The advertisement should be concise and attractive; these features tend to give the reader the very best impression.

The make-up of the advertisement should be "catchy," attracting the eye of the reader and holding it long enough for him to take in its meaning.

It should be terse, which means that much information and descriptive matter should be condensed into small space; for space costs money, and information is what the breeder wishes to disseminate.

Every statement in the advertisement should be true, and it should be so worded as to leave no exaggerated impression in the mind of the reader. For, when sales are made, the birds must come up to the advertised standard. Exaggeration not only makes this impossible, but dissatisfies the customer.

The advertisement should give no data but what are reasonable or actually possible. The fact that one bird in a flock laid 225 eggs a year does not mean that a strain of such layers can be developed from her eggs, nor that the average of the breeder's entire flock will equal anything like this figure.

Advertisements should show important facts pertaining to the specimens for sale,-as, for example, a record of winning at poultry shows; a brief reference to utility qualities; a statement concerning past breeding and records made; a statement as to vitality and health; the name of strain, if such name has become popular; photographs will add to the attractiveness.

The size of the advertisement depends upon the quality and quantity of products, their value, and the money available for advertising. The better the quality and larger the quantity, the greater the space which can be used to advantage.

The greater the value of the products, the greater usually is the profit; hence more advertising space may be used.

Small advertisements are usually the more profitable, and it cannot reasonably be assumed that doubling the size of the advertisement will always double the sales.

Extremely conspicuous advertisements are warranted only when one has a phenomenal product for sale and wishes to enhance his reputation through the possession of such a product. There are numerous instances in which the phenomenal record of one bird has made a world-wide reputation for the breeder.

Getting the Most Out of Advertising. If the heaviest sales are to result from a given sum spent in periodical advertising,

a "follow-up" system must be worked out and the breeder and his product be kept continually before the eye of the prospective customer. In such a system all inquiries by mail must be answered immediately. A short personal letter is best, accompanied by the breeder's card, with circulars describing matings and pointing out the good qualities of the strain. Under separate cover the annual catalogue should be forwarded,—if the breeder's business is extensive enough for him to issue such a booklet. The catalogue should describe in detail all matings and products for sale, and give past winnings and other records. It is also a good plan to give some guarantees as to financial standing, since it is customary to send cash with the order, and this reference makes the purchaser feel more secure.

As a rule, all inquiries should be followed by at least two letters before being dropped; if these fail to bring a response, additional ones would in most cases be a waste of money.

A record should be kept of all sales, so that circulars and catalogues can afterward be mailed to customers, with the idea of keeping their trade year after year. Such a record can be kept on filing cards, and indexed for handy reference. Where advertising is carried on extensively and in a number of different periodicals, it is well to tabulate all inquiries, arranging them under the name of the paper in which the advertisement was noted. This will show the effectiveness of the different papers, and those which are bringing in no return at all can be dropped.

If a business is to prosper year after year, and keep its old customers as well as acquire new ones, the breeder must live up to his advertisement when he fills orders resulting from it. No business will long prosper if the customers are so hoodwinked that they are dissatisfied, and fail to come back every year for additional purchases. The unscrupulous advertiser must depend upon securing enough new customers each year to make up for those lost, which is almost an impossibility. It must be remembered that, after all is said and done, the satisfaction of customers throughout the country is the most extensive advertisement a breeder can have, and the most profitable as well.

REVIEW.

1. Give eight advantages of keeping records.

2. What four points should be considered in planning records?
3. What points should be shown in a breeding or mating record?

4. What is meant by a pen record, and what should it show?

5. What should an inventory show?

6. Describe a complete incubator record.

7. Describe a complete brooding record.

8. Describe a form for keeping labor records.

9. Enumerate three methods of keeping general poultry records.

10. Give five features desired in the record plan selected.

11. Outline the possible uses of a diary or memorandum.

12. Discuss the three things which a poultryman's account should show.

13. Name and discuss two general methods of accounting.

14. Describe and give advantages of the column system of single entry. 15. Under what conditions does advertising pay?

16. Outline a complete system of advertising.

17. What products can one profitably advertise?

18. When is it most profitable to advertise?

19. Give three things to be considered in selecting the advertising medium.

20. What would you consider in preparing an advertisement?

21. What should determine size and duration of advertisements?

22. How would you get the most from an advertisement?

Reference. A System of Poultry Accounting, by Robert R. Slocum, U. S Bureau of Animal Industry Circular 176.

CHAPTER XXVII.

EXHIBITING AND JUDGING

THE MANY advantages which a poultryman or farmer derives from exhibiting his poultry and products will be discussed in the following paragraphs.

Exhibiting for Pleasure.-There are some poultrymen who keep a few well-bred birds because of the pleasure they derive from mating and breeding them to a certain standard, for the sake of the competition and the possibility of beating the other fellow. They are usually small breeders, and at the small poultry shows they form the majority of the exhibitors. But whether exhibiting for profit or otherwise, and in order to appreciate the work and to get all he can out of it, the breeder must have some of the enthusiasm in competition which characterizes the true exhibitor for pleasure.

Profit from Prizes. The profit from prizes, whether cash, cups, or other articles, is an advantage to be considered. The cost of preparing and exhibiting live birds is, as a rule, much greater than the actual value of prizes, yet the satisfaction of having won enhances the value of the prize in a way that cannot be expressed in dollars and cents. In some of the larger shows sweepstake prizes of considerable value are offered and are well worth winning from a monetary point of view.

Profit from Advertising.-Undoubtedly the greatest benefit which can come to an exhibitor is the notoriety which his birds achieve when he is successful in winning some of the leading prizes in that particular class. It brings his name prominently before prospective purchasers of high-priced birds, which creates a demand, and permits him to place a higher value on each of his individual birds. It makes good advertising matter,-material which speaks for itself, and is no mere statement without sufficient backing.

Profit from the Sale of Birds.—Another beneficial result of exhibiting is the possibility which it offers of disposing of birds at a price in advance of that obtained without exhibition. The prospective purchaser comes to the show looking for stock for breeding purposes, and the exhibitor goes to the show to exhibit

such stock. In fact, the greatest success which can attend any show, and one which insures its future support, is the fact that exhibitors have been able to make profitable sales. This means also the taking of many orders in the future for eggs to be used for hatching, and for day-old chicks.

Profiting by Comparison.-The exhibitor has the opportunity to compare his products with those of his contemporary. He can check up his work; and, knowing something of the methods of his fellow-breeder, can estimate the results and profit by the comparison. This opportunity for comparison might be termed the educational feature of poultry shows, but the advantage to be derived from it will depend upon the time and energy devoted to the study. These shows also furnish opportunity to make a satisfactory comparison of the different appliances and equipments for poultry craft.

The advantages of poultry exhibition are numerous, and are increasing every year. In the world of poultry endeavor exhibits have come to stay, and will have a permanent influence in perfecting breed types and making them popular.

Development of Poultry Exhibits.-From the earliest time, it has been man's nature to compete for comparison, the winner showing ability in the attainment of some definite end. The breeding of a standard breed of poultry and the exhibition of the same has been one of the noticeable fields for such efforts. Until about 1900 relatively small progress was made in extensive poultry exhibitions, but since that time poultry shows have increased both as to number and quality of birds shown. New Jersey stands as an example of this unprecedented increase. In 1908 there were eight poultry shows held within the State, in 1912 there were eighteen official poultry shows, and in 1913 all of these organizations combined in the holding of a mammoth poultry show at a centrally-located point.

The small poultry show if run in a limited educational way is productive of much good.

During the past ten years these smaller shows have grown in number and in popularity. The smaller shows are usually conducted by an organization of a few poultry growers in a rather restricted community. Some of these have grown rapidly and now have a world-wide membership. The shows of moderate size are of greatest educational value; in the largest shows the money from prizes is the main object.