The Red Cloud chief., 1922-06-15

vi tUey UP
parently got something for nothing, paid for these
seeds, since the cost of the purchase and distribu.
ton came out Of the public funds.
Doubtless this seed business all seems peaceable
enough to the voter who gets the seeds, hut, good
ness, he should be in Washington when the annu-
nj furry over these same seeds Is on! It's really
as exciting as a two-ring circus. for there are two
seed hurries going on at one and the same time.
One furry is going on at Uncle Sans seed ware
house, where IA small army of girls Is doing up the
seeds and FASTING on the franks Of the members
of congress and hustling the packages off to the
mails.
The other furry Is in the capitol, where congress
Is lighting tooth and toenail over the question of
whether 1t will distribute seeds again next spring.
You see, Uncle Sans fiscal year begins July /
each year and he has to make a seed appropria-
ton n year In advance-or no seeds. So this
spring, while congress was fighting out the same
old fight on seeds for 1923, the 1922 distribution
Of seeds was going merrily on under an approprla-
ton made after a prolonged fight in the spring of
1921.
The fight over the seed distribution usually runs
about like this: The appropriations committee
reports the agricultural department appropriation
bill without the seed item. Some "seed man. Of
fers a seed amendment. The ants object to the
amendment on a point Of order. If the speaker
rules against the seeds the house Overrules him.
Then the bill goes to the senate and the senate
throws out the seed amendment. The bill then
goes to conference and the senate and house
wrangle over the seed item-with other Items
until an agreement Is reached. It's like a game Of
~poker-bluff and raise. And OF course there's al
ways a show-down-for the agricultural appropria-
ton bill must be passed, seeds or no seeds.
This year the fight was unusually prolonged,
but as usual the seed men In the house had their
way. The agricultural bill carrying $36. 0OO, 900
contained an item of 100000 for the free distribu-
tion Of seeds In 1923.
In the course of the house debate this spring
Representative Bill G.. Lowrey of Mississippi, a
seed man." read into the Congressional Record an
interesting article on Uncle Sans seed dlstribu-
ton from the Washington Sunday Star. Here are
some of the points brought out In the article:
At n cost of 100000 food products to the value
of $130,0O0,O0 will be grown from 100. 900 packages
Of vegetable seeds and 10000 packages of flower
seeds which are being sent out from Washington
by each and every one Of the 90 senators and 435
members OF the house under IL, 100000 franks Gree
pOstage) to home gardeners in every State In the
Union.
Now, let us look over the historical background
for this annual graft" The purchase Of seeds
and plants by the government may be said to
date back to colonial days. As early as 1743 the
British parliament granted $GO0,O00 to promote the
cultivation of indigo and other crops In the AmerI.
can colonies, and the assemblies of the various
colonies appropriated small sums from time to time
to encourage the cultivation of plants new to the
country, such as hops in Virginia, mulberry trees
for SILK culture In Georgia, and vineyards for the
establishment of an American wine industry.
In 1880, through the efforts Of Henry l.. Ellis
worth. commissioner Of patents. an appropriation
of $1,000 was made for the purpose OF collecting
and distributing seeds, prosecuting agricultural In
vestigations, and procuring agricultural statistics,
with which 10000 packages of seeds were pur-
chased and distributed. This appropriation
marked the beginning of the Department of Agri-
culture.
Demands upon members Of congress for seeds
became so numerous and insistent that 1t was I'm
L nossiblp 10 Ali the orders with new variatiea NJ
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