The Holly chieftain., 1922-06-08


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 but good
ness, he should be in Washington when the annu-
nj Hurry over these same seeds is on! It's really
us exciting as two-ring circus for there are two
seeu hurrles going on at one and the same time.
one furry is going on at Uncle Sans seed ware
mouse, where small army of girls Is doing up the
seeds and pastins on the franks of the members
OF congress and hustling the packages off to the
nails
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 i
each year and he has to make IA seed appropria
ton year In advnnce-or no seeds So this
spring, while congress was fighting out the same
old fight on seeds for 1928 the 1922 distribution
of seeds was going merriIy under an nppropria-
tion made after 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 antis object to the
amendment point of order II 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
WTulSe over .tHe Seeu ltem-Wlth other Items
until an agreement Is reached It's like game of
poker--buf and raise And of course there's al
ways show-down-fOr the agricultural appropria
tion bill must he passed. seeds or no seeds
This year the fight unusually prolonged,
bur as usual the seed men in the house had their
way. The agricultural bill carrying S36 0OOO 900
contained item of $500 600 for the free distrIb,,.
tion of seeds In 1928
In the course of the house debate this sprIpp
Representative Bill G. Lowrey of Mississippi,
seed man, read into the Congressional Record an
Interesting article on Uncle SANS seed dstribu
tion from the Washington Sunday Star Here are
some of the points brought out in the artcle
AZ a cost OF S3GOOO0 food products to the value
of Sl3000O.OOO will be grown from 100000 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 senator's and 435
members of the house under 13,000O00 franks (free
postage) to home gardeners in every State In the
Union.
New. let us look the historical background
FOR this annual graft" The purchase of seeds
ana plants by the government may be said to
date back to colonial days. AS early as 1743 the
Eritish parliament granted 100000 to promote the
cultivation Of indigo and other crops in the Ameri.
can colonies, and the assemblies of the yarious
colonies appropriated small sums from time to time
to encourage the cultivation Of plants new to the
country, such MS hops in Virginia, mulberry trees
for silk culture in Georgia, and vineyards for the
establishment of an American wine industry.
In 1888, through the efforts OF Henry L. Ellis.
worth. commissioner of patents, 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 Agr.
culture.
Demunds upon members of congress for seeds
became so numerous and insstent that It was i'm
possible to fiji the orders with new 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 expendeA for