The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1914-06-20
Such Is tho Territory That's
Strung Along the Kaw.
Almost Every Crop That VIII
Grow Thrives In It.
4 LAND OF MILK AND HONEY
There Is Wheat and Alfalfa,
Oats and Corn.
And They're All 1T Their. Best
Right Now.

Poets have sung their songs, their
roundelays, about the marvels of ma
ture that are to be found in almost
every corner of the. earth, with the
possible exception of those that wax
vigorous in the Valley of the Kaw.
And the reason for this must be that
no poet has yet developed whose
mind has been attuned with sufficient
delicacy to do this wonder spot JUS
tice Then, too, it may be that a poet
would be out Of place on the job. The
tool of the poets trade is imagina-
ton. BUT nothing has to be imag-
ined along the river that courses by
Topeka on its way to the sea- Every
thing Is visible, everything is such
fact that even a blind man could en-
Joy it. He might not be able TO
see the really remarkable sights. But
he could smell the perfumes from the
freshly cut fields of hay and grain,
from the bushes of the elderberry and
from the little clumps Of woodland
that send forth a fragrance from
their mysteries that no genius of
chemist has yet been able to initiate.
He could also hear the birds call TO
each other and chirp their carols.
And he could feel the warm sunshine.
tempered by soft breeZes coming from
nowhere in particular, that kisses the
fertile earth Of Kansas and produces
bushes that are worth more than
ever a kings ransom was. Yes, In
deed, even a blind man could enjoy
the Valley of the Kaw.
Tom Borman, editor Of that sterl-
ing agricultural paper, The Kansas
Farmer, and also president of the To-
peka State Fair association. was the
host in an automobile pilgrimage up
this valley OF riches the other after
noon. E. M. Lawrence of New York
City, and associated with the George
H. Batten Advertising Agency OF that
town, was the guest of honor. Jake
sas Department Of Agriculture, was
among those present. So was Charles
Borman, a son Of the pilot-in-chief,
who took his turn at the wheel Of n
ponderous car that rolled smoothly
along without any apparent effort,
car isn't much for STYLE" explained
Charles. 1T was built by a pillow
company. But it's got the power and
it's got the speed" And Charles
spoke truly, but he forgot to add that
I the man who designed 1t also had the
comfort of it's occupants in mind and
knew how to provide for 1t. The
writer completed the pan
| Some Great Wheat Fields.
| Primarily the trip was conceived
| and made for the purpose of showing
Mr.. Lawrence some Kansas wheat
| fields. He saw them. Shawnee cOun-
| ty and her immediate neighbors are
counties of Kansas. But they have
wheat fields as they have fields OF
everything else, almost, that will
grow. And in the Valley of the Kaw
| this year, in this vicinity. are some
wheat fields worth while. Many OF
l ~rysl1 oil dc
that will be of the record-breakinS
variety. although the quality Of the
wheat will not be the best that Kan
sas can raise. 1t is likely to run
somewhat softer than the premier va
riety. but it is good wheat nonethe-
less, and it materially adds to the
wealth of the farmers who raise -.
All Of the wheat in this section is now
ripe and ready for the cutting. Much
of 1t has already been cut. And all
| available binders are at work in ths
fields where there is any standing.
| A stop was made to get some SAM
pie heads from a field that had been
harvested. Its not SO very good
was the prompt verdict Of Mr. Bor-
man. THE heads are short
Yes. but look at the berry
great? You don't often see any bet
ter And Mr.. Borman nodded in
! agreement. There was a trace of Z
tone in Jake Mothers voice that was
suggestive of surprise that there
could be anything of criticism abo II
| anything that is growing in Kansas
in this year Of years. There is no
| agricultural cloud SO dark, or so
small that Jake cannot locate its sill
| yer lining. The short head of wheat
had a fat berry, SO there was no need
for worry. In fact Jake is the orig
| inal Kansas enthusiast II was new
er out of the state in my life until the
) Worlds Fair at Chicago" said Jake
| with pride to Mr.. Lawrence. And !
want to live here all the rest OF my
life and be buried here. It's good
any one" And TIM Borman is OF
the same mould. 1t would be impos-
| sible for the good Lord to fashion
two more enthusiastic and competent
boosters for Kansas than Jake Moh-
Ter and Tom Borman. They may
i but as to superiors, there ''ain't no
SIGH thing"
| Jake Mothers "Reminiscences.
/ And as Jake lovingly fondled the
| fat berry from the short head he was
! minded to tell Of a licking he re-
ceived from his father for flight into
I, the realms Of cussing. "One of my
| jobs in threshing time when I was a
4 boy" said Jake, was to hold the
| sacks for the grain. / was barefoot
| ed on this occasion, and the fellow
4 who was measuring the grain and
| pouring 1t into the sack was just nat
4 urally mean. He kept stepping On
4 my toes just for the fun of torturing
me. Finally I expressed my opinion
! of him in some language that was
i choicely lurid. I didn't know nv
/ father was standing right behind me-.
\ But he was there. all right, as soon
4 discovered. guess he then learned
II Tor the first time that was proficient
In the art of cussing. But it didn't
Il appeal to him at all. Instead Of prids
i Mt his sons accomplishment. he was
Il charmed and right then and there
L he gave me , licking for cussing that
Il / have never forgotten. And this