, 1922-06-08

N6H 'hS! ~
'parefi,ly got something for nothing, puid for these
seeds. since the cost Of the purchase and distribu.
ton came out of the public funds.
Doubtless this seed business all seems peaccabIe
enough 20 The voter who gets the seeds. but, good
ness. he should be In Washington when the nnnu.
NJ Hurry over these same seeds is on It's really
us exciting as u two-ring circus, for there are two
seed furries going on at one and the same time.
One hurry is going on at Uncle Sans seed ware
mousse. where Il small army of girls Is doing up the
seeds aud pnsting on the franks Of the members
of congress and hustling the packages Off to the
maiis.
The Other furry is in the capitol. where congress
Is lighting tooth and toenail over the question of
whether it will distribute seeds again next spring.
You see. Uncle Sans fiscal year begins July l
each year ana he has to make Il seed appropria-
Ton y wear in udvance-or no seeds. So this
spring. while congress was fighting out the same
old fight cn seeds for 1923. the 1922 distribution
OF seeds was going merrily on under an nppropria-
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 tie agricultural department appropriation
bill without the seed item. Some seed man" Of
fers u seed amendment. The nutis object TO the
amendment ON "A 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 10 conference and the senate and house
wr'trSlr over the seed item-with other Items
until N agreement is reached. It's like n game Of
poker-nium and raise. And Of course there's al
ways 81 show-down-fOr the agricultural approprla-
ton bit must be passed. seeds or no seeds.
This Year the eight was unusually prolonged,
but as usual the seed men in the house had thcir
way. The agricultural bill carrying S36DOO.OOO
contained an item of 100000 for the free distribu.
ton OF seeds in 1923.
In the course of the house debate this sprinc
Representative Bill C. Lowrey Of Mississippi. a
seed man. read into the Congressional Record an
interesting article ON Uncle Sans seed distrlbu-
ton from the Washington Sundny Star. Here are
some Of the points brought out in the article:
Al - cost OF $3GO.00O food products to the value
of Sl3o.OOo.OOO win be grown from 10000 packages
OF vegetable seeds and 10000 packages Of flower
seeds which are being sent out from Washington
hy eaci, aud every one of the 06 senators and 435
members of the house under 100000 franks Gree
I"SIdrc) TO home gardeners in every State In the
uu nu.
Sow. LEI Ms look over the historical background
for this annual graft" The purchase of seeds
and plants by the government may be said TO
date bnck to colonial days. As early us l74s the
British parliament granted 100000 to promote the
cultivation Of indigo and other crops ia the Ameri.
ehu col"hies. and the assemblies Of the various
colonies appropriated small sums from time 10 time
TO encourage the cultivation of plants new to the
country, such as hops in Virginia, mulberry trees
Tor SILK culture In Georgia, and vineyards for the
establishment Of an American wine Industry.
Ia isA, 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
NeStigauo's. and procuring agricultural statistics.
with which $4,000 packages OF seeds were pur.
chased sud distributed. This appropriation
marked ihe beginning Of the Department Of Agri-
culture.
Demands upon members OF congress for seeds
became b." numerous and insistent thnt II was Inn
possible 20 nl the orders with new varieties of
seeds, THE practice ot sending out larger and
larger quantities. ~ vegetable seeds thus developed
Dn'irg The years from 1889 to 1893 practically
the entire seed appropriation was expendes for