The Monmouth inquirer., 1926-05-20

Importance and value to the farmer of having
market reports from "a to 4S hours earlier than
they are obtainabe through any other medium.
Typical of hundreds of reports of the farmers
use of radio in marketing is this from
farmer living near Keytesville, Mo-: Radio re-
ported hogs due to drop in two days. Shipped at
once Saved $780, In same week put off haying
because of storm warning. This prevented heavy
loss Of hay"
In conducting this nationwide radio survey the
National Farm Radio council gathered and tabu-
lated 1850 individual expressions. The survey
was conducted by the council in cooperation with
Is farm publications, 450 county agents. 200 boys
and girls club leaders, $50 home demonstration
agents. the National Grange, the American Farm
Bureau federation, several hundred teachers of
vocational agriculture deans of 81 colleges and
several radio stations.
Nnety-five per cent of farmer-radio owners,
the council said, think of their radios utility
as well as an amusement device. They think of
it as utility because it brings to them market
reports from "a to 4S hours earlier than obtain
able in any other way These enable the farmer
to market his produce to the greatest advantage.
Results of the survey to determine just when
the farmer listens in on his radio shows the maxi
mum farm audience somewhere between and
80 in the evening Starting at 80 the audience
rapidly increases up to o'clock. After $3.50
there is sharp decline. Determination of the
size of the noon farm radio audience is one of the
most outstanding results of the survey. little
more than. 60 per cent Of farm radio owners are
on the air at u noon. In some states notably
Illinois, Kansas Pennsylvania and New York the
noon audience approaches rs per cent Very few
farm folks, according to the survey listen to
radio programs before noon.
Concluding that radio market reports mean dol
lars and cents to American farmers. the radio
council set about finding out just when the farm
er wanted his market reports. Tabulaton of
many thousands ofNreplies left doubt as to the
time when market reports should go the air.
The farmer wants his market reports at exactly
12 noon and at exactly 80 in the evening.
Orchestra or band educational talks, weather
reports, market reports and singing are the fea-
lures with the greatest appeal to the farm audi
ence The orchestra leads, with farm talks sec
sond Weather reports and market reports have
about the same general appeal. wide decline
of interest was registered regarding vocal efforts.
While the orchestra and band are given first
place, general objection BY farmers was made
TO iazz and there was a wide demand for more
Hawaiian and old-time music. Vocal selections
were not popular Male quartets were preferred
and soprano voices found general disfavor. News
bulletins were in general demand.
Turning now to a consideration of radio prog
ress, we find that the quality of speech music
as broadcast by an up-todate station and repro
duced by modern receiving set Is many times
better than the best of three or four years ago
But despite this many persons dissatisfied
with radio because there is such wide difference
between speech or music as we hear it In the
theater and as 1t energies from the loud speaker.
Radio speech music does not feel the same
IT lacks color vitality and fine shading. It's quail
ity is hard and metallic. Two explanations for
this are reviewed by Charles Magee Adams In the
New York Herald Tribune. The first, he says
is the limitations of receivers and transmitters
Even the most up-to-date apparatus cannot catch
or reproduce the overtones, both lower and high
err In the scale which determine quality and char
acter in sounds. In addition Adams points ont
that broadcasting as It IS now carried on Is Ike
listening with one ear BFoadcasting OF the usual
type, employing single microphone. tends to give
the same effect that we would get If we listened
to a concert with one ear tightly sealed.
These are not the only factors. however. which