The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-01-08
BowsER,s cABBAGEs.
They Won't Be on the Market Next
Year.

Mr.. Rowser had been reading and
smoking for half an hour the otner
evening, when he suddenly salo'
Mrs Bowscr, there is little matter
I should like to lay before you anu nave
your opinion about
81 shall be glad to hear OF It, sne
answered, as she turned 10 MN IN sur
prise that he should seek her opinion
You don't blame me for wanting to
get rich, do your
II don't mean by dishonest prac-
tices, of course. but by. taking advan-
tage of fortuitous circumstances"
I'm other words. by speculation
well, If is that. and yet it isn't. I'm
rot buying any stock in buttermiIk
mines. What mean is this: If I had
q chance to buy out sure thing at
less than it's worth-a thing that must
ray $4,000 a year for the next 80 years,
would you favor it?"
why, certainly That is, unless 1t
was a flying machine or something OF
the sort. You might think 1t was
sure thing, while differed with you:
Please state what your sure thing is.
''You will be surprised. admit thal
/ have Thought well Of several schemes
that would have bankrupted me had l
gone into them, but this one Is as soHo
as the rock of Gibraltar. 1t was pre-
scented to me a week ago, but l want@A
to thoroughly investigate it before say
Ing anything. l have investigated H.
1t is safe and sound"
"Well?"
''What do you pay for head of cab
bage at the grocer?"
From 10 to Is cents"
Exactly, and the grocer pays the
farmer from seven to eleven cents;
Cabbage heads are cash down A heau
of cabbage is so much silver IN your
hand-always worth its price Wheat
and corn may go up or down, put
cabbage head always remains the same.
That is, 1t is never worth less price.
There are vegetables that people can 90
without but they must have cabbage.
Take the cabbage head away and what
would become of our boiled dlnners
Where would be our sauerkraut? Where
would be our sage and other prepara-
lions made from cabbage stalks? Do
you see?"
Yes, I am seeing
When a farmer has 30 acres OF
wheat, oats, corn or potatoes growing
he cannot say they will be worth so
much, because the market price is al
ways fluctuating. When he has 80
acres of cabbage he is as sure of their
value as if he had invested on first
mortgage. You can liken cabbages to
United States bonds. Indeed the gov
eminent may fail. but cabbages can't
The man who goes in to grow them
isn't specializing nor taking chances. He
is banking on a sure thing. He is at
once rated 'A-P by the commercial
agencies. and when he enters the doors
of a trust company the officials take
off their hats to him and ask him to
please borrow from five to ten thou
sand dollars at the very lowest rate of
interest. You now understand the stu
ation, don't you?"
yes. partly" answered Mrs. Bowser,
but you see you have not quite fin
ished. Do you mean that you had ;rn
offer to go into the cabbage industry on
favorable terms?'
That's it. / have had the offer of my
life. If L were to live for thousand
years could not look for another like
it. Some men would have closed at
once, but l have waited to ask your
opinion. 1 am offered by cabbage
grower thirty acres of the best cabbage
land in the United States for our home
here. He will exchange even up. There
you have it, and what have you got to
say?"
@You want my honest opinion, do
you?" was asked.
IT do"
And you won't be vexed if I differ
with your
"Of course not"
We'll let US see. You value our home
at ten thousand dollars, don't your
It's worth that and more
Then you propose to pay over 1925
per acre for your cabbage land, and I
have seen the very finest cabbage
grown on land that could be bought for
twenty dollars an acre. Isn't that a
bad move at the very start?"
Pm paying nothing of the kind"
Figure little and you'll see. Is
there a house on the so acres?''
Il Dunno
"Then. if we vacate here, where are
we going to live?''
You are finding fault, just as you al
ways do!'
mo; Pm looking at the business side
of the case. These 30 acres must be
prepared for your plants in the spring
Have you figured on the cost? Then
YOU must get plants and set them out
Have you figured on that? Then they
must be tended. The cabbage may come
through all right, and then again in
sects may bother. When grown they
must be gathered and shipped. Have
you figured on the cost of all these
things?'
Idiot that am for having said any
thing about it to your shouted Bowser
as he stamped up and down the room.
Please don't get excited. You have
been offered something better than a
gold mine. Let US see, about it. Did
this cabbage-head man tell you the
number grown to the acre?"
"I believe he said five hundred
IT'S more likely to be less. but We'll
take his figures If every cabbage ma
tured you would have fifteen thousand.
How much had these ought to sell for?''
Thousands and thousands of dollars.
I tell you. have gone over and over
it and it is gold mine and better
But take the figures for it, Mr.. Bow
ser. If every head is sold at ten cents
it is a big average. Your thousands
and thousands of dollars amount to
just $1,000. Out of that must come all
the expenses. If you got $3.50 clear you
would be doing we'll Don't turn red in
the face and shout and gesture, but