FIFTY-FIFTH CONGRESS. Sess. II. Ch. 85. 1898. 337 CONTINGENT EXPENSES, DEPARTMENT or AGRICULTURE: Station- €··¤¤i¤s¤¤¤<·>=r¤¤¤¤¤· ery, purchase of blank books, twine, paper, gum, dry goods, soap, brushes, brooms, mats, oils, paints, glass, lumber, hardware, ice, fuel and lights, freight, express charges, advertising, telegraphin g, purchasing supplies, and washing towels; the purchase, subsistence, and care of horses, for official purposes only; the purchase and repair of harness; the purchase and repair of vehicles, for official purposes only; expenses of sales of old material; payment of duties on imported articles, and the Department of Agriculture's proportionate share of the dispatch Dispatch agen r. agent in New York, not to exceed four hundred dollars; actual travell ing expenses while on business of the Department, and other miscellaneous supplies and expenses not otherwise provided for and necessary ’ for the practical and eiiicient work of the Department, twenty-five thousand dollars. Division on SEE1>s, runomsn AND DISTRIBUTION on VALUABLE F,-}ir*·gg¤ ¤fd§_¤:;¤i;)- smnns: For the purchase, propagation, and distribution of valuable smilie. °°’ °` seeds, bulbs, trees, shrubs, vines, cuttings, and plants, and expense of labor, transportation, paper, twine, gum, printing, postal cards, and all necessary material and repairs for putting up and distributing the same, and to be distributed in localities adapted to their culture, one ·A,;¤°g¤¤* *0 **0 °¤· hundred and thirty thousand dollars. And the Secretary of Agricul- Pm ' ture is hereby directed to expend the said sum (as nearly as practicable) in the purchase and distribution of such valuable seeds, bulbs, trees, shrubs, vines, cuttings, and plants, the best he can obtain at public or private sale, and such as shall be suitable for the respective localities to which the same are to be apportioned, and in which same are to be distributed as hereinafter stated; and such seeds so purchased shall , include avariety of vegetable and flower seeds suitable for planting and culture in the various ections of the United States. · An equal proportion of two-thirds of all seeds, bulbs, trees, shrubs, A1i<>*¤¤•¤*¤· vines, cuttings, and plants shall, upon their request, after due notification by the Secretary of Agriculture that the allotment to their respective districts is ready for distribution, be supplied to Senators, Representatives, and Delegates in Congress for distribution among their constituents or be directed and mailed by the Department upon their request; and the person receiving such seeds shall be requested to inform the Department of results of the experiments therewith: Pro- prawns. vided, That all seeds, bulbs, plants, and cuttings herein allotted to ,,,E“°‘u°°'f°' ‘°°°" Senators, Representatives, and Delegates in Congress for distribution remaining uncalled for on the first of May shall be distributed by the Secretary of Agriculture, giving preference to tho e persons whose names and addresses have been furnished by Senators and Representatives in Congress, and who have not before during the same season been supplied by the Department: And provided also, That the Secre- R·P°¤‘*¤fP¤*¤¤¤¤¤·· tary shall report, as provided in this Act, the place, quantity, and price of seeds purchased, and the date of purchase; but nothing in this paragraph shall be construed to prevent the Secretary of Agriculture from sending seeds to those who apply for the same. And the amount herein appropriated shall not be diverted or used for any other purpose but for the purchase, propagation, and distribution of valuable seeds, bulbs, trees, shrubs, vines, cuttings, and plants: Provided, however, That mf1Qf;*;°jjj;pp;§s 'ggj upon each envelope or wrapper containing packages of seeds the con- ” ~ tents thereof shall be plainly indicated and the Secretary shall not distribute to any Senator, Representative, or Delegate seeds entirely msg;'}' ""“l’*"" *°*°‘ uniit for the climate and locality he represents, ·but shall distribute the _ same so that each Member may have seeds of equal value, as near as _ may be, and the best adapted to the locality he represents: Provided S,,$,‘,§§L{.,',;§},‘,`§§§Y °° also, That the seeds allotted to the Senators and Representatives for distribution in the districts embraced within the twenty-fifth and thirty- second parallels of latitude shall be ready for delivery on the tenth day of January or at the earliest practicable time thereafter: Provided agfgfgf further, That twenty thousand dollars of the sum thus appropriated, wm ala. · or so much thereof as the Secretary of Agriculture shall direct. maybe vox. xxx--22 O
