The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1920-03-13
THEHASKINLETTER
BATTLE OVER FREE SEED
BY FREDERIC ]. HASKIN.

WASHINGTON, D. c., March -
The time honored congressional custom
of winning the voters approval by
generous donations of free seed hung
trembling in the balance this week,
when the irrepressshle Mr.. Blanton, OF
Texas, opened fire on the 100000 seed
item in the agriculture appropriation
bill
The gentleman from Texas charged
that his honorable colleagues were
humbugging their constituents by, send
ing 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 a 15-cent package
of seed that they don't want and can't
use from their senator or congress
man"
For a few minutes il looked as
though the seeds were doomed, but
when the roll call was taken, at Mr..
Blantons request enough votes were
mustered to defeat the amendment
striking the item from the appropria-
ton bill, The vote stood 1870 to Il,
some 10 of Mr. Blantou's fellow con-
greSsmen voting with him, probably for
the first time in their lives
Colleagues of the Texas congressman
declare in rebuttal of his argument
that the farmers are not the ones most
benefited by the seed distribution, the
greater number of the packages gong
to the backyard gardener, who can not
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 trltle
over 3ia cents package, including the
cost of purchasing them. putting them
Ia, 10 them
rious points throughout 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 Is cents package, and
even then he would not be sure that he
was securing the same grade OF seed
furnished by the government
The seeds, it was stated, are the best
that can be purchased in the United
l. States, and before their distribution,
are thoroughly tested and examined by
| government experts for their purity and
| vitality,
Members of the house stated that not
| infreuuently the 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
| command. thus increasing If only in a
slight degree the food production OF the
! country, and reducing the cost of liv-
| ing for the amateur agrtculturtst,
\ congressman from the heart of
| New York city, where the majority Of
! the voters means are extremely limit
| ed declared that he could use every
package Of the $4,000 allotted to him,
and twice that amount II he could Sc
| cure it,
MANY of my people" he said, ARE
TOO poor to afford even tie Is cents to
| purchase similar seeds, but when they
| receive the stuff free are allie to grow
the few fresh vegetables their tables
| provide during the summer, and some
times are able TO put up 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 of seeds for
| which there are the greatest demands
are those grown In small gardens, such
as peas. beans, corn. lettuce and rad
| ishes. Tomatoes. too. hRYe their vogue
but are not as popular as the other
five. 1t VIII he noticed that OF The
five. three are staples and two are
| what are known as appeti2ers.'
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.
! NV constituents, ne Halu, seem u
like them above all other things. They
must live on beans, Every letter
get asks for several packages, and II
sent all that are requested, the Who'll,
cts Of New York would be feastiag
on beans Cor the next five years"
According to the law, each senator
and congressman is allotted $4,000 pack
ages of vegetables and 1000 of flowe
seed. but many of them ask that theiI
flower allotment be changed to vege
tables, which is done II the supply a
the bureau of plant industry will permit
The very few congressman who d.
not use their entire allotment ARE be
sieged by requests from their colleagues
that their extra supply be turned owe
to them. Some members of both houses
however have other means of secur
ing an extra supply, which they retus
20 divulSe for fear others will leari
their methods and initiate them.
Each Of the $4,000 packages the sena
tors and congressman receive contain:
| five small packets OF seed, such as ar
on sale in grocery stores and see
houses. This year the entire outpu
OF the department was over l2.000,0 90
packages, each containing five packets
bringing the totaA Np 90 100000
packets.
Last year the outpue Nas come mil
sQns sAerS ea0A afnaiSe aDa songresS