The Red Cloud chief., 1922-06-15

standard varieties of vegetable and flower seeds. !
In 1894 a change was advocated and action taken
to discontinue the customary distribution. This
action was not approved by congress, which, In an
act approved April 25. 1896, changed the wording
of the previous act. The attorney general. to
whom the question was submitted for decision,
held that the purchase and distribution OF seeds.
including vegetable and flower seeds. were 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 fve-sixths of all the seeds
and plants purchased by the department. So that
is where congressional seed distribution" origi-
mated.
Now, then. II costs Uncle Sam about 3h cents
for every package of seeds sent out by n 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, Gu
cumber, parsley, parsnlp, squash, tomato, turnip,
and watermelon. There are IA combinations, so
that a member Of congress can select the five
different kinds Of seeds he wants tn send out in
one package. Similarly there are 90 different va
rieties Of flowers, such as chrysanthemum aster,
cosmos, balsam, candytuft, dianthus, nasturtium,
poppy, sweet peas, petunia, Zinnias, mignonette.
That package containing five small papers OF
seeds, which costs the government 49, cents, IL
bought In the open market would cost 80 cents.
The office of seed distribution in the Department
of Agriculture keeps an exact account for each
menDer or congress, just the same as u DanK ac-
count. The member Is credited with his quota
and is allowed to draw against that quota, just
the same as against a bank account.
From one sample package, containing five small
papers of seeds, any person can raise at least SO
worth OF food, according to the agricultural au-
thorities. Deducting S. for waste, loss In transit,
or carelessness In planting or poor soil, Ii leaves
q $40 net production. Members of congress are
sending out this year 13,O00,000 Of these large
packages Give papers in each), which, 1t is con-
servatively estimated, will return $13O.OOO,OO0 food
products for an outlay Of 100000, which certainly
should have some effect on the economic life of
this country.
When the annual fight over the appropriation
is being waged the claim Is often made that the
freeseed distribution comes near 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 7O0,0N
hounds, and that IL the Office of seed distribution
paid postage on each package, the sam as any
private individual, the postage bill would never
have been more than $131 900, and that 1t would
average about $4,000.
Every seed sent 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
are sent out. II sets a 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 latters expense. Some years they reject
a very large amount-this year, for example. about
10000 pounds, after 1t had reached Washington
because the termination was not high enough.
This is sent back as not good enough for con-
gressional seed distribution, but there Is no as
ouranca anyxyhpre that the very same seed Ia nof
disposed OF commercially.
Uncle Sam buys these seeds on straight COM
petitive bids, and when any contractors deliver
les show a consistent poor termination he is
blacklisted. Each bidder is Informed why he did
not get the contract. told who did get It and why