Well, here is a "go," surely. Mr. Vick, the "irrepressible people's favorite" is authority for this statement: "We had a laugh - how could we help it, when we read in an order sent by the Great American Government to a seed house in London, special directions to "put the seed in papers as unlike those of American seed dealers as possible," and "to be sure and give the package a foreign aspect." These directions were thrice repeated. This is a pretty hard dose for American vanity, but here is a worse one: A few years ago the government would select some political favorite desirous of a trip to Europe, give him several thousands of dollars for expenses, and something more to invest in seeds. This American seed ambassador, on the way, or on reaching Europe, would inquire for a leading seed house, tell the proprietor he had a certain amount to spend for seeds suited to American culture, look over a seed catalogue for half an hour, leave his money, order the seeds shipped to Washington as soon as ready, and then leave for a good time on the continent.

A story is told in London that one of these government seed buyers entered a London seed shop while smoking a cigar, and rather lazily lounged on the edge of an open barrel of onion seed, when, happening to cast his eye down, he started in alarm, exclaiming, after a word or two that we shall not print, "I didn't know you kept gunpowder exposed in this careless way." Things now are a little different. The leading English and some of the French seed houses send over what we call drummers, but what they call commercial travelers, to solicit orders, and the first point these men make for, on their arrival, is the government seed shop at Washington, where they expect to make a good trade.