a nuisance and ought to be
suppressed.
THE ."EASY' CHAMBERLAIN