NORTHERN
NUT GROWERS ASSOCIATION
REPORT
OF THE PROCEEDINGS AT THE
TENTH ANNUAL MEETING
BATTLE CREEK, MICHIGAN
DECEMBER 9 AND 10,
1919
CONTENTS
Page Officers and Committees of the Association 4 Members of the Association 5 Constitution and By-Laws 9 Proceedings of the Tenth Annual Convention 11 President's Address, Mr W. C. Reed, Indiana 11 Report of the Secretary-Treasurer 14 Business Sessions 15, 133 The Farms by the Side of the Road, Matthew Henry Hoover, New York 23 Native Nut Tree Plantations in Michigan, Prof. A. K. Chittenden, Michigan 33 Pecans Other Than Those of the Well Known Sections, J. F. Jones, Pennsylvania 44 Hazel Nuts and Filberts, Conrad Vollertsen, New York 53 Disease Resistance in the American Chestnut, Arthur H. Graves, Connecticut 60 Notes on the Hickories, Dr. Robert T. Morris, New York 68 The Nutritive Value of Nuts, F. A. Cajorie, Connecticut 80 Nut Trees and Bushes in Landscape Work, O. C. Simonds, Illinois 88 Nut Culture in Michigan, C. A. Reed, U. S. Department of Agriculture, 98 Nut Trees for Highways and Public Places, Hon. William S. Linton, Michigan 108 Legislation Regarding the Planting of Nut and Other Food Producing Trees, Senator Harvey A. Penney, Michigan 112 Michigan Law Regarding Roadside Planting of Nut Trees 116 The Soy Bean, Dr. J. H. Kellogg, Michigan 118 Judging Nuts, Willard G. Bixby, New York 122 The 1919 Nut Contest, Willard G. Bixby, New York 146OFFICERS OF THE ASSOCIATION
President W. S. Linton Saginaw, Michigan Vice-President James S. McGlennon Rochester, New York Secretary and Treasurer Willard G. Bixby Baldwin, Nassau Co., New York Acting Secretary W. C. Deming Wilton, ConnecticutCOMMITTEES
Auditing—C. P. Close, C. A. Reed Executive—J. Russell Smith, W. C. Reed and the Officers Federal Aid—J. M. Patterson, R. T. Morris, J. H. Kellogg, T. P. Littlepage, Willard G. Bixby, J. F. Jones, J. S. McGlennon Finance—T. P. Littlepage, Willard G. Bixby, W. C. Deming Hybrids—R. T. Morris, C. P. Close, W. C. Deming, J. G. Rush Membership—Harry R. Weber, R. T. Olcott, F. N.STATE VICE-PRESIDENTS
California T. C. Tucker 311 California St., San Francisco Canada G. H. Corsan 17 Rusholme Park Crescent, Toronto Connecticut Henry Leroy Lewis Stratford Georgia J. B. Wight Cairo Illinois E. A. Riehl Godfrey Indiana M. P. Reed Vincennes Maryland C. P. Close College Park Massachusetts James H. Bowditch 903 Tremont Building, Boston Michigan Dr. J. H. Kellogg Battle Creek Missouri P. C. Stark Louisiana New Jersey C. S. Ridgway Lumberton New York M. E. Wile 37 Calumet St., Rochester Ohio Harry R. Weber 601 Gerke Building, Cincinnati Pennsylvania J. G. Rush West Willow Texas R. S. Trumbull M. S. R. R. Co., El Paso West Virginia B. F. Hartzell ShepherdstownMEMBERS OF THE NORTHERN NUT GROWERS ASSOCIATION
Arkansas * Drake, Prof. N. F., University of Arkansas, Fayetteville California Cress, B. E., Tehachapi Tucker, T. C, Manager California Almond Growers Exchange, 311 California St., San Francisco Canada Corsan, G. H., 17 Rusholme Park Crescent, Toronto Sager, Dr. D. S., Brantford Connecticut Barrows, Paul M., May Apple Farm, High Ridge, Stamford Bartlett, Francis A., Stamford Deming, Dr. W. C, Wilton Filley, W. O., State Forester, Drawer 1, New Haven Glover, James L., Shelton, R. F. D. 7 Hungerford, Newman, Torrington, R. F. D. 2, Box 76 Ives, Ernest M., Sterling Orchards, Meriden Lewis, Henry Leroy, Stratford McGlashan, Archibald, Kent * Morris, Dr. Robert T., Cos Cob, Route 28, Box 95 Pomeroy, Eleazer, 120 Bloomfield Ave., Windsor Sessions, Albert L., 25 Bellevue Ave., Bristol Southworth, George E., Milford, Box 172 Staunton, Gray, 98 Park St., New Haven White, Gerrard, North Granby District of Columbia Close, Prof. C. P., Pomologist, Department of Agriculture, Washington Foster, B. G., 902 G Street, N. W. Washington * Littlepage, T. P., Union Trust Building, Washington Reed, C. A., Nut Culturist, Department of Agriculture, Washington Taylor, Dr. Lewis H., The Cecil, Washington ** Van Fleet, Walter, U. S. Department of Agriculture, Washington England Spence, Howard, Eskdale, Knutsford, Cheshire Georgia Bullard, William P., Albany Van Duzee, C. A., Judson Orchard Farm, Cairo Wight, J. B., Cairo Illinois Casper, O. H., Anna Librarian, University of Illinois, Urbana Poll, Carl J., 1009 Maple St., Danville Potter, Hon. W. O., Marion Riehl, E. A., Godfrey, Route 2 Uran, B. F., Mattoon Indiana Crain, Donald J., 1313 North St., Logansport Reed, M. P., Vincennes Reed, W. C., Vincennes Simpson, H. D., Vincennes Staderman, A. L., 120 S. Seventh St., Terre Haute Wilkinson, J. F., Rockport Iowa Snyder, D. C., Center Point (Linn Co. Nurseries) Kansas Sharpe, James, Council Grove, (Morris Co. Nurseries) Kentucky Baker, Sam C., Beaver Dam, R. D. 2 Livengood, Frank M., Berea Maryland Hoopes, Wilmer P., Forest Hill Keenan, Dr. John F., Brentwood Littlepage, Miss Louise, Bowie Massachusetts * Bowditch, James H., 903 Tremont Building, Boston Cleaver, C. Leroy, 496 Commonwealth Ave., Boston Michigan House, George W., Ford Building, Detroit Kellogg, Dr. J. H., 202 Manchester St., Battle Creek Linton, W. S., President Board of Trade SaginawCONSTITUTION
Article I
Name. This society shall be known as the Northern Nut Growers Association.
Article II
Object. Its object shall be the promotion of interest in nut-bearing plants, their products and their culture.
Article III
Membership. Membership in the society shall be open to all persons who desire to further nut culture, without reference to place of residence or nationality, subject to the rules and regulations of the committee on membership.
Article IV
Officers. There shall be a president, a vice-president and a secretary-treasurer, who shall be elected by ballot at the annual meeting; and an executive committee of five persons, of which the
Article V
Election of Officers. A committee of five members shall be elected at the annual meeting for the purpose of nominating officers for the following year.
Article VI
Meetings. The place and time of the annual meeting shall be selected by the membership in session or, in the event of no selection being made at this time, the executive committee shall choose the place and time for the holding of the annual convention. Such other meetings as may seem desirable may be called by the president and executive committee.
Article VII
Quorum. Ten members of the association shall constitute a quorum, but must include a majority of the executive committee or two of the three elected officers.
Article VIII
Amendments. This constitution may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the members present at any annual meeting, notice of such amendment having been read at the previous annual meeting, or a copy of the proposed amendment having been mailed by any member to each member thirty days before the date of the annual meeting.
BY-LAWS
Article I
Committees. The association shall appoint standing committees as follows: On membership, on finance, on programme, on press and publication, on nomenclature, on promising seedlings, on hybrids, and an auditing committee. The committee on membership may make recommendations to the association as to the discipline or expulsion of any member.
Article II
Fees. The fees shall be of two kinds, annual and life. The former shall be two dollars, the latter twenty dollars.
Article III
Membership. All annual memberships shall begin with the first day of the calendar quarter following the date of joining the association.
Article IV
Amendments. By-laws may be amended by a two-thirds vote of members present at any annual meeting.
Northern Nut Growers Association
TENTH ANNUAL MEETING
December 9 and 10, 1919
Battle Creek, Michigan
The tenth annual meeting of the Northern Nut Growers' Association was called to order at 11:00 A. M., Tuesday, December 9, 1919, in the Annex Parlor of the Battle Creek Sanitarium, Battle Creek, Michigan, with the President, W. C. Reed, presiding.
The meeting was opened with a short business session beginning with the President's report as follows:
PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS
W. C. Reed, Vincennes, Ind.
Fellow Members, Northern Nut Growers Association,
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Our Association meets today under the most favorable surroundings. We have this splendid building in which to hold our meetings, furnished gratuitously also have with us in this wonderful Institution several thousand guests, men and women of ability and prominence in their respective communities, from all parts of the United States.
Dr. Kellogg has been very kind and generous in extending an invitation several times to this association, and your speaker has thought there was no place quite so well suited for a winter meeting. It gives me great pleasure to be able to be with you and preside over a meeting as the guests of Dr. Kellogg. There is probably no man in America who has done so much to further the use of nuts, to show their benefits, and to explain their uses, as a food for mankind.
Conditions have changed greatly since our last meeting, September 1917, at Stamford, Connecticut. At that time the greater part of the world was at war, and owing to conditions prevailing during 1918, it was impossible for this association to hold its annual meeting. Your speaker is still holding the office of President because you have had no meeting at which new officers could be elected. It is to be regretted that the past three years have been crowded so full of events, that it was impossible to give the association matters the attention they deserved, and devote the time to them I would have liked to have done.
With the armistice came a cessation of war, and we are all happy that the terrible struggle is over, but with it have come conditions that are almost as terrible as war. Famine and want stare millions of people in the face on the continent of Europe. Our own country is at present in the grip of strikes for higher wages, the like of which has never been known. Yet we are prosperous beyond the greatest dreams of any nation on earth, but with this prosperity comes many duties. Our yields of food crops have been great, but to us has fallen the lot of feeding the world, and this will continue until industrial and agricultural conditions of Europe, have been reestablished on a pre-war condition.
There never was a time when meats of all kinds were so expensive, and to many almost prohibitive. Many have learned the use of nut meats in varied ways until all kinds of edible nuts are quoted on the markets today at prices undreamed of in former years. These conditions will not always last; crop failures will come; and production will be curtailed. Land values are advancing so rapidly that the production of cheap meats will be impossible. To help supply this deficiency, there will be an increased demand for nuts of all kinds.
To help meet this demand, much can be done by road side planting. On our main market highways, such trees as the grafted black walnuts could be planted profitably, in many sections of the country; the English walnut in some parts where they succeed the best; and the pecan and chestnut in other parts of the country where they are specially adapted.
While commercial planting of nut trees may not be attractive to the average man, home planting of a few nut trees can be recommended for every where space is available. They will make beautiful shade trees, and produce crops that will eventually be of great value. To land owners who are planting private parks, avenues and pastures, we would recommend nut trees.
The production of nut trees is very difficult, and the development and testing of new varieties, a slow and expensive process. We need the Government's helping hand, and are very glad that there has been set aside by Congress an appropriation to help develop this industry. We have with us, the Nut Culturist from the Department of Agriculture, who is devoting his entire time along these lines.
On the programme that is to be presented here, today and tomorrow, are men of national reputation in their respective lines, who stand at the head of their profession. To our friends and visitors here, we extend an urgent invitation, that you attend all the meetings possible, and we trust that you may learn much that will be of interest, and that this information may be taken home to your different communities.
Our sincere thanks should be extended to the Programme Committee and our very efficient Secretary who have given so much time to this work.
For an
We are told, the good we do unto others lives after us. May the Nut Trees planted and fostered by the members of this association, live long to wave their leafy branches under Heaven's purple dome, and may weary pilgrims of future generations rest beneath their shade, and enjoy their fruits, thanking us with a silent prayer that these trees were planted for their benefit.
President Reed: I believe the next thing in order will be the reading of the secretary's and treasurer's reports. Does any one have anything to present while we are waiting for the secretary, who is busy?
Dr. Morris: How many members have we, Mr. President?
President Reed: I don't know. Several have written me asking about members, and Mr. Olcott probably knows something about it.
Mr. Olcott: I don't know how many there are now; but I think there were 150 or 200 at the time of the Stamford meeting. I think there were that many enrolled. I presume that two-thirds of those renewed—probably something over 100 members.
President Reed: There were 138 paid members.
Dr. Morris: Dr. Kellogg says there may be a thousand men in the audience this evening, and if there are we ought to do some propaganda work.
President Reed: I don't remember who the membership committee was. Mr. Weber was chairman, I believe, and he is not here. Olcott is next on the committee.
Mr. Olcott: I didn't know I was on that committee.
President Reed: Fagan was on that committee, Potter, Deming, Williams, J. Russell Smith. I guess you are the only member of the committee who is here. We are ready for the report of the secretary and treasurer, Mr. Bixby.
REPORT OF THE SECRETARY-TREASURER
Sept. 1, 1917-Nov. 30, 1919
to
Dec. 31, '17 Jan. 1, '18
to
May 20, '18 May 21, '18
to
Dec. 31, '18 Jan. 1, '19
to
Nov. 30, '19 Total Balance Balance on hand date of last report, August 31, 1917. $ 15.93 Received from annual members including joint subscriptions to American Nut Journal $69.50 $123.54 $ 73.75 $247.35 $514.14 Received in payment of life membership 20.00 25.00 45.00 Sale of reports, brochures and leaflets 2.25 4.00 9.95 4.85 21.05 Advertising in report of Stamford meetings 8th, 1917 21.00 21.00 Sales of sundry material. 1.58 1.58 Contributions for 1917 Contest 25.00 125.00 150.00 Contribution for special hickory prizes 25.00 25.00 $112.75 $145.12 $108.70 $427.20 $793.77 $793.77 $809.70 EXPENDITURES American Nut Journal, their portion of joint subscriptions $ 6.75 $ 14.00 $ 59.00 $ 79.75 Stationary, printing and Supplies .69 44.05 49.50 94.24 Postage, Express, etc. 4.82 13.95 9.66 9.24 37.67 Prizes 1917 Nut Contest 15.00 15.00 Prize 1918 Nut Contest 107.00 107.00 Advertising 1917 Nut Contest $10.21; expenses 1917 contest $2.90 13.11 13.11 Advertising 1918 Nut Contest 51.50 51.50 Stamford Meeting 1917 expenses 65.55 65.55 Printing Report of Stamford Meeting 162.00 162.00 Errors in remittance corrected 3.85 3.50 7.35 Litchfield Savings Bank. Life membership of John Rick Balance on hand Dec. 1, 1919. 20.00 20.00
The above are records of receipts and expenditures for two years and three months and are approximately double those noted in the report of of the Stamford meeting. The activities of the Association were necessarily at a low ebb in war time, and, although a joint meeting with the National Association was planned for the fall of 1918, it was never held.
The list of members printed in this report numbers 128 while that in the last one shows 166, apparently a very large decrease. The last report showed 138 paid up members. Following the methods of Secretary Deming, members who have not responded to notices and letters have been dropped. In no case has a member been dropped until a letter with return postage has been sent. In a number of instances members thus written to have resigned giving various reasons, the most common of which are change of occupation or residence, which prevented their doing anything in the line of nut growing or lack of success in their attempts to grow nuts. Two members have died since the last meeting, Mr. Wendell P. Williams and Mr. Mahlon Hutchinson; the former was in the U. S. Service at the time of his death. 57 new members have been added to our rolls since 1917 making a total of 410 joining since organization of whom we now have 128, 282 having dropped out. Of the 52 who have joined since last meeting, 21 joined before Oct. 1, 1919 the date of the proposed meeting in Albany, Ga., which was never held, and 31 since that date.
The holding of members is a difficult problem and one that has not been worked out at all satisfactorily. Most members join in the hope of thereby learning how to successfully grow nut trees. They find out that so much is still experimental that most do not remain. This is bound to continue till we can show grafted or budded nut trees bearing satisfactory crops, and, until that time, there seems nothing to do but to keep on going after new members and by means of bulletins, reports, letters and otherwise making the membership more valuable than ever. There has been a greater interest in nut growing during the past fall than at any time since your Secretary-Treasurer has held office.
Respectfully submitted,
WILLARD G. BIXBY,
Secretary-Treasurer.
President Reed: You have heard the report. What is your pleasure? I believe that is usually referred to an auditing committee. C. A. Reed was chairman of that committee.
Mr. Bixby: Mr. Reed spoke to me about this yesterday. He said he would be glad to audit it, but there has not been time to give it to him. It was ready for him this morning, but he was busy on other things.
President Reed: What is the next thing on the program, Mr. Secretary?
Mr. Bixby: The reports of committees. I do not know how much report the standing committees have.
President Reed: There is the executive committee, the finance committee, the hybrids committee—maybe Dr. Morris has something on that.
Dr. Morris: No, I have no report to make on that. I shall talk on the subject this afternoon or in the course of my paper incidentally. I didn't see any occasion for action in that direction since the last meeting, so I have not acted except incidentally in the course of my work.
President Reed: The committee on nomenclature—of course they wouldn't have any report until after this meeting.
Mr. Bixby: Who is on that committee?—C. A. Reed, Dr. Morris, and J. F. Jones. Two members of the committee are here. There is one matter which perhaps I better bring up to the committee first,—one matter I think they should take some action on.
President Reed: I think it would be best to have that come up at a later time.
Dr. Morris: I would like to bring in something incidentally in relation to nomenclature in my paper. Perhaps we could have the question discussed after I have brought up that point.
President Reed: There is a committee on promising seedlings C. A. Reed, and J. F. Jones. I think that covers all the standing committees. Wasn't there a committee on nominations for officers to be elected, this morning?
Mr. Bixby: That nominating committee has to be elected.
President Reed: How many members?
Mr. Bixby: There were four or five last time, I think.
President Reed: (Reading by-laws calling for five members).
Mr. Bixby: I move Mr. Olcott be on the committee.
Voice: I second the motion.
President Reed: It has been moved and seconded that Mr. Olcott be elected as a member of the nominating committee. All in favor say, Aye. It is so ordered. Who else shall we have, for a second member?
Mr. Linton: I move Mr. Bixby be a member of the committee.
Mr. Bixby: There is a precedent that the secretary has never been a member of the nominating committee. He has sometimes given them information. I move Dr. Morris, Mr. Jones, and Mr. Linton be members of the nominating committee, and Mr. McGlennon.
Mr. McGlennon: I second the motion.
Mr. Olcott: The committee as you suggested it is Dr. Morris, Mr. J. F. Jones, Mr. Linton, Mr. McGlennon and myself?
President Reed: You have heard the motion. All in favor say Aye. The committee stands elected as named. They report at tomorrow morning's meeting. I think there is one matter it would be well to bring up, and that is the membership committee.
Mr. Olcott: I was going to suggest that is an important matter, and I think that committee should be filled out with those who are present, inasmuch as the regular members are not here. It looks as though a
President Reed: Have you any suggestions as to whom you want on that committee?
Mr. Bixby: Those committees, with the exception of the nominating committee, are appointed by the president. I think myself that the new president appoints them.
President Reed: My idea was to appoint for this meeting and help Mr. Olcott out.
Mr. Olcott: I suggest Mr. McGlennon and Mr. Jones as two of the members.
President Reed: Let it stand as it is with the three and give the chairman power to appoint two more later.
Mr. McGlennon: Can the secretary tell us how many members there are?
Mr. Bixby: One hundred sixty-four notices of this meeting were sent out. There are 128 paid up members.
Mr. Olcott: On the matter of membership, I wonder if the association could suggest some inducement for membership, or summarize the inducements. As you know, the American Association of Nurserymen has been desirous of more members, and they found it very advisable to outline definitely the benefits of membership in that association. I am wondering if that has been done recently and could not be emphasized in some way to the advantage of larger membership. You have got to do something more than say that there is in existence an association devoted to these purposes and everybody is invited to come in. Maybe the secretary has something on that line.
Mr. Bixby: I have no suggestion. It is very evident that there is a greatly increased interest in nut growing over what there was when I first took up the office. That is very clearly brought out by the amount of mail received. You may know that Capt. Deming, when in the service, took the position of editing the nut department of the American Fruit Grower. I saw him recently and it looks to me as if, as editor of that department, he is answering about as many correspondents on nuts and trying to boost the association in that way as he did when he was secretary before. And that would appear to be in addition to the communications that are coming to me now.
Mr. Olcott: There is interest. We get at the Journal office a great quantity of inquiries but only a small per cent of them result in memberships and subscriptions, and while this interest is so strong, ought not this association to study that which is something of a problem—perhaps something that ought to be taken up in view of the interests and the benefits of the association shown.
President Reed: I think that is a good suggestion. I think they need something along that line. Is there anything else we want to bring up at this morning session?
Mr. McGlennon: Is this not a very good field to open up operations along that line, right here at Battle Creek? A large number of people who come here are people who eat nuts, and I believe that condition would resolve itself into a material advance of membership. I think we ought to get busy right here and see if we can not enlist the membership of a great number of the patrons of this institution.
Mr. Olcott: That was the principal object of the membership committee I suppose. My idea was to get the ideas of the individual members, put them together and present a broadside of benefits in this organization rather than have one man attempt to outline them.
Dr. Morris: There is an immense amount of interest. The question is how to get it together and formulate it in such a way that men will join. There is an enormous, large loose majority, and we must have a small compact minority to swing it as the Senators do down at Washington, you know. Prof. Murrill of the New York Botanical Garden told me that wherever he went (he is interested in mushrooms, that is his special subject) he had had no idea in the world there was so much interest of the public in mushrooms; yet when it comes to getting together members to form the base of an association to study the subject, he finds very few members. It is simply because men haven't got the habit, and we have got in some way to give direction to that in such a way that it will be focused and concentrated on some one objective point. How to do it, I don't know.
Mr. Bixby: Dr. Kellogg suggested that at the meeting this evening there will be the largest number of people, not members, that there has been at any meeting; and he said he had had requests from people that they wanted to hear Dr. Morris, and they wanted to hear Prof. Cajori who used to be here, and he asked me to change those from this afternoon to this evening in order to accomplish that, and I said we would switch the program. That was for that very purpose.
Mr. Olcott: Mr. President, it just occurred to me that in view of the number of inquiries we get, and I am sure the secretary gets, and I am also sure Dr. Deming gets from his articles, there is no doubt of the interest, yet the joining of this Northern Association, and the attendance of its single annual meeting, does not appeal to many. They do not find it convenient to attend the convention; they do not see any great amount of benefit in the membership. It occurs to me that if we had a list of state vice-presidents and each of those could provide for some local gathering of people interested in nut culture in the various communities; rather, I would say that if our members, as fast as we can increase our membership, wherever they are located, would form a nucleus of a little circle in their neighborhood, and have them affiliated with the Northern Association; it would accomplish this result. And afterward it occurred to me that perhaps that could be done through state vice-presidents. But what is really needed is to get them together in meetings. They won't come yet. They will when you get a larger membership, but they won't come to the annual meeting of this association where I think they would go to a community affair and talk over matters and refer difficult problems to the Northern Association of which they were affiliated members. In some way, a wheel within a wheel could work at it that way, and we could increase membership in that way.
Dr. Morris: It is a rule in psychology that you have got to have personal interest first. If Mr. Olcott's idea of having a local vice-president offer prizes, no matter how small, for nuts in the vicinity, and would also state that any one finding some remarkable nut would have that nut named after him to go down to all time, you would have two points there in self-interest. First, a five dollar prize to the best nut; next the name going rattling down through time in association with it. There are two points of personal interest. We may as well take it back to the basic principles and begin with the psychology of the situation.
Mr. Ketchum: Mr. President, in regard to these vice-presidents, that point looks to me very good for this reason. I saw it work out in the Minnesota State Horticultural Society. They had a vice-president in each congressional district. I was vice-president in the third district one year myself From them reports were sent from their district by people who were interested. They were asked to fill out blanks about conditions as they found them in their neighborhood and we got great good from it. Then this vice-president was to make a general district report from the reports sent him, and hand it in at the annual meeting. It was quite a success.
Mr. Ketchum: That was in the third district which included the northeast part of the state. It was quite a large district geographically, and I sent out something like seventy of these blank reports, and while the interest was very slight, I think I got 23 field reports in return, and out of those 23 were some nine or ten that were of some considerable importance; but it was a great big help to me in making out my report together with what I knew in my own location. The percentage of reports that came back showed that there was great interest taken by those persons.
Dr. Morris: You can arouse local pride in any locality.
President Reed: I have tried that in our own state in the last two or three years, at county fairs and local district horticultural meetings. Several times I have offered prizes out of my own pocket individually; then I have gotten other parties to help in some cases, and some exhibits even at county farmers' institutes, even very creditable exhibits and they seemed to attract as much interest even as the school exhibits. I know of one case at Martinsville two years ago this winter where the nut exhibit was almost as large as the fruit exhibit, and I think it attracted more attention; and I think there was only something like ten dollars spent in order to get it out. I think that work along that line, missionary work of that kind, is going to do us more good than almost any other endeavor.
Mr. Olcott: I do not think that the industry is old enough or strong enough yet, perhaps, to operate that state vice-president plan as it would be perhaps later on, for this reason, that if you have a state vice-president, you narrow the activity in that state to that immediate locality. But it would probably be much better, instead of that, to endeavor to get each member to form the nucleus of a local circle, and so have ten or a dozen in a state, instead of one.
President Reed: I think that suggestion is better.
Mr. Olcott: That was my original idea, and the state vice-president idea came in afterwards.
Mr. McGlennon: How many states are included in the northern association territory?
Mr. Bixby: There is no limit.
Dr. Morris: Northern is a relative term.
President Reed: I don't think there is any clearly defined line where the Northern Association is.
Mr. Olcott: For the reason that men live in the North are interested in lands in the South, and vice versa.
President Reed: There are twenty-three vice-presidents on the list here, in the last published report. Is there anything else that should come up at the morning session? Mr. Secretary, do you know of anything else?
Mr. Bixby: I would really like to see something definite on this line of increasing the membership. I can think of several things that will help; but to get something that is going to have action right away is not so clear. Recently I have had a good many people come down to my place to look at the small orchard I have there. I aim to have varieties of every nut tree that is being propagated, and I think if I keep at it a few years longer I will pretty nearly have them; and in most cases, when people have come down that way, they have become members afterwards. Two or three of them have. I am only twenty miles from New York City, and it is not difficult, if I find someone interested, to invite them down to look over the trees growing there, and usually when they come they join afterwards.
Mr. Olcott: Pardon me for speaking again, but I am on the membership committee and I am anxious to draw out anything that may be of use. Why could not some plan be devised by the secretary or by this committee and sent out tentatively in the way of suggestion and perhaps some other suggestions will be made to add to it. Perhaps also in addition to this local community plan that I suggested, there might be formed, all of it within the Northern Association, a subsidiary thereto—the walnut society—people particularly interested in the walnut, but do not care for the hickory, pecan or any other nut. You will find people particularly interested in the black walnut, some in the Persian walnut, some in the filbert—form a filbert society as the American Nut Journal has suggested, and let all the enthusiasts of the filbert get together, and if they are scattered, let them keep together by correspondence and increased activity in that way. The same for the butternut. Get at it from that way.
Mr. Ketchum: Another thing to further our society here today, we can make those small organizations auxiliary thereto.
Dr. Morris: Any one who is interested in one nut becomes interested in all eventually.
Mr. Bixby: I received more inquiries regarding the Persian walnut and the pecan than any other nuts—probably more regarding the Persian walnut. Nearly everybody who writes wants to grow Persian walnuts; and in the great majority of instances, I have to try to switch them onto black walnuts with the suggestion that they plant a few Persian walnuts because we have no experimental data of the Persian walnut succeeding in their section. In some instances they will turn to the black walnuts; in other instances I hear nothing further from them. The Persian walnut is the most popular with people who have not tried to grow any nuts. Mr. Jones perhaps can tell us how his inquiries run. Don't they run very largely for Persian walnuts?
Mr. Jones: Yes, they do. I was thinking possibly you could make a combination—take, for instance, the membership, the nut journal, and some nut trees. The nurserymen could make considerable concession.
Dr. Morris: That combination is right well.
Mr. Jones: You could give a coupon good for so much on an order for trees or something of that sort.
Mr. Bixby: That suggestion was made and I referred it to the executive committee. I have not had any reply.
President Reed: I didn't have time to answer the communication and get it back to you before I came here; so I thought we would decide on that here. If there is nothing further to come up this morning, a motion to adjourn will be in order until the afternoon session.
Mr. Bixby: I might repeat that at the request of Dr. Kellogg, in order to get the papers which he had been particularly requested to have given so that people could hear them, Dr. Morris and Prof. Cajori who were scheduled this afternoon, will come this evening, and Mr. Hoover's and Mr. Graves' papers, which were scheduled for this evening, will have to come this afternoon. Neither of the writers are present, but the papers are here. Mr. Graves expected to be here but I had a telegram yesterday that he could not get away. I have the paper, though and the photographs.
Mr. McGlennon: Has there been provision made for a paper on filberts by Mr. Vollertsen? If not, I should like to have it.
Mr. Bixby: Certainly, there can be. It ought to come in this afternoon. I wrote Mr. Vollertsen asking if he could deliver it.
Mr. McGlennon: He has the paper prepared, and I want to hear it. I have been closely associated with Mr. Vollertsen for some
Dr. Morris: Put Mr. McGlennon on too.
Mr. McGlennon: I have said all I can say.
Mr. Vollertsen: You have said too much.
President Reed: If there is nothing else, we will stand adjourned until 2:30 p. m.
Tuesday Afternoon, December 9, 1919, 2:30 P. M.
President W. C. Reed, in the Chair
President Reed: The first paper is by Mr. Hoover, Matthew Henry Hoover, of Lockport, N. Y., president of the New York State Conservation Association. Mr. Hoover is not here, and the Secretary will read his paper.