"God Pity the Farmers"

When money-making little Graham Creighton Patterson quit as publisher of the Christian Herald in 1935 to take over Philadelphia's moribund Farm Journal, a Herald colleague said: "Goodby, Graham. If you become as good a farmer as you were a Christian, God pity the farmers."

Backed by the money of Oilman Joseph Newton Pew, Publisher Patterson made over his entire magazine, high-pressured circulation from 1,000,000 to 1,350,000, advertising revenue from $300,000 to $1,150,000. All he lacked to be a huge success were the lucrative cosmetic, baby-food and home appliance ads, which instead of flocking to Farm Journal remained with The Farmer's Wife of St. Paul (circ. 1,170,000), only magazine written exclusively for farm women.

Last week Publisher Patterson announced his acquisition of The Farmer's Wife. The combined magazines will have a circulation well above the Curtis Country Gentleman's, 1,840,000, largest farm coverage in the U. S.

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