, 1922-06-08

standard varieties of vegetable and flower seeds.
In 1894 a change was advocated and action taken
to discontinue the customary distribution. This
action was not approved by congress, which. in an
act approved April %, 1896, changed the wording
of the previous act. The attorney general. to
whom the question was submitted for decision,
held that the purchase and distribution of seeds,
including vegetable and flower seeds, were manda-
tory and left the secretary of agriculture without
discretion. Congress has specifically reserved for
itself the distribution, with proportionate allot-
ments to each member. of hve-sixths of all the seeds
and plants purchased by the department. So thar
is where congressional seed distribution" origi-
mated.
Now. then, 1t costs Uncle Sam about 3A cents
for every package of seeds sent out by a congress
man. Each package contains five different kinds
of seed. The following kinds of vegetable seeds
are purchased for free distribution Peas. beets.
lettuce. onions. radish, beans. corn, carrots, Gu
cumber. parsley, parsnip. squash, tomato. turnip.
and watermelon. There are IA combinations. so
that a member of congress can select the five
Inherent kinds of seeds he wants to send our In
one package. Similarly there are % different va
rieties of flowers. such as chrysantheinum. aster.
cosmos. bnlsam. candytuft. d%ianthus, nasturtium.
poppy. sweet peas, petunia, zinnias, mignonette.
That package containing five small papers OF
seeds, which costs the government 31h cents, II
bought In the open market would cost so cents.
The office of seed distribution in the Department
OF Agriculture keeps an exact account for each
member OF congress. just the same as a bank ac-
phAit INV tlhb II itAllt WIN HIS QUOTA
and is allowed to draw against that quota. just
the same us against n bank account.
From one sample package. containing five small
papers of seeds. any person can raise ut least S15
worth of food. according to the agricultural au-
thorities. Deducting 50 for waste. loss in transit,
or carelessness In planting or poor soil. 1t leaves
Il SO net production. Members of congress are
sending out this year 13.00o,0OO of these large
packages five papers In each). which. II Is ron.
servntively estimated. will return $3.50, 600 food
nroIucfS for nm outtny of SyBO 600 which ,rortut,I,
should have some effect on the economic life OF
this country.
When the annual fight over the appropriation
is being wnged the claim is often made that the
free-seed distribution comes near wrecking the
Post Office department and is responsible for an
annual deficit. The records show thar the run is
usually from l.JO0OOO pounds to 100000 or 700 OOo
pounds. and that If the Office of seed distribution
paid postage on each package. the same as any
private individual. the postage bill would never
have been more than S131 900. and that 1t would
average about $4,000.
Every seed sent out is tested for vitality and
for trueness to name. These tests are made on
the experimental farm Of the department.. nenr
Arlington Nnfonnl cemetery. although the germl.
milton tests ure mostly made In the laboratory by
using blOtter paper All seed has To be Of the
particular variety ordered. The department. while
opposlug the congressional distribution. takes very
good care that the seeds IRE all good before they
are sent out. II sets a very high standard to whlcl,
the seeds must register, n much higher standard
than is often required commercially. II the seeds
do not reach that standard. they are shipped back
to the contractor from whom they were purchased
nj the latter's expense. Some years they reject
a very large amount-this year. for example. Hbouf
10000 pounds. after IL had reached Washington
because the termination was not high enough.
This is sent back as not good enough for con.
gresslonal seed distribution. but there is no as.
surance anywhere that the very same seed Is not
disposed Of commercially.
Uncle Sam buys these seeds ON straight com.
petitive bids. and when any contractors deliver.
les show a consistent poor termination he is
blncklisted. Each bidder Is Informed why he did
not get the contract. told who did get II and why