Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-05-14
EXT ASHINGTON, D. c., May 1O.-Adver-
wv Using in the newspapers offers a

way out of present difficulties for
many farmers, in the opinion of students of
the Communicating problem, of which few
| of them are taking advantage.
1t is noticeable that merchants and manu-
facturers, although most of them are facing
reduced sales and a falling scale of prices
are not cutting down on their advertising.
Many of them, on the contrary, have in
creased their expenditures for newspaper
space realizing that this is necessary to cOun-
teract the tendency toward a slump in buy
ing. American business spends on an aver
age about 100000 a day in advertising,
but the volume of sales averages about $780,
100000 a day. The 100000 is the regu-
lator and stimulator of the flow of the $780,,
I 100000. The way in which the individual
business man uses his share of the two mil
lion determines very largely what is to be
his share of the hundred million.
This is fact which the farmers, as a
class, are just beginning to grasp. The farm
or, for the most part, produces staple raw
materials which may always be sold at a
market price by merely hauling them to the
nearest market. Unlike the merchant and
the manufacturer, he does not face COM
petition which is capable of driving him from
the market, nor does he have to create
demand for his product. A bushel of po-
tatOes is always worth something, and peo-
pie Will always need potatoes.
The Farmers Position.
He ranks among the producers of fundamen-
tai necessities. In fact, he produces the
most fundamental necessities of all. Only
wood, steel and other basic materials of in
dustry can compare with food in this re-
gard.
The producers of steel do not advertise.
The demand for steel is certain, just as is
the demand for food. But the producers of
steel and of most of the other basic ma
terials of American industry are organized
and do control the prices of their products.
That is the great difference between them
and the farmers. If the potato growers were
organized, they would be in the same strong
position the producers of iron and Pc
troeum and lumber. But the farmer is in
such position. He has almost no control
over the market price of the staple commo
ities which he produces. Some efforts are
now being made by farmers to obtain such
control by holding crops and by making
agreements as to how much of a given COM
modify shall be produced. These efforts will
doubtless grow in strength and extent, but
so far they have not produced any striking
results, is shown by the present economic
situation of the farmer who is bearing the
brunt of the fall in prices.
What advantages has the farmer to coun-
ter-balance these disadvantages? He has
all of the rights of free competition, if he
will only use them. He has the right to
produce anything he pleases, and sell it any
tain. For example, the price of corn may
be down, but if he can produce a high grade
of seed corn and advertise it in such way
that he can convince others of it's excellence,
he may be able to sell it for very high
price. Again, beef and hides may be down,
but breeding stock and breeding service
things for which special market at
special price may be created. There are
thousands of suburbanites who are starting
in the chicken business this spring, for ex-
ample, and who will pay good prices for
Matching eggs, young chickens and breeding
stock.
The possibilities and methods of farm ad-
vertising are ably discussed in booklet
the subject which has been published by the
South Dakota State Agricultural college in
collaboration with the United States depart
ment of agriculture. This publication es-
pecially emphasizes the opportunities of
selling through advertising special product
such as seed and breeding stock, and es-
pecially the enormous opportunity of ap-
pealing directly to the consumer through the
want ad columns of the daily papers.
Subscribers read the want ads" this bull
letin says. Gin fact, many of them read the
advertisements first
study of the want ads which run con-
the fact that farmers are in that way selling
the greatest variety of things, including
things which it would be difficult to sell in
any other way. Matching eggs, young chick
ems, young tomato and other plants for set
ting out, cuttings for starting hedges, manure
for use in flower gardens, special quality
fruit, comb honey, rabbits, nuts cider, straw
berries, are few of the, things which are