The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-02-21
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
Information Bureau
FREDERIC j. HAsKIN, Director.
Washington, D. C.
A BATTLE OVER FREE SEED.

when the irrepressible Mr.. Blanton of
Texas, opened fire on the 100000
seed item in the agriculture appro-
priation bill
The gentleman from Texas charged
that his honorable colleagues were
| humbugging their constituents by
sending them the seed as a gift, when
! in reality they were being paid for by
taxes and the increased cost of living.
THE farmers of this country" he
shouted. would rather have their
taxes cut, than to receive fifteen cent
package of seed. that they don't want
and can't use, from their senator or
| congressman"
| For a few minutes it looked as tho
the seeds were doomed, but when the
roll call was taken, at Mr.. Blanton's
request, enough votes were mustered
to defeat the amendment striking the
| item from the appropriation bill. The
vote stood 100 to II, some seventy Of
Mr.. BlantOn's fellow congressman
voting with him, probably for the first
time in their lives,
| Colleagues of the Texas congress-
man declare in rebuttal of his argu-
ment that the farmers are not the ones
most benefited by the seed distribu-
ton, the greater number of the pack
ages going to the back yard gardener
who cannot purchase his seed in the
| bulk the farmer finds necessary, and
at the price at which the farmer is
able to obtain them
| They declare that the seeds only
! cost the United States government a
| triflei over three and a half cents a
package, including the cost of pur-
chasing them. putting them in pack
ages and mailing them to various
points thruout the country, excluding
| only the cost of the extra clerks the
senator or congressman must employ
TO address the franks. The same
grade of seed, If purchased by the
gardener or small farmer, would cost
| him about twenty-five cents a pack
| age, and even then he would not be
sure that he was securing the same
grade of seed furnished by the gov
| eminent.
These seeds, it was stated, are the
| best that can be purchased in the
! United States, and, before their dis
| tribution. are thoroly tested and ex-
| amined by government experts for
| their purity and vitality.
| Members of the house stated that
not infrequently the seed is sent to
those, who but for the free distribu-
ton Mr.. Blanton objected to, would
not utilize the small amount of ground
at their command, thus increasing if
only in a slight degree the food pro-
duction of the country and reducing
the cost of living for the amateur
| agriculturist.
A congressman from the heart of
| New York City, where the majority
Of the voters means are extremely
| limited, declared that he could use
every package of the $4,000 allotted
| to him, and twice that amount if he
| could secure it.
| MANY of my people" he said ARE
| too poor to afford even the twenty
five cents to purchase similar seeds,
| but when they receive the stuff free
are able to grow the few fresh vege-
tables their tables provide during the
summer, and sometimes are able to
put up a few cans for winter"
! Their contention that it is the back
yard and window box gardener who
uses the government seed is borne out
| by the fact that the kinds ct seeds
for which there are the greatest de-
mands are those grown in small gar
dens, such as peas, beans, corn, let
| tuce and raGishes. Tomatoes, too.
| have their vogue. but are not SO
popular as the other five. It will be
noticed that of the five, three are
staples and two are what are known
| as appetizers
The late Tim Sullivan, of New York,
once wrote to the head of the bureau
| of plant industry. and requested that
his entire allotment be composed of
| beans.
MY constituents" he said, seem
to like them above all other things.
/
ter I get asks for several packages,
and if I sent all that are requested,
| the whole city of New York would be
feastinG on beans for the next five
| years"
According to the law, each senator
and congressman is allotted eighteen
| thousand packages of vegetable and
| two thousand of flower seed. but
many OF them ask that their flower
allotment be changed to vegetables.
which is done if the supply at the bu-
reau of plant industry will permit.
The very few congressman who do
not use their entire allotment are be-
| sieged by requests from their col
! leagues that their extra supply be
turned over to them. Some members
| of both houses, however, have other
! means of securing an extra supply,
which they refuse to divulge for fear
| others will learn their methods and
| initiate them.
Each of the $4,000 packages the
| senators and congressman received
contains five small packets of seed.
such as are on sale in grocery stores
and seed houses. This year the entire
output of the department was over
| 100000 packages. each containing
five packets, bringing the total up to
! 60, 100000 packets.
| Last year the output was some mil
lions short. each senator and congress
man receiving only $4,000 packages of
vegetables, and 1000 of flowers, but
the demand was so great, and the
number of their constituents who were
disappointed in not obtaining any of
the seed was so large that the appro-
priauon for the purchasing and hand
| ling of the supply was increased to the
present figures.
| The increased demand, the members
believe, was partly due to the extern
sive propaga nda the Food Administra-
ton carried on, encouraging the peo-
pie to increase the food supply of the
country as well as to preserve it Per
/ their fresh vegetables in window boxes,
and those having any ground at, all.
even the tiniest of plots, felt it their
patriotic duty TO put this ground I'M
der cultivation and produce all the
food stuff they possibly could.
! Having grown their few bits of vege-
| ia leS the window box farmers found