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TWENTY-ETGHTH FRUIT-GROWERS CONVENTION. 



EVENING SESSION-SECOND DAY. 



Wednesday, May 6, 1903. 

 The Convention was called to order at 8 o'clock p. m. President 

 Cooper in the chair. 



ADVERTISING CALIFORNIA. 



By J. A. F1LCHER, of Ban Francisco. 



A consciousness of the fact that there are advantages for homeseekers 

 in California greater than exist in older communities and which can 

 not all be utilized by the present population, coupled with the further 

 fact that more people mean more business and greater general prosperity 

 for those already here, should give a stimulus to the work of advertising 

 this State and insure the active co-operation of every enterprising 

 citizen. It is true, to be sure, that well-intended efforts do not always 

 meet with satisfactory results. Sometimes they fail for want of effective 

 methods, sometimes for want of proper support, and sometimes for want 

 of both. 



Exploiting a great State like California, with its varied natural con- 

 ditions and multiplied resources, is a stuj)endous undertaking, and to 

 be successful must be entered upon with a proper conception of con- 

 ditions abroad, with a knowledge of the State and its possibilities, and 

 with a realization of the immensity of the field to be covered. 

 Equipped with these essential requirements the work must be persisted 

 in without any abatement of energy, and with a steady determination 

 to utilize the best discriminating intelligence available in selecting 

 those lines of effort that promise to be the most effective. 



Many thousands of dollars have been wasted by well-intending 

 organizations, because of their haste in accepting propositions made to 

 them too often by parties who had a selfish interest to serve. Other 

 thousands of dollars have been expended in costly literature, which 

 failed of its purpose for want of proper distribution. There have been 

 instances where as many copies of a costly pamphlet rotted in cellars 

 or molded in garrets as were distributed; while tons of extra editions 

 of papers and periodicals, printed to satisfy the advertiser or fulfill an 

 unreasonable contract, have never seen the light of day. Not long ago 

 the writer went into a county to plead with the Supervisors on the im- 

 portance of supplying the State Board of Trade with literature on their 

 locality. After he had concluded his remarks the clerk spoke up and 



