T has been established that classified ads pay in the poultry papers and there does not seem to be any good reason why they should not pay in farm papers. At present the poultry papers and the city dailies have almost exclusive control of this form of advertising. Only two or three farm papers make a classified rate and as they continue to run classified ads the presumption is that it pays them to do

So.

There seems to be several good reasons why farm papers should adopt this style of advertising and make a bid for it.

It would not interfere with their regular advertising in any way, as it could be confined to paying advertisers or could be limited to certain classes of advertising.

It is a profitable class of advertising because the rule is that all classified ads must be paid in advance, as it does not pay to open accounts of the small size,that would come from this business.

Live stock men do not, as a rule, advertise in farm papers. This is because there are few of them that have enough stock for sale to pay them to make a contract for display space.

Farmers do not advertise their apples, potatoes, seed corn, seed wheat or other farm products because they do

not

have a large quantity for sale. If the farmers and stockmen of the country could have the privilege of using classified ads in the farm papers it is thought that a great many of them would take advantage of it.

It is universal experience that these little ads are always read and make an interesting department in any paper that publishes them. This would naturally lead to a closer perusal of the display ads and would, no doubt, in many cases, educate people to buy by mail, and lead to better results for display space.

These classified ads are usually regarded as cheap rate ads. In a few cases they are, but in most cases the classified rate is a higher one than the regular space rate. Poultry papers that make a display rate of 10 cents a line

frequently get 4 cents a word for classified ads, a rate which amounts to 28 cents a line. Very few papers get a lower rate per line for classified ads than they do for display space.

A farm paper with a rate of 30 cents a line could afford to make a classified rate of 4 cents a word. This would net 28 cents a line and with cash in advance, would not require any elaborate bookkeeping, such a rate really being better than the net rate on space, time and space discounts being eliminated.

With a space rate of 25 cents a line, a classified rate of 3 cents a word would be profitable and attract business that could not be reached by any other

means.

The word rate is in favor with those who seldom advertise because they know at once how much their advertising is going to cost them. They have simply to count the words and the matter is settled without confusion about rates per line, lines per inch, discounts for time or space, or other troublesome things that are found in a rate card by those not accustomed to solve problems of this kind.

The farmer who has a few bushels of extra seed wheat, seed corn, oats or potatoes; the man who has more apples or other fruit than he can use at home, vegetables, poultry and eggs, a breeding animal that has been used as long as possible on the farm, extra pigs, calves or other live stock, could advertise, and it is believed would, if he could get space on a simple and economical plan. Farms for sale, situations on farms, in dairies or other country places, help wanted and many other things, would properly fall under the classified ad scale, to the benefit of the readers and publishers of the paper accepting them.

There are poultry papers, in this country that derive a good revenue from classified ads, and a good many dailies would cease publication or be published at a loss if it were not for these little publicity promoters. If there is any good reason why farm papers should not bid for this business, it is not apparent at this writing.

T

HE editor of this magazine in his "Horizon," sees in a nicely written letter the "most potent factor in making sales after the advertising has brought seller and buyer in sight of each other." That set me to analyzing the impressions made upon me by seven letters recently received from men who want to dispose of some properties. For private reasons it seemed desirable to own a home in a certain college town, and I tried a twenty-five cents' worth of printer's ink in search of men who wanted to sell houses of a certain class in that town. That brought a lot of us "in sight of each other."

No. I was business. Just eight lines of writing were required to describe his house and its location. I warmed up to him in a minute.

he will sell for so much less. Now that sounded attractive.

No. 5 ambled through two pages, offering one lot with a barn, or another lot with the residence. Assuming that I should prefer to live in the house, he neglected to name the price. He would be too slow for a nervous fellow, and should let a real estate agency do his business.

No. 6 takes two pages to say he will give "time on payments" when I asked for cash terms, and that he could not give possession when required. "Why this waste" of ink?

No. 2 was a minister who is trying to do a little farming five miles east of town and a little preaching five miles west of town, and must go to one or the other. His house is on a good he street, and, says. "away from the crowds and din, plenty of breathing room." That word "din" settled me. The town has only six thousand population, has few factories and never saw a "din" during its existence. That preacher put his best foot forward just a few inches too far. He can go east or west or elsewhere-I don't like his style and would doubt the plumbing.

No. 7 caught me by a neat turn. The house is described as up-todate and most desirable in every way except "a new owner might possibly want to paper rooms." of the That frank admission inspired confidence. He is O. K. and an artist in wording advertise

some

ments.

It is true that the letter may not be as important in a real-estate deal as in a mail-order business. A visit to the premises can dispel prejudice if the house is entirely desirable. I do not pretend to understand the same-kindof-ology of advertising, but it is a fact that the personality of the writer must be in the written word to make it effective, and if the personality is not attractive the effect is just the opposite of the one desired by the writer. An insincere man has no business trying to sell goods for himself or other people.

No. 3 wants to sell, but the architecture of his letter causes me to discount his judgment. He is erratic in his use of capital letters and has his house lighted by "Gass". I shall go to see his house, but entertain some prejudice he must overcome.

No. 4 is business. Describes a desirable house. It is worth so much. Business affairs compel him to make his home in a certain city. Therefore

Years ago I heard Dr. Washington Gladden, of Columbus, O., and the United States, preach a sermon on the text, "The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life." He told us that all living literature-great poems, orations-possessed in itself the spirit of its creators. The writer or speaker put his very spirit into the

words, and the repetition of those words, by any one, could not fail to produce effect. The same words seemingly, used by an insincere fellow, would be ineffective.

Now, that may be pushing the matter a little too far, but a man who wants to make a customer through a

letter should put everything attractive because to him his proposition is full of merit. If he does not believe heartily what he says, and does not know how to employ chaste English in saying it, he should hire some man with a better heart and head to stand between him and a discerning public.

W

HAT is the use of spending time and money and make one's self subject to a severe attack of "brain fag" devising advertisements to coax the almighty dollar into our pockets and then kick the pail over? This is exactly what ninety per cent of the follow up systems do. One employs the best brains obtainable in inducing the consumer to write to him regarding his goods and then insults his customer's intelligence by sending him imitation typewritten letters. (I believe that it is generally conceded that any other kind is too expensive.) What is the effect on a prospective customer, if the first letter that is written him contained the information that it should? It, in conjunction with the catalogue, has doubtless created a favorable impression upon him and he is disposed to buy our machines in preference to those of any other manufacturer. But before he has had time to make up his mind, or compare what we have to offer with that of our competitors, or, in fact, to hardly draw his breath, along somes a second letter containing a lot of "rot" that is manifestly false. He barely recovers from this second attack before one of Uncle Sam's servants makes his appearance with another sample of fool questions. The result is that instead of making a friend of the prospective buyer we have thoroughly disgusted him and the sight of our name makes him want to wear a pair of blue spectacles.

A follow-up system of some kind is necessary. The customer was induced to make his inquiry through the attractiveness of our ad. He is not in need, particularly, of anything of our manu

facture at this time. He is one of these long-sighted individuals that is always looking into the dim future for things they want to own and spending their money (in imagination) before they have it. These are the people that the follow-up system will reach and these are also the people who must not be annoyed by receiving an imitation type-written letter every few minutes. A carefuly written letter answering all questions contained in the inquiry, and then a follow-up campaign consisting of mailing cards, attractive circulars, and such matter is a great deal more effective than any system of follow-up letters that can be devised. There is one thing that is certain,- -a campaign of this kind will keep the manufacturer's name before the customer in an attractive manner and in a way that will not prove offensive. It is true that "it takes a great many blows to drive a wedge," but if the blows do not hit the wedge they are not very effective as a driving medium. The only thing that can be done after mailing a prospective buyer catalogue and prices and telling him all about such machines as he has asked about, is to keep the manufacturer's name perpetually before him and associated with some of the things that he sees every day.

A letter should never be written unless one has something to offer that has not been touched upon in the first letter. In this way the favorable impression created by the first letter is not dispelled and the attractive printed matter that has been sent him has kept him alive as to the merits of the goods, and above all the medium used has not antagonized him.

H

OW much am I offered for this beautiful young cow, gentlemen?" asked the live stock auctioneer, addressing an assemblage of Hereford breeders in attendance at a public sale of "whitefaces." "She is a daughter of the great show bull, Dale, and is out of a dam by one of the greatest bulls in England. What am I bid?"

A prompt sale at a good price was recorded. Another cow was sent into the ring which in individual merit excelled the matron previously sold. Bids were sought with all the cunning and energy the mesmeric auctioneer and his clever ring assistants could summon, but they came reluctantly and increased by tens and fives instead of fifties and twenty-fives, and after considerable hard work the cow with an obscure though highly creditable ancestry went for one-third the money paid for the coveted daughter of Dale.

Why?

Advertising of course.

Everybody at the sale, in fact, the American public, rural and urban, had heard of Dale, the $10,000 bull. This long price had been paid for him at a public auction, and the event created a sensation which found its way into the public prints throughout the land. No bovine beast ever enjoyed so much advertising as Dale, consequently when any of his offspring were sold the purchaser gladly paid a stiff price because of the prestige such a transaction would confer on him. To own a cow sired by the highest-priced Hereford bull in the world was no mean distinction, no matter how "mean" the beast, as our phlegmatic English cattleman would say. Therefore the progeny of this

celebrated animal never went begging at a sale. On the other hand bulls and females got by him, and cows in calf by him, always provoked animated bidding and rolled up averages which increased and solidified his fame.

It is not to be inferred that Dale's conspicuity was due wholly to the fabu

lous price at which he was purchased when the pure-bred cattle trade was at an unreasonable, spectacular heightwhen, as Mark Twain has written, "flush times were in magnificent flower"-for in some respects the breed has not produced the equal of this phenomenal show and breeding bull. He commanded a record-smashing price because he himself had been advertised prodigiously ir. the reports of the live stock shows whereat he exhibited victoriously. But exceptional individual excellence and a faultless pedigree justified in large measure the riotous extravagance indulged by Dale's purchaser. History has demonstrated that the bull was worth a pile of money, and the man who had the courage to shovel it out has always contended that Dale was the cheapest animal he ever bought, meaning that the use of the bull in his herd and the mere fact of owning him, have reduced the sire's cost to an insignificant amount.

A considerable part of the price paid for Dale did not buy beef-it bought advertising of the most valuable kind. The sum of $10,000 covered about $2,000 worth of bull and $8,000 worth of advertising, although the character of publicity given the animal could not have been bought at any price.

As an advertising medium Dale was worth more than he cost. This is the verdict of the Illinois Hereford breeder in whose possession the glory-crowned bull died last year.

Many cases could be cited to show that the uncommonly high prices which have been paid for breeding animals, whether cattle, horses, sheep, hogs, goats, dogs or Belgian hares, were very largely the result of advertising the individuals themselves or their ancestry.

Advertising has made the live stock husbandry the greatest industry in America. Upon the same potent factor depends its maintenance and continued growth.

* * *

Many live stock breeders are adver