The writer spent one week in Ontario during March for the purpose of introducing scionwood and trees of promising varieties of English walnuts, heartnuts and hybrid walnuts. Thirty trees of the Carpathian strain of the Persian walnut were introduced and all are now alive on our grounds at Lansing. These Carpathian walnuts have endured several winters at Toronto and Montreal and so far have not shown any winter injury. If further trials show that this strain is hardy it will be a decided improvement over any other Persian strain in the northern states or Canada.
Good varieties of heartnuts and filberts were brought in from British Columbia and are now growing nicely at the Kellogg Farm.
Grafting demonstrations were given at nine different places throughout the state during the month of May. These demonstrations were attended by fair sized audiences and much interest was shown in the operation.
In addition to the address before the Illinois Horticultural Society, your president gave an address on nut culture to the Michigan State Horticultural Society at Grand Rapids in December last, and also had on display a large collection of Michigan nuts. The address on nut culture and the display of nuts created considerable interest. He was also invited to address the Iowa State Horticultural Society on nut culture and the Iowa State Nurserymen's Association on the paraffin treatment of nursery stock, but could not do so because of a previous engagement. Arrangements have been made however to give these addresses at the meeting of the above associations at Shenandoah, Iowa, in November next.
The ancient parable of the sower who went forth to sow and who scattered seed on stony ground, by the wayside and on good soil, had a successful manifestation in the president's experience this last year. In March, 1929, I gave an address on nut culture to a small but influential audience in St. Thomas, Ontario. This meeting was due to the enterprise of Dr. C. C. Lumley, the capable secretary of the Chamber of Commerce in St. Thomas and one of our valued members. At this meeting I displayed a collection of Canadian grown nuts and suggested the use of nut trees for roadside and ornamental planting as well as for other purposes. These suggestions fell on rich soil, figuratively speaking, and bore fruit in an astonishing manner. In a short time an Elgin County Nut Tree Growers' Association was organized and a definite plan of operations outlined. One of the projects consisted in planting the Kings Highway, No. 3 in Elgin county, with walnut trees. With the cooperation of horticultural societies, service clubs, schools, etc., over 7000 nut trees were planted in one day last spring, and besides that more than 4000 other nut trees were planted on the home grounds of the people in this county. The encouraging feature of this project was the statement by Dr. Lumley that your president was the inspiration of all this planting. Without a sympathetic and energetic audience I could not possibly have done much by myself, and I am sure Dr. Lumley and his associates deserve great credit for their vision and energy. May their numbers be multiplied and their shadow never grow less. "And some seed fell on rich soil and brought forth a hundred fold."
You will very likely be pleased to learn that your president is interested in an advisory capacity in a project having for its object the gift of a good nut tree to every member of the Women's Institute of Ontario. This organization is composed almost entirely of rural women and is one of the most active and helpful societies in the country. The institute gave me hearty support in my efforts to promote the culture of nut trees in Ontario, and on several occasions passed resolutions asking the government to adequately support my work. There are over 40,000 women in this organization and it will take time and money to accomplish the objective, but no worthwhile movement ever progressed without a vision and a plan.
In conclusion I would like to read a beautiful little selection entitled "Save the Trees in Portugal." In reading this I am going to ask you to transpose the title to "Save the Trees in the Mid-West," and to think in terms of nut trees.
Save the Trees in Portugal
Travellers in Portugal report that in many places where timber trees are to be found, in woods, parks and gardens, one sees the following inscription headed, "To the Wayfarer":
"Ye who pass by and would raise your hand against me, hearken ere you harm me.