as well point his gun skyward and pull the trigger, expecting a duck to get in the way of the shot. Then you must select good mediums, the kind that will reach your class of consumers, and after that furnish the right kind of copy. You must make good goods, believe in them, know them, and tell about them so others will understand you. Tell your story right, and above all else, keep plugging away."

M. L. Wilkenson, of St. Louis, spoke on "Retail Advertising" from the advertising manager's viewpoint. L. E. Pratt, of New York, handled the subject of "Advertising Novelties."

O. J. Gude, of New York, presented a strong case in favor of Billboards and Painted Displays.

Commenting upon the change that years have brought in billboard advertising, Mr. Gude said that "we have changed the outdoor advertisements from the brutally dominant to the artistic, and for this reason opposition to outdoor advertising, even from the most sensitive, is melting away."

Mr.

David L. Taylor, of the Taylor-Critchfield Advertising Agency, Chicago, talked on "What the Farm Papers Offer to the Advertiser." Taylor's address will be found elsewhere in this issue.

Stanley Clague, advertising agent, Chicago, brought out the fact that advertising agents place more than 80 per cent of the national advertising of this country, and said that the session of agents in Dallas had proved a still stronger determination among those representing agencies to work together for the elevation of the advertising business.

Flint Garrison, of St. Louis, talked on class publications. Rollin C. Ayres, of San Francisco, gave an interesting talk on "Commercial Literature." J. F. Jacobs, of Clinton, S. C., spoke on "Religious Publications, and H. N. Casson, of New York, gave an eloquent talk cn "Newspapers." He said, among other things: They "Newspapers give you quick action. stand at the store door, and that is what brings results. To be more effective, however, newspapers must eliminate all advertising which will deceive; all advertising which will take money from the pockets of its readers without a compensating return and all matter which can not be properly sent into the best American homes. Newspapers must assume more responsibility for their advertisements, and they are rapidly reaching the higher plane. Many of them are already there."

At 9 p. m. Tuesday, a reception was tendered to President and Mrs. George W. Coleman at the Fair Park Coliseum, which was made over for the occasion in reproduction of an Italian Garden with sunken gardens, flowered walks, etc.

Wednesday was spent at Ft. Worth, the entire convention being transported by steam and interurban trains and automobiles to the neighboring city, which showed that it was not to be outdone in hospitality.

In Ft. Worth the advertising men were first welcomed at the Majestic Hotel, then carried about the city in automobiles. Their lunch was served from a regulation "chuck" wagon, in true Texas frontier style. The afternoon was put in in watching displays of wild horse-breaking and other features of ranch life.

In the evening an elaborate dinner was served the advertising guests.

Thursday was the last day of the convention. In the morning a lively but friendly battle was fought between Toronto and Baltimore for the next convention, as San Francisco withdrew early in the race. Baltimore won, so the ninth advertising convention will be held in the Maryland city in 1913.

President George W. Coleman was re-elected, as were Secretary P. S. Florea and Treasurer C. D. Mekeel. Fred E. Johnson, of Dallas, was elected First Vice President.

A constitutional amendment was adopted which provides for an executive committee, together with divisional presidents, who shall hereafter determine the place of holding the next convention, this action to be reported to the body on or before the last day.

The display of advertisements and commercial literature at Carnegie Hall was one of the features of the convention.

A Catello Luncheon was given by Col. Frank B. Holland, of Holland's Magazine and Farm and Ranch, and wound up the entertainment features scheduled for the Convention.

Several hundred visitors took advantage of the "Seeing Texas" invitation and made the tour which included the most prominent cities of the Lone Star State, as guests of the State of Texas.

The official statistics showed an attendance at the Dallas Convention of close to 1,500 actual club members, irrespective of their guests, a record of which Dallas may well be proud!

W

HEN a member of the program committee of this convention asked me to be the "summer-up" of the Agricultural Section, I was like the little city boy having his first meal in a country hotel.

The dining room girl called off the bill of fare, and when she said to the boy, "Apple, lemon or cream pie?" the little boy answered, "I will have cream pie, if you please. I always take cream pie-because I never heard of it before."

The same little-boy impulse prompted me to try my hand at "summing-up" because I didn't know what it was like-and I was curious.

And, anyway, "summing up" seemed like the topic of a speech that could be written on an adding machine-and as I was looking for a right good excuse to come to Texas for the first time, and to meet with this most brilliant aggregation of business men-and their gracious ladies, if you please-I am here.

Just why they picked on me for this particular task is beyond my comprehensionunless it's because of the variety of agricultural business handled by our general agency -or possibly my personal appearance indicates farmer bringing up.

Never again will I accept the job of summing up the other fellow's flights of oratory. It is worse being accessory-after-the-fact than to perpetrate the crime itself.

And what do you think! No sooner had I accepted this seemingly light task in addition than I was besieged with letters and telegrams asking for a manuscript of my speech from a very serious-minded man in Boston, named Mr. Graves. Mr. Graves-and right away I began to develop cold chills. He wanted my "summing-up" speech, mind you!

Now, how the Sam Hill-or Sam Houstonwas I going to write a speech summing up the other fellows' speeches that had not been written or delivered yet?

I felt like cancelling the contract at shorttime rates right then. So, ladies and gentlemen, if I seem to slip gracefully from all the things that I am supposed to talk about-touching lightly upon the different points that have

been brought up-to that thing that I want to talk about, I feel sure you will grant me your kind indulgence.

Our old-time friend, Tom Harmon, of Pittsburg, in "The Function and Influence of the Agricultural Press," seems to have covered the ground very completely, as he began with Adam and Eve and left off just as the last issue of his most excellent paper, the National Stockman & Farmer, went to press.

As official "summer-up" I place my official O. K. on the things, many of them most pathetic, that Mr. Harmon has set forth in his most eloquent discourse on our dear friends, the farmers and their families. There is no question but what many of the agricultural papers have "done" the farmers good. But seriouslyI agree with Mr. Harmon, not only as to the actual obligation of having editorial matter from a scientific and technical value to the farmer from the standpoints of crop raising, stock breeding, etc., but from the standpoints of education and moral influence as well.

I take issue, however, with him when he says that all of the good agricultural papers of the country could be counted on the fingers of his hands. Mr. Harmon may disagree with the other publishers as to their editorial matter and quality-he may disagree with them as to the educational value of their papers-but, from an advertising man's standpoint-and this is a convention of advertising people-I want to go on record as saying that there are a far greater number of good agricultural papers published than he has indicated.

There are exceptionally good agricultural papers published in almost every state in the Union-in addition to several of large national reputation and circulation-besides a large number of farm papers that might be called "class" publications, in that they specialize in different branches of farming, such as dairy, live stock raising, fruit growing, poultry rais ing, etc.

Mr. Harmon is all right on quality-but he certainly underestimates quantity.

And regarding circulation again from an advertising standpoint, the question of how a pub

lication gets its circulation-of what price the paper commands from its subscribers-is not really so important as the actual results advertisers get from the advertising.

I have in mind an Eastern farm publication as an example of a very large circulation which is unquestionably one of the best paying advertising mediums in this country in any class— bar none-yet its publishers get a very small subscription price-and incidentally I might mention that they have never employed the services of a special representative or salesman of any kind-outside of the advertising agencies of the country-to secure business for them. Yet, I was officially notified that in the month of March they had oversold, and had to leave out 4,480 lines of advertising-at $4.00 per line.

Please don't multiply the lines by the price -or you'll feel bad for the publisher! 字

From my boyhood days I have always had a mighty respect for Texas—always wanted to visit the state-and incidentally, have always understood that Texas men were mighty quick at "repartee." But before my coming, our good friend, Col. Frank Holland, assured me that there was a strict law against "packing" guns and that I was in no danger in speech making, although he warned me against sudden movements with my hands.

Possibly it is expected that part of my talk will be about the prosperity of the American farmer and how to reach him through the farm papers. For me to come to Texas to talk about the farmer's prosperity is like going to Boston to tell the people about baked beans,

Prosperity's here-it's all around us. Texas is the great big shining example of successful big-scale agriculture-and the results are so tremendous that the farmers need Comptometors to keep tab on their profits.

With its millions for cotton, oats, wheat, barley, rice, its enormous forage crops, its immense yearly production of live stock, Texas has grown richer and richer until today it is a great agricultural empire in itself.

And right here I want to say and I know you'll all agree with me-that no small part of the agricultural prosperity of your great Lone Star State is due to your famous Farm and Ranch and its genial proprietor, who has the reputation of knowing every farmer in Texas by his first name.

Up in the Corn Belt land is worth $150, $200 and up per acre-and is paying big dividends

at that valuation. In New England and throughout the East-in the prosperous Central States -up in the wonderful wheat country-in the prosperous fruit-growing regions and through the great West to the bountiful acres of the Pacific Slope-everywhere agricultural America is seeing greater and greater development.

Farmers as a class are misrepresented and misunderstood by the average city man who is possessed of the idea that the world begins with the Battery and ends with the Bronx, or is tied up within the four corners of his own city's limits.

There never was a bigger mistake. Fair, sharply-drawn comparison between the city and the country shows that the country people have the better of it in many ways.

On the farm, poverty is now reduced to a minimum. The farm country has no slums, no tenements, no cliff-dwellers, no weight of filth and squalor-it has no bread line. The farmer is a ready buyer of the things that are of real value.

The only difference between him and thousands upon thousands of city people is that the city people live up to and beyond their means, while the farmer, though he pays out his money willingly for the beneficial things of life, stops this side of the safety line.

Enthusiastic writers of a romantic disposition have pictured farmers today as being God's noblemen in the rough. They tell of their tremendous prosperity with their bins and cribs bursting with golden grain-of the country banks overflowing with their money. And to some advertisers it looks like "easy picking."

Another class of writers believe that the farmer is still a rube-a clod hopper, a hayseed, a yokel --has no money to spend, and would not know how to spend it if he had--that he is still a good subject for the green goods and gold brick man and the lightning rod shark. Both are wrong.

The farmer of today is a careful, conservative, sane business-man farmer. He is enjoying better prosperity than he ever enjoyed before the price of his land has rapidly advanced-and the prices of his farm products are high.

Time was when with the immense fertility of the soil, and the introduction of modern machinery, he robbed the soil and over-produced -- and oftentimes turned over his crop for less

than it cost him to produce it-that is, if he figured anything for overhead cost.

But the farmer of today has come into his own-he has found out how to manufacture and sell at a profit. He has got the prices of his own products up to where he can farm at a profit, and he is going to keep them up. That is one of the reasons why the cost of living is up-and why it is going to stay up.

Traction lines, rural free delivery, better Icads, automobiles, improved machinery, better educational facilities-and last and greatest of all the influence of the farm papers of the country-have brought about this change.

Farmers nowadays are the possessors of fine modern homes-they have their telephones, their musical instruments, up-to-date furnishings, lighting and heating systems and all the other things that go to make life worth living.

And the things that he hasn't got are the things that the farm papers haven't told him about through their advertising columns.

And the woman on the farm today has a new independence. The new improved household labor-saving appliances have come to her rescue. The old gray bonnet and the gingham gown have been relegated long ago. The luxuries and refinements that appeal to her city sister appeal just as strongly to her. And her daughter has changed even more.

There are no barefoot Maud Mullers raking lay nowadays-machines are doing that— while Maud, just home from college, is over at the house entertaining the Judge at the piano with the latest hits from New York's most popular comic operas.

And Sunbonnet Sue exists only in the imagination now. She has changed the sunbonnet for the latest New York creation.

Even the ever-popular "Old Homestead" and "Way Down East" will have to be revamped to reflect the new conditions on the modern farm.

Advertisers say, "Tell me how to reach the farmer." Well, here's one way: Go out and make a specialty of it. Take an automobile and tour half a dozen states, and talk with him on his own battleground, where he fights in hard work for the profits of his business.

Get his mental viewpoints-find out what he reads; what his requirements are; what he buys-then, if you have an article that the farmer wants, run a very careful, honest, advertising campaign in the leading farm journals covering the territory you can profitably

reach and keep it up. The farmer is the greatest buyer in the world-of goods that he knows about-manufactured by a maker that he knows-and the one great, best, quickest and cheapest way to introduce your goods and your wants to the farmer is through the great agricultural press.

Remember, Mr. Farmer is a shrewd buyer. He wants one hundred cents worth for every dollar he spends. He dearly loves to get a little the best of the bargain. Perhaps you have heard the story of the farmer who bought a wornout nag at a country sale for $18.00. He took him home, put him in a stall and offered him a pint of oats. The nag wouldn't eat. Then he offered him a pail of water. nag wouldn't drink. Mr. Farmer backed him up, sized up the nag and said, "Gol durn ye! You are just the horse I've been looking forif you'll only work."

The

Now, don't shiver. Here's a battery of figures I will give them to you quick, and I have left off the odds to make it easy.

There are six and a quarter million farms in the United States-with thirty millions of people living on them. These farmers own in real estate, live stock, farm implements, etc., forty billions of dollars, an average of six thousand dollars to each farm in America.

The number of animals on American farms today is over two hundred millions.

Since 1894 the labor required to produce a bushel of corn has been reduced from four hours and 34 minutes to forty-one minutes. This is because of the invention of modern farm machinery of every kind. The same sort of machinery has reduced the amount of labor required to produce a bushel of wheat from three hours and ten minutes to ten minutes.

And right here I want to emphasize the fact that every step forward that has been taken in agriculture during the past forty years has either been introduced or at least given the impetus that carried it to success by the farm papers of America.

They have taught scientific farming-they have preached irrigation, crop rotation. intensive farming-they have done a powerful work in establishing agricultural colleges and governmental experiment stations-they have been responsible for the co-operative creamery idea -they have stimulated the interest in farming and stock raising-they have aroused the interests of the farm boys and girls through Club Contests they have done a splendid social set

tlement work by bringing their readers together-they have brought about the rural free delivery system-they have raised the farmer's standard of living-they have educated him to the luxuries of life until they have become necessities.

The farmer of today is a dignified, respected man-a man to be taken seriously. His trade should be sought in a sensible, business-like way.

He takes his farm paper not merely for entertainment-diversion-but because it is a practical part of his everyday, working existencejust as much so as his machinery, his stock, the seeds he uses, etc.

He farms by his chosen paper. By its editorial teachings. By its advertising teachings. It makes him a better, more successful farmer. it is wonderful, the circulation retaining power of the best and best known of farm papers. Their subscribers stick-because the paper is literally a part of their farm and of their home. And through the guidance of this lifelong friend, the sons and daughters are brought up in the agricultural way that they should go. There is no other class of publications which enters so closely into the everyday life, the everyday work of its readers. The farm paper is the farmer's bible-and incidentally, I might mention that people claim that the mail order catalog is his New Testament.

But the modern farmer doesn't limit himself to the farm paper alone. Of late years the newspapers have reached out and attained a tremendous daily and weekly circulation in the rural districts. He gets his market news fresh every day. He keeps in touch with the doings of the world. He takes time and gives thought

to analyzing public problems. He is news hungry-is the farmer. He reads all.

And, remember, he reads advertisements through different eyes than any other people in the world.

Please get the full force of that.
Advertisements are his buying guides.

There is scarcely anything that anyone else uses that the farmer doesn't use. Do you happen to know that 60 per cent of all the automobiles are sold to farmers?

First, he was prejudiced against them. They scared his live stock. It was not so far back that a Kansas farmer remarked that the cloud of dust stirred up by an oncoming automobile looked so much like a tornado that he never knew whether to run for his cyclone cellar or for his shotgun.

But things have changed. The farmer now learnedly discusses with you carbureters, spark plugs, splash lubrication and tire mileage. Where did he get so automobile-wise? Mostly through automobile advertisements in agricultural papers.

Here's another bunch of figures:

There are 511 agricultural papers in this country with a combined circulation of about twenty-four million-74 papers devoted to live stock and dairying-63 devoted to poultry raising and a dozen or more devoted to fruit growing.

There are 85 farm papers with a circulation of 25,000 or over-62 with a circulation of 50,000 or over.

They vary in rate from four cents to $4.00 a line. For the most part, editors and editorial writers know their field. They keep their ears close to the ground.

It's a tremendous subject-this topic of agricultural advertising-a subject that it is possible only to flirt with in ten minutes.