The Idaho recorder. [volume] (Salmon City, Idaho) 1886-1927, 1922-06-16

tntHAflfeN-thOuKh nm
paren'iy got something for nothing. paid for these
seeds. since the cost OF the purchase and dlstrbu
Ton came out Of the public funds
doubtless this seed business all seems peacenble
enough 10 the voter who gets the seeds but, good
ness, he should be In Washington when the nnnu.
al Hurry over these same seeds is on It's really
as exciting rs IA two-rng circus for there are two
secd hurres going on ut one and the same time.
One Hurry Is going on at Uncle Sans seed ware
house, where small army Of girls Is doing up the
seeds and FASTING ON the franks OF the members
OF congress and hustling the packages or to the
mails
The other furry II In the capitol. where congress
In lighting tooth and toenail over the question OF
whether IL VIII distribute seeds again next spring,
You see, Uncle Sans fiscal year begins July 1
each year and he has to make seed appropria.
ton year In advance-or seeds. SO this
spring. while congress was Fighting out the same
old fight on seeds for lo23. the io22 distribution
of seeds was going merrly under an appropra.
tion made after prolonged fight In the spring OF
l92i
The eight over the seed distribution usually runs
about IKE this The appropriations committee
reports the agricultural department appropriation
bill without the seed Item Some "aeed man" of.
fvrs seed amendment. The antis object 10 the
amendment on u point OF order, II the speaker
rules against the seeds the house ovcrruies him.
Then thu bin goes To the senate and the senate
throws out the seed amendment. The bin then
goes 60 conference and the senate and house
wrangle over the seed item--with other Items
until an agreement Is reached, Its like n game OF
poker~-blun and raise. And ot course there's al
ways show -down--for the agricultural approprla,
zion hill must be passed seeds or seeds
This year the night was unusually prolonged.
out as usual the seed men In the house had their
way, The agricultural bin carrying <3onnooo
contained item OF $3dO0uo for the free distrthu
tion of seeds In in23,
In the course of the house debate this spring
representative mn q, Lowrey Of Mississippi a
"seed man." read into the Congressional Record an
Interesting article uucie Sans seed distrihu.
ton from the Washington sunday Star. Here are
some 90 the points brought out In the article;
At u ccst of $4,000 food products to the value
OF xl80uo0no viii be grown FROM t1oO0 packages
Of vegetable seeds aud 10000 packages w flower
seeds which are being sent out from Washington
by sseh and every one ~ the al senators and eth
members Of the house under laOoOOoo franks ttrec
postaEc) to home gardeners In every state in the
Unlon
Now ie, us look over the historical back ground
for this annual graft" The purchase OF seeds
aud plants 10y the government may be said To
dat. hack to colonial days. A. early AZ lTtS the
british parliament granted Stsnlun to promote the
cultivation 81 indigo and other crops In the Ameri,
can colonies. and the assemblies ~ the various
colonies appropriated small sums from time to time
10 encourage the cultivation of plants new 10 the
country. such hnps In Virginia, mulberry trees
for silk culture In Georgia aud vineyards Tor the
establishment Of an American wine industry.
In 1879. through the efforts OF Henry l.. Els
worth. commissioner Of patents, an appropriation
OF $1,000 vas made for the purpose of collecting
and distributing seeds. prosecuting agricultural In
vestigntons. and procuring agricultural statistics
with which $1,000 packages OF seeds pur-
chased aud distributed. This appropriation
marked the beginang OF the Department OF Agri.
culture.
Demands upon members OF congress for seeds
became numerous and insistent that Il was Inn
possible to ali the orders with varieties OF
seeds The practice of sending out larger and
larger quantities OF vegetable seeds thus developed
During the years from 1889 TO 1893 practically
the entire seed appropriation was expended for