Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-07-28

sent TO evary school teacher printed
slips 10 be distributed among the school
children. requesting those who wanted
the seeds TO write 10 their Congress-
man. From these two sources Of wide
spread advertisement the Congressman
received In all 5000 requests for seeds
In answer TO which he was able TO
send out only u i-o per cent of his
total allotment.
congressional prerogative Of any
KIM. however. usually dies hard and
unt!l the bin actually leaves tho Can't
toi on Its way 10 the President there
Is sti!l n chance that the amendment
VIII be stricken of In the debate
when preceded the hnal voting OF the
Senate. many Senators insisted tha, tho
seeds were appreciated in all parts OF
the country. and that II only 10 per
cent Of the secos were used, anyway.
the distribution was justified
IL was then suggested that the mat
ter nc left entirely In the hands OF
the Department or Agriculture, which
"oaih send seeds In answer to any re-
quest FOR them. Since the quantity
or seeds required would be greatly re-
duced IT might. therefore. be possible
10 BUY better onH and TO take more
tlinc 10 give explicit directions as 10
their growing. Tn. money formerly
iuce could be spent for the introduc-
ton OF new and useful species For
example. occasionally In the past when
the Department OF Agriculture had
made successful experiments with
some new specie II would send out 2
rev packages to special sections Of tho
country under tho Observation-Disclosures
button system. In this way, the Dur
Yam wheat which was discovered
growing in Siberia. was sent into va
i!ous sections OF the West for expcr.
mental propagation, where IL Is now
Aonrish!ng vigorously. Under the new
system, the department would special
lie in this sort OF distribution. send
ing the common varieties OF seed only
when special requests were made for
them.
Great Expense Attached.
The expense OF purchasing the seeds
Is minor consideration as compared
TO bother and expense of carrying the
thousands Of packages through the
mail. This year over S0,00O,o00 pack
ages OF garden seed. making 10000
600 large packages. were carried by the
postai service under congressional
frank, which, II bearing postage. would
nave amounted to $4,000. Not only
this. but every spring a large force OF
employees must bo hired by the Bureau
OF Seed Distribution of the Depa rtment
OF Agriculture 10 assert and prepare
tue SeeuS ana mail them to the lists OF
constituents. At this time national leg
islation is forgotten, while the mem
bers or Congress play Santa Claus.
Letters must accompany several of the
packages and time and care must be
exercised in making out the lists OF
persons to whom they are to go. Many
congressman who represent urban dis
lricts. where garden seeds arc useless
tor The reason that there is no ground
In "hich 10 grow them. endeavor TO
exchange their supply with rural Con-
eressmen for something else Now, after
many years, the members of Congress
nave suddenly come to realize that
tneir work Is largely unnecessary, and
that their benevolenco is not appre-
ciated.
Thus The member of Congress has
turned his newly acquired sense of
economy upon himself and nobly sac
rihced a time-honorcd pcrquisite. No
longer Is he TO DO the dispenser OF
Zihhias and beets. sunhowers and oats
mo constituent has at last reniged on
plannnG any more congressional seeds
unlcss passed by an expert board Of
censorship.