The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1905-09-29
From the Kansas CITY Stan.

fEofni the KANSAS CITY Stan.
There" said my friend, the pro-
moter. Try one of these cigars.
think that, without doubt, we've struck
the biggest thing OF the century,"
He watched with shining eyes while
we putfed at it. Good. isn't 1t? ?" asked
he. You wouldn't suppose that the
tobacco that it's, made from was grown
in a flower pot on my indow sill,
would you?"
Il knew my friend the promoter SO
Very well, indedd, that l said, colby:
No. | wouldn't"
Well, 1T Was" said he. Grown in
common, everyday city earth. from
common, everyday tobacco seed. The
secret is that the earth has been vac
cinated with the vital principle that
makes the Nuelta Abajo district of
Cuba the finest tobacco country in the
world. I've got hold OF a genius in the
chemistry line who has succeeded / II
finding he bacterium that does It,"
Yes" said !, still more coldly.
Yes answered he. serenely. Our
fortune is as good as made And now
listen to my scheme for utilizing the
discovery. l think that it's the best
financial plan that I've struck yet. 1t
came to me In Il flash last night, after
| went To bed"
w III = stlllS 10 put uD lne money
asked l. rude!y.
That's the beauty of the plan,' said
he. You see, this thing is too big to
give away to capitalists. They'd want
the lions share, and I'm through with
letting my good things go to the on
eyed men. Unfortunately, I'm tied up
just now In some other things that are
taking all my capital for the present.
Otherwise, Of course, the matter would
be simple enough. I'd just take up u
thousand acres of cheap land some
where that would cost. say, $4,000.
About $4,000 would see us clear for
i~mprcgnating and planting lhe land.
Now, down there in the Nuelta Abajo
district they have raised crops amount
ing to $4,000 an acre, You know me.
I'm never optimistic. All figure on is
81 LOO an acre. With that, see how we'd
come out the first year. The invest
ment would be 100000. Five per cent.
for interest and 10 per cent. allowed
FOR unforeseen expenses would make
the total $69,000-let's say $40. 600, to be
sure. AT $1,000 an acre tand. mind you,
that's Il small estimate; can show you
the government figures; they'll sur
prise YOU'D. the income the first year
from u 1000 acres will be 81, 00O. 900.
How's that for pront?"
Where are you going to get the $751;
000?" asked i. putting an unkind accent
on The you"
Not going to waste my time trying,
my boy" said the promoter. Here's
where my corking little scheme comes
in. You know, and know, that there's
a matter of twenty-five of thirty thou
sand backyards in the uburb of this
city. I've got the exact figures here
somewhere. They're health board sta
tistics. | v miss any reports like
hat. There's money in knowing all
these things. That's the way l keep
half my schemes going.
Nov, my plan is simply this: to go
to every owner or lessee of a house
will, a back yard and OFFER him a SIS
with 10 per cent. interest guaranteed,
providing he will plant his patch OF
round according to ouf directions.
Then well send him Il package of
tobacco seed and the .inoculating stuff
mixed together, and when his plants
are up We'll simply e around and
collect them.
Nov. see what we gain by that. In
the first place. we don't need a cent for
land. In the second place. the tobacco
will grow ever so much better in small
patches like that. both because the
plants will have individual care and
because the fences will protect them
from cold winds. That'll give us a
nigh temperature hat we could never
get in an open field.
The inoculating material breeds as
fast as other microbes. Starting with u
oottleful. we can raise enough to vac
.inate every bit of soil in the United
States. and ii won't cost us anything.
The seed we can get on credit. So. you
see. we can have our crop growing
without spending a dollar on it.
At Least a k.nion.
Now. what do we get in return? At
east 81, 900, 900 worth OF tobacco. and
more likely $4,000, 900 worth. Out of
hat we have to pay back only $62, 500
for tn" 10 per cent. dividends on the
$4,000 shares of stock. $4,000 or so for
seed, and say $4,000 for collecting and
curing tobacco. That's $S2, 900. Let's
say 100000, to make allowances for
unforeseen expenses. You Know me. 1
always believe in giving my schemes
the worst aspect in figuring on them,
20 that there will be a big margin Of
safety. That leaves us a cool 5000. 900
at the very lowest calculation. Now,
What do YOU think of that
| The third man in our party unrolled
mis- cigar. He happened. to be a cigar
importer. but I hadn't told my friend
he promoter that. for l knew from past
! experience that he had a scheme to fit
every man he met. The cigar importer
:aid:
Il see the wrapper is Sumatra. Did
you grow both in n pot?"
oh" said the promoter, "of course
we had to buy the Sumatra. You know
We only tried this for an experiment."
Some of the filler looks like i'm
ported leaf" continued the cigar i'm
porter.
Yes, we didn't nave enough to go
around. so We had to use a little ,Vuelta
ArNiba," said the promoter, cheerfully.
But that's only a detail. Do you know
something about ~cigars?'