Baldwin, Long Island, Sept. 4 Stamford, Connecticut, Sept. 5
Chairman—PRESIDENT HARRY R. WEBER
FIRST DAY—MORNING SESSION
THE PRESIDENT: The meeting will please be in order, and we will have the secretary read his report.
THE SECRETARY: Secretary's Report for 1924.—Fourteen years ago, on November 17, 1910, two women and ten men, seers and prophets, met for organization in this building at the invitation of Dr. N. L. Britton, at that time and now, Director of the New York Botanic Gardens. We meet here again today by reason of his unfailing kindness.
Of the twelve persons present at that first meeting, three are here
again, Dr. Britton, Dr. Morris and myself, and two are known to be dead,
Prof. Craig of Cornell University, and Mr. Henry Hales, of Ridgewood,
New Jersey.
The association has held an annual convention each year of its existence except during the war, in 1918, when no formal meeting was held. An annual report has been published every year, except that the report of the proceedings of the first meeting was incorporated in the report of the second meeting, and the ninth report, that for 1918, has not yet been issued.
The present secretary has held the office every year except in 1918 and 1919, during military service, when Mr. Bixby took his place.
From an educational and scientific standpoint I think the association may be said to have fulfilled creditably its original declaration of purpose, "the promotion of interest in nut-bearing plants, their products and their culture." Many choice nuts have been brought to notice and perpetuated. The establishment of nurseries where grafted nut trees of choice varieties may be obtained has been encouraged. The art of grafting and propagating nut trees has been brought to a high degree of success by members of the association. Experimental orchards, both of transplanted nursery trees and of topworked native trees, have been established in widely separated parts of the country.
Acting on the suggestion and request of members of the association, Mr. Olcott established the American Nut Journal, one of the most important of our accomplishments. Finally, and perhaps best of all, a number of horticultural institutions have taken up seriously the study of nut culture and the planting of experimental orchards. Testimony to this will be found in letters to be read by the secretary and in the presence on our program today of representatives of several horticultural and other institutions of learning. I believe that the association can take credit to itself for having, by its publications and other means of influence, in large degree brought about this interest and action.