THE PRESIDENT: Mr. Patterson, I thank you. I feel that I cannot let this opportunity pass to correct an impression that might have gotten over from one remark of Mr. Patterson's about the filbert nurseries being the result of my efforts. That is a long way from being so. In every successful operation I believe the master hand can be traced. In this operation of ours here the master hand has been that of my esteemed friend of long standing and very close coöperation covering a period of over a decade, Mr. Conrad Vollertsen. Mr. Vollertsen is entitled to the full credit for the success of our industry. I feel that I am justified in claiming for myself in connection with it the credit for the enterprise. Each of us in life has our particular place to fill. Mr. Vollertsen brought to me the idea of this filbert operation some years ago, over a decade, especially the idea of propagating the filbert from the layer instead of from the bud or graft, it being my belief up to that time that it could be propagated only by budding and grafting. He had worked in the nurseries in Germany as a young man and had told me of his experiences. So I sent to Germany and got five plants of twenty varieties, leaving to the nurseries from which I purchased them the selection of the varieties. I think the plants were six to twelve inches in size. From these, under the ability and knowledge of my friend, Conrad Vollertsen, has been developed what you saw this afternoon. I am mighty proud of it and so is he because he and I alone know what we have had to buck these last ten or eleven years. Speaking frankly, it has been pretty hard going sometimes, but personally I feel tonight, after what has been said to me by many of our members at our place this afternoon, especially the praise of our faculty to which I referred in my paper, that we have accomplished something really worth while, and it is my ambition and Mr. Vollertsen's, too, I know, to prove that we have a really worthwhile thing for the people. The pecan is the highest in food value of any nut known to the world today. The filbert is the second highest in food value and I believe it is a nut adapted for a wider range of soils and climates in the North than any other nut. I know this may sound a little like blowing my own horn, but I want you to understand that I am chuck full of filbert as well as pecan. I am certainly mighty happy for my pecan association in southwest Georgia, and I am feeling pretty happy tonight in connection with the filbert also.
I am met with a disappointment this evening. Mrs. Patterson tentatively promised to favour us with a paper on the use of nuts as foods. But I regret to say that she is somewhat indisposed and unable to favor us with a paper as promised. So I am going to ask another member, a new member, to make a few remarks on the subject of nuts as food. I know that he knows what he is talking about when it comes to a discussion of the subject of nuts as food, because I come in rather vigorous contact with him twice a week, and he talks nuts as food to me on those occasions. I am endeavoring to follow out his suggestions as closely as possible and I know that I am benefiting in health by so doing. I refer to James B. Rawnsley, the noted physical culturist who lives in this city. I have great pleasure in introducing to you Professor James B. Rawnsley.
MR. RAWNSLEY: Mr. Chairman and ladies and gentlemen: The gentleman that Mr. Patterson referred to as going to the hospital for repairs was not taken there because of eating nuts. The cause of the need for repairs was good food going into that man's stomach and mixing up with a lot of refuse matter that he had been eating at some previous time.
MR. PATTERSON: Almonds!
MR. RAWNSLEY: I hope that there are no medical doctors in the place or any butchers because if there are I am liable to go through the door or window. The nuts that you people are growing I hope will be the only thing, along with fruits and vegetables, that will be eaten in the future. As Mr. Patterson said tonight, since God put nuts and fruits and vegetables on this earth, those are what we ought to use from the commencement of life. The nut is one of the cleanest and most wholesome foods that is grown. I have tried it a good many years and I want to tell you, ladies and gentlemen, that there is nothing so sweet, so good or so substantial. It does not take much of a meal of nuts mixed with fruits to keep a person alive and well and strong. The sooner you people that are growing nuts get that into your minds and use it the sooner you will find it the best advertisement by which to get new members into the association. Show it yourself by using them.
THE PRESIDENT: I am mighty grateful to you for your words. We are going to try and get through one more paper this evening. It is by Mr. John Dunbar, Assistant Superintendent of Parks, Rochester, N. Y., on the subject, Nut Trees in Rochester Parks. I have great pleasure in introducing Mr. Dunbar.
MR. DUNBAR: Mr. President, and ladies and gentlemen: I picked up the program this morning and looking it over I was quite surprised to see that I was down there for a paper. We have given much attention for possibly twenty-five or thirty years to the establishment of an arboretum in the parks of Rochester of all the trees that are hardy in the north temperate zone. I think that perhaps the Rochester parks today stand next to the arboretum at Harvard University in the number of species and variety of trees from all parts of the north temperate zone.
We are studying trees generally from the ornamental point of view and to educate the people in the value of trees. Of course we have a large number of nut trees, hickories, walnuts and hazels, and incidentally we are interested in their food value.
In listening to Mr. Rawnsley tonight I was much interested in what he said because he is a neighbor of mine and lives across the street. I remember seeing him on a cold winter day when I was walking down street in a big overcoat, five below zero. Across the street there was Mr. Rawnsley shoveling snow and all he had on was trousers and a shirt. I have found out tonight how he could do it, by eating nuts. I said to my wife that I didn't see how he could stand it but now I shall tell her that I have found out.
Of course there are some nuts that are commercially of no use here. The pecan is the nut of the South. Mr. McGlennon and Mr. Vollertsen are doing great things with the filbert here. I think there is a great future here in the North for the hazels and king nuts. Other nuts that are very important here because they are hardy are the black walnut and the butternut. If walnuts and hickories can be grafted in tens of thousands like apples and peaches, all right, go ahead, but in the meantime raise all the seedlings you can. I am surprised that so far nothing has been said here about the king nut. There are only two places in New York State where the king nut grows. It grows in the Genesee Valley from Rochester up to Mt. Morris quite abundantly and it grows around Albany and Central New York. There are no other places in New York State where it grows. It is a larger nut than the common shell bark. It makes a magnificent tree. I think the king nut should be planted. We are growing it ourselves in the park. The tree itself grows fifteen miles from here. We have it in the park today and I have planted a good many of these nuts. I think the big shell bark or king nut and the shell barks should be planted quite extensively. Put them in the ground and let them come up. They will come up. Another good tree we have here with great possibilities in it is the Japanese butternut. It is hardy and I understand it is growing at Lockport. These are a few rambling ideas. Incidentally we are doing all we can to spread the gospel of nut culture and the growing of nut trees. If people could see them in the parks it would help along their education.