Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1923-04-08

- De nlaQ0 a IlOSl NdludOio
economic influence to prevent
high prices for food supplies
10 be paid by the consumers and
ruinous low prices to the producing
farmers is going to be shown by the
United States Department of Agricul-
ture as a result Of surveys now being
made.
To prevent seasonal gluts on the
market during periods Of extraor-
binary production, and intermittent
shortages, by stabilizing the market
for agricultural products is a big
opportunity for development of jul
dicious advertising removing the
causes OF economic disturbance; hard
times. panics, farines and industrial
unrest, federal experts, who have
been conducting the inquiry, are con-
vinced
In order that the factory worker
he we'll fed, which means that the
farmer must get a living wage for
producing an adequate food supply.
In order that the factories may be
Kept running to give employment the
farmer, who comprises approximately
nne-half of the purchasing power OF
the country. must get some profit
from his toll that he may spend for
manufactured goods. There is an
observation-disclosures.
Advertising is looked to as the
stabilizing influence which will bring
about and preserve general prosperity
and happiness. This is the opinion
"t officials OF the Department of
Agriculture. who have made an in
lensive study of this problem.
Studies Have Been Casual.
In the past not much was done in
studying the possibilities OF advertis-
ing as an economic influence on the
marketing OF agricultural products,
except a study of advertising meth
DDS that sell specific goods. For ex-
ample, livestock breeders had a few
casual studies made to find out the
best methods OF selling livestock
Some of these were by experiment
stations. The Wisconsin station. for
instance. gathered data regarding the
results some breeders got and proved
TO their own satisfaction at least
that some methods are better than
Others
But within the last six or eight
wears, and mostly since the war. we
have begun to advertise farm prod
nets. with view to influencing con-
sumption: Take the citrus fruit grow
ers in Florida: They wanted to let
the people know that grapefruit
ought to be eaten every day. They
set out to show that grapefruit il
something the people would grow to
IKE. and something that made them
healthier by regular use. The Florida
oitrus exchange put this across. So.
also. with oranges, the Citrus Fruit
Growers Federation of California nut
over the country in practically every
home.
There is today probably total of
@Io.ooooo0 d year being spent in ad-
10 stabalizing the market by making
the demand constant throughout the
year
Results Already Achieved.
The federal experts base their con-
vfction on the possibilities of news
paper. advertising upon results al
ready achieved. They point out that
approximately s7.50000O has been
spent during the past nine years in
advertising raisins. 1t had taken
twenty years to effect this organiza-
ton for cooperative marketing. AS
result of this persistent advertising
the tonnage of fruit handled increased
from 24,512 in 1912 to 152.497 in 1920.
The receipts to the growers during
the same period increased steadily
from Sl.499,410.71 to s3S.416.s27.82.
That the growers found it pays to
advertise" is shown by the fact that
the advertising expenditures were in
creased from S120,S03.74 in 1914 to 81
$4,000 in 1922
An experience that goes back even
further than that. and which is prob
ably the first big cooperative venture
IN selling farm product. was that of
the cranberry growers. with twenty
SIX years OF experience in selling
'nrouEn growers cooperative agen-
rtes. The three largest producing dis
tricts are in Massachusetts,, New Jer-
sey and Wisconsin, and the growers
IN these three widely separated local
tiles had to be brought into one CEN
trail selling association.
They set out to educate the peonla
that the cranberry is neither a lux
rry, nor holiday fruit for use with
turkey on Thanksgiving and Christ
mas. but taste just as good the wear
round: "Glutted" and famine" mar
hets have been eliminated. the de-
mand has been made more constant
and market prices have been stabiI-
ised.
Shifts In Consum ption.
The question that the Department
or Agriculture is concerning itself
about is the economic significance
or such advertising to agriculture.
Some people argue that there is no
Use in advertising farm products:
that if you advertise one kind of
agricultural product and the people
SWING to it they will be swinging
away from something else; for in
stance, II you by advertising get
them to eat more butter they will
eat less meat, and If you get them
to eat more meat they will eat less
bread. They contend that advertis-
ing just shifts the. consumption from
ono farm product to another. but
that it Is impossible directly to in