The herald. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1905-1953, 1912-06-13
IheSunflowerMan
By M. QUAD
Copyright, 1912. by Associated Lit
erary Press
By M. QUAD

One day ten years ago in the month
or April stranger who gave his name
as William Hobson appeared in the vii
state and engaged quarters at the inn
for several months in advance. This
was something never heard of before
and created quite a sensation. Then
the report went around that Mr.. Hob
son intended to build and operate a
large wooden mill there. and that was
sensation No .. Then county consta-
BILE had his suspicion aroused that the
stranger was a fugitive from justice,
and that was sensation No. 3. The
fourth was not far away
Mr.. Hobson was a man of middle
age. He was quiet and kept to him
self. With all the pumping they could
do the villagers could find out very lit
tie about him. The most that could be
extracted from him was that he had
and would furnish particulars later on.
On the LIST Of May. after looking
around bit. Mr.. Hobson leased ten
acres of land of farmer near the
town. and the fourth sensation came
when it was known he intended to
raise sunfowers. No human being in
that county had ever heard Of any one
growing more than a hundred head.
and here were to be thousands and
thousands Of them! What could be
done with them? How did they fit
into a medical discovery?
Men and teams were hired. the
ground prepared, and sunfiower seeds
were brought in and planted. The en-
terprise was discussed in hundreds of
homes and given liberal space in the
county papers. but Mr.. Hobson would
not interview. His reply was wait"
When the stalks were knee high that
field was good to see. 1t was novelty
that drew.
Just about that time almost every
person in the county received circu-
lar through the mails. 1t was about
the new medical discovery, and the cat
was out Of the bag at last. Sunfower
tea would speedily
Cure indigestion.
Consumption in its first stages.
Cancers and tumors If not too far
advanced.
Neuralgia and rheumatism.
Fevers rising from biliousness.
Clear the system of malaria.
Strengthen the weak and make the
strong stronger.
For six weeks the sunf1ower crusade
went on. Mr. Hobson did not seem
greatly interested. So far as could be
ascertained, he was not the man put
ting out the advertising, nor did he
ever say in 80 many words that sun
flower tea would cure a complaint Of
any kind 1t was not known till the
sunfowers began to turn their yellow
faces to the morning sun and hang
their heads In modesty what he pro-
posed to do with the crop. Then indi-
viduals began to come to speak for
seed. It was 80 much seed for so
cents and no smaller orders taken.
Mr. Hobson had 400 orders booked and
was still writing down names when a
merchant Of the town went to a money
lender and said:
"See here, Carter, there's a chance to
make 81 900 right under our noses, and
we are sitting around like bumps on a
log"
what Is it?'
"'This part Of the state has gone era
~ about sunfower tea. That man
Hobson Is raking in the money as fast
as he can reach out his arm. It's a
quarter head for sunfowers, but the
mob is paying the price and glad to
get 'em."
"But Hobson has got the only SUM-
flowers for hundred miles around"
"All the better for us If we buy him
out and corner the supply. Why not
raise the price to 80 cents headT
But is the tea any good3" persisted
the cautious capitalist.
"Hobson has got more than 100 I'M
solicited testimonials. Deacon Good
boy says 1t cured him of kidney trou-
BILE after he had suffered for fifteen
years. Let's buy Hobson out"
Only one thing on the face Of this
earth made Mr.. Hobson willing to
listen to an offer. He had trouble
with his heart, and sunfower tea
would not cure 1t.
During the next three days 100 peo-
pie came per day to buy and take sun
flower heads. Some had driven dis
lance Of twenty miles. The stalks
covering three acres had been sold
and carried away by this time. when
a New York wholesale druggist ap-
peared on the scene-that Is, he said
he was from the big city, and he GER
tainly smelled of drugs. He wanted
Che balance Of the crop at $1,000.
Then Mr.. Hobson did a mean thing.
Had his heart been all right he would
never have thought Of doing such a
thing. He sold those seven acres Of
sunfowers as they stood to the mer-
chant and capitalist for $500 and
was missing the next day. So was
the New York wholesale druggist. In
three or four days the news got
around. and buyers became scarce.
What were seven acres Of sunfow-
ers good for to the buyers?
Well. they got about 800 out Of the
enterprise and felt themselves lucky.