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From the publisher's point of view the chief function of the special representative is to "get business." The amount of business secured by him directly or indirectly must be the final test of his efficiency-not, of course,

the amount of business appearing in any single issue, but the business running in the paper during the course of the season which originates in the advertising center where the representative has his office, or which is handled there. "Getting business," not a perfectly simple process.

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His duties do not end when he has secured an appropriation for his paper. He wants his paper to make good, and he has opportunity frequently to co-operate with the advertiser and the publisher in this direction. Primarily he is the representative of the publisher, but in a perfectly proper way he may represent the advertiser. He is concerned not merely to get the advertiser's money, but to promote his interests also. He is in a position to give advice regarding the use of other papers than his own, and is frequently of service in making suggestions regarding advertising copy.

A representative of this type takes a high professional view of his calling. He is a great deal more than a "copy chaser." He is more than a solicitor. He wants to get as much business as possible for each issue of his paper, but he believes that it is his mission and that of his competitors to do creative work. class representative is as truly engaged in creating business as is the advertising agent.

A high

The special representative is, therefore, a man of substance. He must have the power of initiative. He must look at He things broadly. must have tact and address. He must have a large idea of advertising as a business or profession. He must learn and he must know.

It is doubtless true that some special representatives do not have so The high a view of their calling. contract or the order is the only thing in which they are interested. Of course, such representatives are not likely to be the men who get the most business.

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As Chicago is the agricultural advertising center, destined to become more and more So, a farm paper owes it to itself to put its best foot forward in that great center. special representative is a living, walking, talking advertisement. Good "copy" is surely important here.

As already suggested, the publisher's representative should really represent the publisher. He should be a responsible man, and should be given responsibility. The publisher should be very careful about going over the head of his representative.

If an advertiser in Chicago sends an inquiry to a farm paper in Pennsylvania or Iowa, the appearance of the advertisement in the paper to which the inquiry was sent should not be the first intimation to the special representative that such an inquiry has been made. The inquiry should be referred to the representative. He either represents the publisher or he does not represent him.

And the representative should be given credit for all the business which comes from Chicago. Much of this business he might get anyway, but the publisher should not withhold credit from his representative if the business coming from Chicago is satisfactory or more than satisfactory.

Of course, the publisher expects results. He should expect them right along. But because he has a representative in Chicago he must not expect to get everything that is going; but, if possible, he should know why he does not get any particular piece of business which is going into a general list of papers, particularly in papers in his own field. This information the representative should get, if possible, and should forward it promptly and fully to his principal. If the paper is worthy and is in

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A
Satisfactory
Guide

is always retained when
such services are again
needed. It is because

The Farmer's Guide

is so satisfactory to its readers that its circulation is constantly increasing. Because it is satisfactory to adver-) tisers our space buyers come back again and again.

The Farmer's Guide represents the highest type of mid-west farmers and their families.

It satisfies and pleases these discriminating people. It has their confidence and respect. It gives advertisers the benefit of this respect and confidence in their statements.

We would be glad to have you try it, because we know it would prove profitable to you. Let us send you samples and particulars.

The

Farmer's Guide Huntington, Ind.

true. So far as the truth of the assertion that women do 80 per cent of the buying is concerned, this may be true of mail order buying, although it is merely an assertion, without proof.

As to the readers of farm papers, perhaps no class of publications is more carefully read by women than those which go to the farmers.

The average farm paper comes near being read by every member of the family it reaches. It is emphatically the home paper and has in its columns something for every one who can read. Farm papers, almost without exception, have a regular department for the women and another for children. Farm women are interested in the dairy department, the garden department and the department devoted to flowers, as well as the regular woman's department. The man of the farm may not look at the paper beyond the regular farm crop department, the live stock department and the answers to questions asked the editor, but the woman reads all, even these.

The experiences and letter files of mail order advertisers who use the farm papers show that farm women read the farm papers attentively. The farm woman does considerable thinking about the needs of her family.

Her husband is busy and has not time to notice whether Sarah, Mary, Kate and Ann are well clothed and properly ornamented or not. Nor is he the first to notice that Isaac, Israel, James and John need the things that can most advantageously be bought by mail. It is the mother who notices these things, ponders over them and finally broaches the subject to the husband. When such a conversation is started the head of the house is put in mind of the fact that he needs a new plow, cultivator, buggy or what not, and the wife has seen them mentioned in the ads in the farm paper while she was looking for the advertisements of those who sell goods needed by herself, her husband and her more or less numerous progeny.

The farm paper occupies first place in the farm home. It represents the business of the family. The editor is considered as a friend to the family. The writers are often men of large acquaintance and wide experience,

counting their friends by the thousand. The farmer and his wife saw and shook hands with the editor at the last state fair, and when the cattle or horses were sick the farm paper prescribed for them without charging anything for the service.

No other paper gets as close to the home life of the American farmer. The older farm papers count among their subscribers hundreds of the third generation, of the same families, who have taken it and will continue to take it.

When mail order houses with the experience that has been earned by such houses as the Kalamazoo Carriage & Harness Co., the Kalamazoo Stove Co., Montgomery Ward & Co., Sears, Roebuck & Co., and dozens of others continue to use the farm papers year after year one is forced to conclude the farm papers must be rather good mail order mediums.

* * *

my

"If there is anything in the world that makes me weary," recently said a prominent advertiser, "it is to have an advertising solicitor spread out his publication before me and call especial attention to the fact that competitors are represented in his columns; the solicitor always does this with an air of triumph, as though he had a clincher which gave him first mortgage on my pocketbook and advertising contract. He doesn't seem to realize that he is insulting my business intelligence by implying that I am laying awake nights to find out what my competitors are doing and then tagging along the paths that they have worn smooth. The truth is, that if I have made any success in my business at all, I have made it by getting out of the ruts that my competitors have followed. My competitors may be using many publications with good results which I could not profitably touch, owing to different methods of handling our trade; and I know that if they go into certain publications which I use regularly, simply because they see my ad there, they are simply throwing away money. It may be that the situation is a little peculiar as regards myself and my competitors, but in any case it has always struck me as a queer line of argument for a solicitor to use."

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American Seed Trade Association.

The twenty-second annual convention of this association was held at the Forest Park University hotel, St. Louis, June 21-23. Although the World's Fair was the point of interest to the members, the sessions were well attended. The papers were interesting, especially the one on "Irrigation in the West and its Possibilities," by George H. Maxwell, and "Soil Inoculation," by George T. Moore, of the Department of Agriculture. Messrs. J. C. Vaughan, E. F. Bogardus and E. D. Darlington could not be present but sent papers which were read by others.

The officers for the ensuing year are: Chas. N. Page, president; L. L. May, first vice-president; W. H. Grinnel, second vice-president; C. E. Kendel, secretary, and Frank H. Funk, assistant secretary.

The executive committee consists of S. F. Willard, Lester Morse, A. H. Goodwin, J. G. Peppard and G. B. McVey.

The membership committee consists of Albert McCullough, W. S. Woodruff and Alfred J. Brown.

It was not decided where the next meeting would be held.

With Joe Mitchell Chapple, of Chapple's Magazine, and Prof. Conway MacMillan, of the University of Minnesota, as principal speakers, the June dinner of the Atlas Club was a notable event in the club's career.

Prof. MacMillan spoke on "Personality in Achieving Success," calling attention to the various elements that make for success or failure in the ventures of business and social life. Mr. Chapple related incidents from his personal experience, some of which contributed to building up his magazine. Mr. A. B. Briggs, of the Gunning

System, spoke in advocacy of bill board advertising, and its value in business. There were several other speakers from among the hundred guests. An address was to have been given by E. G. Lewis, proprietor of The Woman's Magazine and The Woman's Farm Magazine, but he was detained by business matters. The governing board of the club, which consists of W. W. Cooper, W. C. Hunter, Dudley Walker, H. R. Reed, Jos. R. Kathrens, J. L. Mahin and J. B. McMahon, is already in correspondence with a number of prominent publishers and others and expect to secure their acceptances for the fall meeting.

From Successful Farming comes proof copies of the Cover page for June, a beautiful rural scene. Mr. Meredith is paying considerable attention to the illustrative and press work features of his new paper.

The publishers of Everybody's Magazine, recognizing the growth of business in the western field and the vast amount of territory it embraces, have increased their force in this field by the addition of Mr. W. W. Cummock, an old Evanston boy, who has been connected with the office of the publication since the ownership by the Ridgeway-Thayer Company. Mr. Cummock has already entered upon his duties in the western office.

Mr. Orlando Harrison, one of the members of the firm of J. G. Harrison & Sons, Berlin, Md., has been for the third time elected mayor of that city. For a man 37 years old Mr. Harrison has attained to high honors. He has been president of the Peninsula Horticultural Society and is vice-president of Maryland Horticultu

SOMETHING SURPRISING IN POULTRY JOURNALISM,

AND OF INTEREST TO ALL ADVERTISERS.

Collier's Weekly in its advertising campaign, gave the following information to
show that it ran more advertising in one month than other leading magazines:

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It will surprise many to know that the magnitude of the Poultry Industry has enabled its Leading Exponent-the Reliable Poultry Journal-to secure and hold more business than any one of the popular magazines above mentioned. In the month referred to

THE RELIABLE POULTRY JOURNAL RAN 40,855 LINES.

Suppose that none of your competitors are represented in its columns! What a chance for an advertising scoop. Send for a Free Sample Copy of THE WORLD'S LEADING (Biggest and Best) POULTRY JOURNAL whose Guaranteed Circulation is Invariably Exceeded.

Address, RELIABLE POULTRY JOURNAL PUBLISHING CO., QUINCY, ILL.

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