The herald., 1922-06-22

parehtiy got something for nothing, paid for these
seeds, since the cost Of the purchase and dstrbu-
ton came out of the public funds
Doubtless this seed business all seems peaceahle
enough TO the voter who gets the seeds but good
ness he should be in Washington when the annu-
al furry over these same seeds is on! It's really
rs exciting twO-ring circus for there are two
SEED nurres going on at one and the same time
Que furry is going ut Uncle Sans seed ware
house where small army of girls is doing up the
seeds and pasting on the franks of the members
Of congress and husling the packages off to the
mails.
The other furry is in the capitol where congress
is hghting tooth anG toena over the question of
whether 1t will distribute seeds again spring
You see, Uncle Sans fiscal year begins July /
each year and he has to make seed appropra-
tion a year in adsance-Or no seeds So this
spring. while congress fighting out the same
old fight seeds for 1923, the 1922 distribution
of seeds was going merrily on under an appropria-
tion made after prolonged fight in the spring of
1921.
The fight 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 point of order. If the speaker
rules against the seeds the house Overrues him.
Then the bill goes to the senate and the senate
throws out the seed amendment. The bill then
house
wrangle over the seed item-with other items
until an agreement is reached It's like game of
poker-bluff and raise. And Of course there's al
ways show-down-for the agricultural approprla-
ton bill must be passed, seeds no seeds.
This year the fight was unusually prolonged
but usual the seed men in the house had their
way. The agricultural bill carrying S369OOOOO
contained an item of $500 900 for the free dstrbu.
ton of seeds in 1923.
In the course of the house debate this sDring
Representative Bill G.. Lowrey of Mississppi a
seed man. read into the Congressional Record an
interesting article on Uncle Sans seed distribu-
ton from the Washington Sunday Star Here are
some of the points brought out in the article:
At cost of 100000 food products to the value
OF Sl3OOOO,OOQ will be grown from 100000 packages
or vegetable seeds and 10000 packages of flower
seeds which are being sent out from Washington
" each and every one of the 90 senators and 435
hembers of the house under 100000 franks free
postage) to home gardeners in every State in the
Union.
Now, let us look the historical background
Tor this annual graft" The purchase of seeds
ana pants by the government may be said TO
uale DacR 10 colonial days As early as 1743 the
British parliament granted 100000 to promote the
cultivation Of indigo and other crops in the Ameri
can colonies, and the assemblies of the yariops
colonies appropriated small sums from time IN tine
10 encourage the cultivation Of plants new To the
country, such hops in Virginia, mulberry frees
for silk culture in Georgia and vineyards for the
establishment Of an American wine industry
In 1899, through the efforts of Henry l. Fills
worth. commissioner of patents an appropriation
of $1,000 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 approximation
marked the beginning of the Department of Agri-
culture.
Demands upon members of congress for seeds
became so numerous and insiStent that it was i'm
possible TO fill 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 expended for