The herald., 1922-06-22

standard varieties Of vegetable and flower seeds.
In 1894 change was advocated and action taken
To discontinue the customary distribution This
action not approved by congress. which in
act approved April %, 1896 changed the wording
of the previous act. The attorney general 10
whom the question was submitted for decision,
held that the purchase and distribution of seeds,
including vegetable and flower seeds 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 ve-sixths of all the seeds
and plants purchased by the department. So that
is where congressional seed distribution" origi-
mated.
Now, then. it costs Uncle Sam about 3lh cents
for every package of seeds sent out by 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,
cumber, parsley, parsnip, squash, tomato, turnip,
and watermelon. There are II combinations. so
that member of congress can select the five
different kinds of seeds he wants to send out in
one package. Similarly there 22 different va
rieties Of flowers such chrysanthemum. aster,
cosmos, balsam, candytuft, dianthus, nasturtium,
poppy. sweet peas, petuna. zinniaS, mignOnette.
That package containing five small papers of
seeds, which costs the government. 80 cents if
bought in the open market would cost 20 cents.
The office of seed distribution in the Department
member of congress, just the same a bank ac-
count. The member is credited with his quota
and is allowed to draw against that quota, just
the same against a bank account.
From one sample package, containing five small
papers of seeds, any person raise at least SO
worth of food, according to the agricultural aU-
thOrities. Deducting 50 for waste loss in transit,
careessness in planting poor soil it leaves
so net production. Members of congress are
sending out this year 130O0OOO of these large
packages Give papers in each), which, it is CON
servatively estimated will return 100000 900 food
products for outlay of 100000 which certainly
should have some effect the economic life of
this country.
When the annual fight the appropriation
is being waged the claim is often made that the
freeseed distribution comes wrecking the
Post Office department and is responsible for an
annual deficit. The records show that the run is
usually from 100000 pounds to 100000 or 100000
pounds, and that if the Office Of seed distribution
paid postage on each package, the as any
private individual, the postage bill would never
have been more than sl3l'oCg and that it would
average about $4,000
Every seed cent out is tested for vitality and
for trueness to name These tests are made on
the experimental farm of the department, near
Arlington National cemetery, although the germi-
nation tests are mostly made in the laboratory by
using blOtter paper All seed has to be of the
particular variety ordered. The department while
opposing the congressional distribution. takes very
good care that the seeds are all good before they
sent out. 1t sets very high standard to which
the seeds must register, a much higher standard
than is often required commercially. If the seeds
do not reach that standard, they are shipped back
to the contractor from whom they were purchased
at the latter's expense. Some years they reject
a very large amOunt-this year for example about
10000 pounds, after it had reached Washington
because the termination not high enough
This is sent back rot good enough for CON
gressional seed distribution, but there is no as
surance anywhere that the very same seed is not
disposed of commercially.
Uncle Sam buys these seeds straight COM
petitive bids, and when any contractors deliver
les show consistent poor termination he is
blacklisted. Each bidder is Informed why he did
not get the contract, told who did get it and why