g of friends in
the purchase of seeds; there may have been some noxious weed seeds sent
out to the detriment of the country; Congressmen may have used their
quota of seeds for the purpose of keeping themselves solid with their
constituents. But, after all, it is my candid opinion the seed
distributing branch of the department has been an untold blessing to the
farmers of this country. As to this matter of giving a large proportion
of the seeds to Congressmen, I have not much fault to find about that
either, though perhaps a better system of distribution might be devised.
I have yet to learn that an application to a Congressman for seed has
been disregarded, if the seeds were to be had, whether that application
came from a political friend or a political foe. And I do wish that
farmers generally would make more frequent application to the members
from their respective districts than they do. It will be money in their
pockets if they will keep posted in what the department has to
distribute which is valuable, or new and promising, and solicit samples
either from Congressmen or direct from the Commissioner of Agriculture.

* * * * *

"Put your thumb down there," said an experienced orchardist to me the
other day. We were talking about the recently started theory that the
best bearing orchards are to be found on the low lands of the prairies.
"You just wait and see if these brag orchards ever bear another crop! It
will be as it was after the severe winter of 1874 and '75, when the
following autumn many of our orchards bore so profusely. The succeeding
year the majority of the trees were as dead as smelts, and the balance
never had vigor enough afterward to produce a decent crop. Once before,"
said he, "we had a similar experience in Illinois. Put your thumb down
at this place and watch for results. Do not say anything about this in
your Wayside Blusterings, at least as coming from me," and of course I
don't. But I wanted the readers of THE PRAIRIE FARMER to help me watch
with fear and trembling for the fulfillment of this horticultural
prophesy, so I straightway make a note of it and ask you all to "put
your thumbs down here" and wait. My friend's theory is that the severe
cold of last winter destroyed a large portion of the roots of these
trees; that the root pruning caused the extra fruitfulness, but proved
too severe for the vitality of the trees to withstand, and that next
year the bulk o