HOUSE AND GARDEN 
M AY, 1912 
A t the bottom of every adver¬ 
tising page in most monthiy 
^ periodicais there is an un¬ 
obtrusive line which says in some 
form or other, "Please mention 
this magazine in writing to ad¬ 
vertisers.’’ It is a matter of good 
citizenship to grant this request. 
Here's how. In the first place, 
such mention benefits the maga¬ 
zine. An advertiser may get 150 
replies from space used in five 
magazines. Thirty of them, per¬ 
haps, tell where the advertise¬ 
ment was read, and among these 
may be a majority of magazine 
number one. There is, however, a 
])ossibility that an equal number 
of answers were induced by each 
magazine, in which case the ad¬ 
vertiser would no doubt use all of 
them again the following issue. 
But as magazine number one has drawn the greatest number of 
traceable replies, it is given the preference over the others. Let us 
suppose for a minute that the reader has no special wish to help along 
the publisher's cause. The reader has paid for his subscription; he 
owes the publisher nothing; and it is some little trouble to explain to 
the advertiser that he saw his offer of an aeroplane for $327.62 in the 
Sticky Fly Paper. 
Such a citizen of the United States is not a friend of the economic 
development of his country. The financial stability of the land de¬ 
pends on the successful and economical marketing of goods by the 
merchant. To tell a man that he has secured your business through 
advertising in a certain magazine or newspaper, is economy. It shows 
him the direct result of his expenditure, and enables him to continue 
to spend his money intelligently. And for every intelligent spender, 
the country is just that much better off. We can all help. 
THE TRUTH ABOUT THE FARM 
Perhaps you have been reading a story in House and Garden about 
a man who was heartily tired of city life and went to the country to 
become a farmer. It's a little different from any of the articles, but 
is very interesting, and it gives you a picture of rural life, besides 
showing the practical side of the undertaking. We were talking with 
this man a while ago, and he has now become a landed proprietor of 
some means and has made a great success of his work. Best of all, 
he simply bubbles over with enthusiasm. We are very glad that we 
finally induced him to write his experiences; he has given them in 
such a straightforward manner that he is helping a great many to get 
a clear idea about what this “Back to the Land” movement really 
means. In some of the forthcoming numbers there is a mine of in¬ 
formation so vividly presented that you will surely want to see it. 
There is another such enthusi¬ 
ast, John Anthony by name, who 
went into New England and 
made a go of fruit-growing. He 
is creating a big stir throughout 
the country because he has intro¬ 
duced business methods to apple 
culture with telling effect. He 
told his story in the March and 
April magazines, but we are go¬ 
ing to hear from him again soon. 
The only thing we have against 
.-Vnthony is, that despite his hard 
work — and hard it is—he is hav¬ 
ing such a thoroughly good time 
that he makes us very envious. 
Here is something from one of 
those letters of his— they don't 
come too frequently, for they 
make us feel as if a little bit of 
fresh country air had blown into 
the office over the dusty roofs. 
"When real folks want to try farming, I will be found ready to 
help when I can. Only they want to be sure about it. Few folks would 
like the sort of work I have been luxuriating in lately. Sawing wood 
all day long is the easiest job we get to do. My assistant and I are 
keeping bachelor hall until the arrival of his wife. Meantime we keep 
house, cook the bulliest meals you ever heard of, and do a full hard 
day's work in the orchard besides. The snow is deep and soft and wet. 
The sun, reflected from the snow, is more blistery than any of the 
Florida article. Yet — it is the only real fun that I ever ran across. 
“Already we have combined the good things of the city and the 
country. The food is of the latter (raised on the place) but the 
preparation and serving is of the former. Cream we have of the sort 
that town folk don't know exists. Syrup that was sap in the trees but 
yesterday. Potatoes, beets, parsnips, eggs, cream cheese, butter, all 
from this ground. But I easily get garrulous.” 
If this itching to be back in the country comes over you, and you 
are downright earnest about it, write in and we’ll put you in touch 
with John Anthony, for there is not a better man to help you. 
MORE THAN FIVE MILLION SPADES 
Would you believe that during this month that the House and Gar¬ 
den Gardening Guide went through the mails that there were over 
five million starting to dig gardens in the United States? With equal 
conservatism we can say that House and Garden is guiding the course 
0? sixty thousand of that number, and they are not merely turning up 
angle worms, either. From the letters we read and the people we see, 
some of the finest gardens in the land are developed from the pages of 
this magazine. We want to do some proselyting and you who are suc¬ 
ceeding should help by sending in the information you have dug up. 
Blatr Jacket, author of “WwdmiUs and Wooden 
Shoes,” “Planning a Trip Abroad.” etc., is as 
much at heme in the saddle of the Texas broncho 
as he is in a publisher’s office—sometimes a little 
more so 
Here are Mr. and Mrs. Frank VcrBeck riding behind their 
pet donkey. “Gunja” in Bermuda. Mrs. VcrBeck is better 
known as Hanna Rion, and is the author of “Let’s Make a 
Flower Garden” and “The Garden in the Wilderness,” both 
charming outdoor books 
Lewis Gaston Leary in the mountains of Palestine, 
a country which he knows as well as he knows his 
home town. He is following up his “The Real 
Palestine of To-day” with another ten-strike, 
“Andorra, the Hidden Republic” 
Ft ‘ . 
