Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1920-02-26
CATTLE OVER FREE SEED
Time.H o ored Congressional
Custom to Be Continued
Opposition Of Depart
ment Of Agriculture, Each senator
and Representative May send Ont
This Year 2o,oo0 Packages
by Frederic j. Haskin)

ming the voters approval by generous
donations Of free seed hung trembling
in the balance last week when the ir-
repressible Mr.. Blanton Of Texas opened
hre on the 900 seed item in the agri-
culture appropriation bill.
The gentleman from Texas charged
that his honorable colleagues were hum
busging their constituents by sending
them the seed as a gift, when in reality
they were being peid 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 a fifteen cent pack
age Of seed. mat they don't want and
can't use. from their senator or congress
man
For a few minutes IT looked as though
thu seeds were doomed. but when the
| roll call was taken. Of Mr.. Blanton's
request, enough votes were mustered to
defeat the amendment striking the item
from the appropriation bill. The vote
stood 40 TO Il, some seventy Of Mr..
Blanton's fellow congressman voting
with him. probably for the frst time in
| their lives.
Colleagues Of the Texas congressman
declare In rebuttai OF his argument that
| the farmers are not the ones most
| benefited by the seed distribution, the
greater number Of the packages going to
| the back yard gardener who can not pur-
chase his seed in the bulk the farmer
finds necessary, and at the price at which
! the farmer is able to obtain them.
They declared that the seeds only cost
the United States government a trife
| over three and a half cents q package
including the cost Of purchasing them,
| putting them in packages and mailing
them to various points throughout the
country, excluding only the cost Of the
extra clerks the senator OF congressman
must empty to address the franks The
! same grade OF seed, II purcha sed by the
| gardner or small farmer would cost him
| about twenty-five cents a package, and
| even then he would not be sure that ne
was securing the same grade Of seed
furnished by the government
| The seeds. it was stated, are the hest
that can be purchased in the United
States, and, before their distribution, are
thoroughly tested and examined by gov
eminent experts for their purity and
vitality.
Members OF the House stated that not
| infrequently tile seed is sent to those
who but for the free distribution Mr.
| Blanton objected to. would not utilize the
small amount Of ground at their COM
rnand. thus increasing II only in a slight
degree the food production Of the coun-
| try. and reducing the cost of living for
| the amateur agricultural.
| congressman from the heart OF New
| York city. where the majority OF the
| voters means are extremely limited. de-
o'ared that he could use every package
Of the 1900 allotted to him. and twice
that amount II ne could secure It.
'Manw ~ ~
poor to afford even the twenty-five
cents to purchase similar seeds, but when
| they receive the stun free are able to
grow the few fresh vegetables their
tables provide during the summer and
sometimes are able to put up a few cans
for winter
Their contention that it 10 the back
yard and window box gardner who uses
the government seed in Is borne out by
the fact that the kinds OF seeds for which
there are the greatest demands are those
grown in small gardens. such as peas
beans, corn. lettuce ana radlshes To-
ratoee. too, have their vogue. but are
not as popular as the other Ave. 1t will
| be noticed that Of the 1--WE, three arc
staples and two are what arc 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. They
must live on beans. Every letter I get
asks for several packages. and II ! sent
| all that are requested, the whole city Of
New York would be feasting on beans
for the next Ave years"
According 10 the law, each senator and
congressman Is allotted eighteen thou.
sand 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 II
the supply at the bureau Of pla mt industry
will permit
Tho very few congressman who do not
use their entire allotment are besiesed
by requests from their colleagues that
| their extra supply be turned over 10
them. Some members of both Houses,
however, have other means OF securing
! An extra supply. which they refuse 10
divulse for fear others will learn their
| methods and initiate them.
Each of the 1900 packages the sena tors
and congressman receives contains five
small packets of seed such as are on
| sale In grocery stores and seed houses.
This year the entire output OF the depart.
ment was over 100000 packages, each
| containing Ave packets. bringing the
total up to 100000 packets.
Last year the output was some mil
lions short, each senator and congress
man receiving only 1900 packages of
| vegetables, and 1000 OF flowers, but the
demand was so great. and the number
OF their constituents who were disap-
pointed in not obtaining any of the seed
was 80 large that the appropriation for
tho purchasing and handling Of the supply
WAS increased to the present.
The increased demand. the members
believe, was partly due TO the extensive
propaganda the food administration car
ried on. encouraging the people to in
| crease the food supply OF the country as
| we'll as to preserve It. Persons living In
apartment houses grew their fresh vege
tables in window boxes, and those having
any ground at all, even the t'niest OF
, plots, felt II their patriotic duty to put
this ground under cultivation and produce
| all the food STUFF they possibly could.
Having grown their few bits OF vege
tables, the window box farmers found
that few radshes, or an occasional
head of crisp lettuce, made very ac-
| equitable addition to the daily menu.
| especially when the vegetables we're
| favored with the knowledge that they
were home grown; and cost the producer
nothing. SO this year, the same persons
who grew their vegetables as a patriotic
duty. are planting them because they