180 AGRICULTURAL APPROPRIATION BILL, 1924. 



Mr. Anderson. You are going to economize here at the expense of 

 we Congressmen, are you ? 



Doctor Taylor. We feel that we suffer equally in this case, even 

 with the Members. This work is accomplishing unquestioned and 

 material benefit to agriculture. 



Mr. Anderson. Well, it is a perfectly hopeless proposition to 

 spend $115,000 getting new and rare field seeds in here and S20,000 

 getting them out where they will do some good. I think it is ridicu- 

 lous. If this new and rare seed proposition is not any good, let us 

 cut it out; but if it is some good, it ought to be good enough to get it 

 out to the people where it will do some good. It does not do anv 

 good to import a lot of stuff down here into the department, or in 

 parts of the country where it never^ets off the grounds of the Tnitod 

 States. It does not make any difference to me who does the dis- 

 tributm^. I think it is ridiculous to spend a lot of money and get 

 this stuff into the United States and never get it out of the depart- 

 ment. 



CONGRESSIONAL SEED DISTRIBUTION. 



Doctor Taylor. On page 127 the subappropriation known as the 

 congressional seed distribution is not recommended. The explan- 

 atory note is 



Mr. Anderson (interposing). Let me ask you one (question about 

 this item. In the event that the Congress, in its wisdom, should 

 conclude that this was a desirable item to continue, would it require 

 as much money next 3^ear to make the same distribution ( 



Doctor Taylor. I should have to get closer estimates on the 

 prospective cost of seed than I have now. I should have to look 

 into that. 



Mr. Anderson. I wish you would give me an estimate of what it 

 would cost on the basis of this year and approximately what that 

 would mean in number of packages on the oasis of the quotas this 

 year ? 



Doctor Taylor. I do not think there would be a material differ- 

 ence unless there is some prospective difference in the cost of labt r, 

 paper, packets, and supplies required in connection with the dis- 

 tribution. 



Assuming that the cost of seed in 1923 will be substantially the 

 same as during the current year, it is estimated that a distribution 

 of 13,000,000 packages (substantially the same as that of the present 

 year) could be made for $360,000. This assumes that the pat-keting, 

 assembling, and mailing of the seed could be contracted for at sub- 

 stantially the present rate of SI. 988 per thousand packages. 



This would provide quotas of 20,000 packages of vegetable seeds 

 and 2,000 packages of llower seeds to Senators and Kepresentatives. 

 Should the cost of seed and paper be slightly lower than at present, 

 these {{uotas could be provided with an aj)pr()priati{)n of $300,000. 



With an appropriation of $239,410 (as in the fiscal year 1921), 

 the necessary oveniead cost of the packeting, assembling, ami mailing 

 being substantially the same as for the larger (listril)ution, a total 

 distri])ution of S,r)()0,000 packages could bo made. This would 

 provide (piotas of 13,000 packages of vegetable seed and 1,000 pack- 

 ages of fiower seed for each Senator and Representative. 



