The Raymer enterprise., 1922-06-08

standard varieties Of vegetable and flower seeds.
In 1884 q change was advocated and action taken
to discontinue the customary distribution. This
action WIS not approved by congress, which. In an
act approved April %. 1885, 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 mnnda-
tory and left the secretary Of agriculture without
discretion. Congress has specifically reserved for
itself the distribution, with proportionae nllot-
menls TO each member Of bvesxths of all the seeds
and plants purchased by the department. So thai
Is where congressional seed distribution" Ortgi.
mated.
Now. then. II costs Uncle Sam about 3h cents
for every package Of seeds sent out by congress.
man. Each package contains five different ksss.s
of seed. The following kinds Of vegetable seeds
are purchased for free distribution: Peas beets
lettuce. onions, radish, beans. corn. carrots. Gu
cumber, parsley, parsnip SQUASH tomato. turnp,
and watermelon There are IA combinations. so
that member Of congress can select the five
different kinds Of seeds he wants to send our In
one package. Similarly there are ~ different va.
rieties Of flowers. such as chrysanthemum aster.
cosmos. bnsam. candytuft dianthus, nasurtium.
poppy. sweet peas. petunia znnias mignone'te.
That package containing five small papers OF
seeds, which costs the government 3ls cents, II
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
member Of congress, just the same ms bank ac.
count The member is credited with his quota
and Is allowed to draw against that quota. just
the same rs against n bank account.
From sample package containing five small
papers of seeds, any person can raise ut easl sli
worth of food according to the agricultural au.
thorities. Deductlng 81 for waste. loss In transit
or carelessness In planting ar po0r soil, II leaves
Il SO net production. Members Of congress are
sending out this year 100000 of these large
packages five papers In each), which, 1t Is con
servatively estimated will return $l30,0OOOOO food
products for an outlay Of s3Go000, which certainly
should have some effect on the economic life Of
this country.
When the annual fight over the appropriation
is being wagel the claim Is often made that the
free-seed 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 G000O0 or TO00 OO
pounds. and that II the Office Of seed distribution
paid postage on each package, the same MS any
private individual, the postage bill would never
have been more than Sl3l 0oo. and that II would
average about $4,000.
for trueness 10 name These tests are made on
the experimental farm Of the department near
Arlington National cemetery. although the sermi.
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 very high standard to which
the seeds must register. a much higher standard
than Is often required commercially II the seeds
do not reach that standard they are shipped back
to the contractor from whom they were purchased
ut the latter's expense. Some years they reject
a very large amount-this year. for example. about
10000 pounds. after It had reached Washington
because the termination was not high enough
This Is sent back not good enough for con.
gressi0nal seed distribution, but there Is no as.
surance anywhere that the very same seed Is not
disposed Of commercially.
Uncle Sam buys these seeds on straight com.
petitive bids and when any contractors deliver.
les show n consistent poor termination he Is
blackiIsted. Each bidder Ia informed why he did
not get the contract told who did get II and why