236 .V U B . 



sents the condition of many people, it is indeed 

 depressing. Their prayers must be for dehverance, 

 not of thanksgiving. They and their ancestors 

 have bowed their heads at the sound of the 

 Angehis bell for many generations, but if the lot of 

 the present generation is an improved one, that of 

 the others must have been worse than despair. 



In slowly harvesting such a poor crop of potatoes, 

 any excuse for a pause would be welcome. Let any 

 of us attempt to dig a field of potatoes with a three- 

 pronged fork whose only handle is a straight stick 

 and we will incline more to profanity than prayer. 

 Let any American woman take a heavy load on a 

 rough wheel-barrow like than shown in the Angelus, 

 and wheel it over newly dug ground and see how 

 loud she will "lift her voice in prayer and thanks- 

 giving." Yet such women as the picture shows 

 spend their lives in this work, and contentment is 

 preached to them as the greatest of virtues. We 

 think that t etter tools and knowledge of cultivation 

 will do more for these people than the practice of 

 mediaeval customs. Let those who disagree with 

 this, get a pair of wooden shoes and wear them one 

 day ! To us the picture is depressing in its spirit 

 and teaching, un-American, superstitious, and useful 

 only as an example of what our country should 

 avoid. May the bells of America send their sound 

 over well-tilled gardens and fields, unto the ears of 

 a progressive and intelligent people, whose lives 

 under our beautiful skies can combine the color 

 and picturesqueness of old world life without its 

 horrors, bigotry and immoral ideas ! May our gar- 

 dens combine the good of nature and art from every 

 land, but may we lead the world rather than fol- 

 low it ! 



* 



" T~^URCHASE and distribution of seeds by the 

 j'^ Department of Agriculture shall be confin- 

 ed to such seeds as are rare and uncom- 

 mon to the country, or such as can be made more 

 profitable by frequent changes from one part of our 

 country to another ; and the purchase or propaga- 

 tion and distribution of trees, plants, shrubs, vines 

 and cuttings shall be confined to such as are adapt- 

 ed to general cultivation, and to promote the general 

 interest of horticulture and agriculture throughout 

 the L^iited States." This is the statute which 

 creates the seed bureau of the National Department 

 of Agriculture. The intent of the law is clearly 

 beneficent, and were it followed; great advantages 

 would come to our agriculture. The clause which 

 defines the Department of Agriculture itself directs 

 that "to procure, propagate and distribute among 

 the people new and valuable seeds and plants " is 



O SA . 



one of its leading functions. It is well known that 

 the department does little of the sort, at least, so 

 far as seeds are concerned. In fact, gardeners, at 

 least, have long since given up any expectation of 

 receiving from Washington anything " rare and un- 

 common," or such as has been made or is likely to 

 be made, through the efforts of the department, 

 "more profitable by frequent changes from one part 

 of our country to another." Perhaps, upon second 

 thought, however, we should admit that things ' ' un- 

 common " are often enough submitted to the unsus- 

 picious cultivator, for Bill Nye's ecstacy over a 

 choice parcel of cotton seeds sent to him in Wyom- 

 ing from Washington is still fresh in our minds ; and 

 we ourselves have been the recipients of seeds of 

 cotton and tobacco in quantity, while we were liv- 

 ing in a country where these products would be lit- 

 tle more than a practical joke. 



For years we have had and grown these seeds 

 from the Department of Agriculture, and we have 

 never found among them anything of superior or 

 unusual merit ; and when we are particularly anx- 

 ious to have a good crop, we never touch them. 



What can be the excuse for sending out such 

 seeds as these ? Any large dealer sells them, and 

 some of the varieties are older than the Department 

 of Agriculture itself. Why have all the complaints 

 and denunciations of the press and of good garden- 

 ers for years borne no fruit of reform ? 



But it is an easy matter to account for much of 

 the persistence of this disgrace : two-thirds of all 

 the seeds are distributed by members of congress. 

 The seed-shop is a convenient means, maintained 

 at public expense, by which the congressman "re- 

 members " his " friends " at home. It is a political 

 attachment rather than an agricultural one, and 

 therefore reforms are difficult. But if we despise 

 the politician who uses the seed-shop for his per- 

 sonal ends, what shall we say of the voter who is 

 influenced or won by such paltry means ? But it is 

 the "remembrance," that a public man thinks of 

 him, which gratifies the vanity of the witless sower. 



It is a part of the scheme of the Department that 

 reports shall be made of the behavior of these "rare 

 and uncommon seeds." This is well, but two fac- 

 tors prevent its complete operation : First, the seeds 

 are usually not worth reporting upon, for the varie- 

 ties are well known ; and, secondly, the two-thirds 

 over which the department has no immediate con- 

 trol are not reported to it. One commissioner com- 

 plained mildly of this, adding, "it is obvious that 

 these representatives of the people are better ac- 

 quainted with the best intelligence and needs of their 

 respective districts than the department is." So ! 



