danger of becoming infected with the blight. The most important means of
spread to localities outside of the range of native chestnut are by
chestnut poles and lumber products, and by infected chestnut nursery
trees. Owners of chestnut orchards should keep on the watch for the
disease and any suspicious specimens will be gladly identified.
There is some disagreement among pathologists as to the practicability
of controlling chestnut blight in orchards located outside of the range
of native chestnut or in localities within the range of the native
growth where the native trees are very scattering, such as in many parts
of Ohio.
My personal opinion is that the orchardist thoroughly familiar with the
disease who will systematically inspect his trees, properly remove any
infection as soon as it becomes visible and who has eliminated the
sources of new infection in his neighborhood has a good chance of
success. Control of the disease in some orchards is being tried out and
I am desirous of getting in touch with other chestnut orchardists who
have infected trees.
The chestnut breeding work at Bell, Md., started by Dr. Van Fleet, is
being continued. Mr. Reed is looking after points relating to culture,
quality of nuts, productions, etc., while I am looking after the
hybridization and disease work. The Chinese chestnut seems to be the
most resistant to the disease though a number of trees of this species
have been killed primarily by the blight.
A number of reports of chestnut blight becoming less virulent have been
investigated but in all cases the reports were incorrect. Professor
Graves is continuing his observations on resistant trees around New York
City.
That, I think, summarizes the chestnut blight situation very well.
I have a letter from Mr. Reed from China; it is a long letter and I will
only read from it one or two extracts which tell why he was sent to
China:
My task is that of obtaining a summary of the so-called "Manchurian"
walnut industry of this country. So many walnuts from here are being
delivered in the States each year that our own industry is considerably
affected. The extent of production, its present rate of growth and its
probable character and magnitude ten years hence are things our own
people needed to know. So serious is the situation that Thorp, manager
of the California Association left San Francisco for over here more than
two months ago to get a short general glimpse, then to go to European
points for the same purpose.
The consuls here have reported that no walnuts are grown in Manchuria,
except in half wild, low-grade, scattered product which is assembled in
small quantities only and probably not exported. The exported nuts are
mainly from the provinces of Chihli, Shantung, Shansi and Honan.
Tientsin and Hankow are the chief points of export.
* * * * *
Mr. Reed expects to be back about Thanksgiving time. We miss Mr. Reed
very much here at the conventions because he is the Government
representative of the nut industry. He has a wider general knowledge of
the nut industry in the United States than any other man.
In connection with the suggestions that our President has made, I think
I ought to call the attention of the association again to the address of
Dean Watts that he delivered at the convention last year in Lancaster.
(This address, entitled "A National Programme for the Promotion of Nut
Culture," will be found on page 80 of the report of the proceedings at
the twelfth annual meeting.)
I have brought here a cluster of burrs from some chinkapin bushes that
have been growing in Elizabeth Park, Hartford, for 23 years. They are
loaded with nuts and although attacked by the blight, the fact of their
being there so many years shows how resistant they are. I have also some
clusters of burrs from chinkapin bushes in my own garden. They bore a
full crop the second year from transplanting.
MR. O'CONNOR: Before I forget it, I want to say a word in regard to
chinkapins. Right close to where I live there was a fire swept through
the place and burned them down to the roots. But they have come up from
the roots and are full of chinkapins at the present time; I have seen
where the blight has hit them and they died back to the ground and they
have shot up new shoots again and are bearing. The chinkapin is a coming
nut; the school children are looking for them like I used to look for
the butternuts in the early days.
THE PRESIDENT: That is very interesting information, Mr. O'Connor, and I
am very glad you have stated it.
THE SECRETARY: Mr. Wycoff of Aurora, N. Y., has brought here a little
branch containing two well developed Indiana pecans grown on a grafted
tree. I think that is the first instance in which a grafted pecan tree
of the Indiana variety has borne in the North. Mr. Snyder says he has
fruited a Witte pecan at his place. A number of us have been striving to
make the record for first bearing of a grafted "Indiana" pecan tree in
the North. Mr. Wycoff has won it.
Mr. O'Connor, I think, has brought with him a number of branches of
pecans grown in Maryland.
MR. O'CONNOR: I have some hazels and also some chinkapins.
THE SECRETARY: Have you any pecans fruiting down there this year?
MR. O'CONNOR: Several nights of frost hurt us pretty bad this spring. We
have one tree that has got a few pecans on this year; last year the same
tree had over a hundred; this year it hasn't got more than a dozen, but
it promises to have a heavy crop next year.
THE PRESIDENT: What variety of pecans?
MR. O'CONNOR: If I am not mistaken, it is the Indiana. There are several
trees that promise to bear heavily next year. In the spring we had a
severe frost for seven nights in succession and that hurt our trees
pretty bad. We are in the frost belt down there. Last year we didn't
have any apples or peaches; this year we have some apples and some
peaches but the grapes were severely hurt by the frost, also there are
very few walnuts on the trees this year.
MR. CORSAN: From traveling around as much as I do I can vouch for that
gentleman's statement in regard to the frost. I was up in the extreme
northern part of the United States, northern New York, and I never saw
such a crop of hickory nuts in my life and I have gathered nuts since I
am able to remember. I have also seen more peaches up in Ontario and
even north of Ontario. When you talk about frost and the South having
such an advantage over the North, it is entirely wrong; I have had that
idea knocked out of me for a good many years.
THE SECRETARY: I wish also to say that I brought here a small branch
from the Hartford pecan tree bearing two nuts. The Hartford pecan tree
is undoubtedly the largest pecan tree in the North. It is about ten feet
in circumference, over seventy-five feet high and has a very large
spread. I will ask Mr. Weber if he will give us the account again of the
finding of that black walnut in the river and tell us the result of his
investigation.
MR. WEBER: Whenever I come across a black walnut I want to open it up
and see what it looks like inside. Following that custom when I found a
walnut that had lodged against the dyke north of the central part of the
city, I was surprised when I opened it because the partitions were very
thin, like an English walnut. Later on I found another similar nut
lodged against the dyke of the river about a quarter of a mile along.
Then through a statement in the paper and an advertising campaign we
tried to locate the tree. Finally we got the name of a man in Floyd,
Va., who said he knew of the existence of such a tree, but a few years
previously they had cleared the land and it had been cut down. So that
finished that. But he gave me the name of the man who had owned the
place and said that there were some other trees that had originated
there and that they were bearing. It is down in Virginia at the extreme
western end and off the railroad and rather hard to get to. I thought
possibly on my way home I would get there this trip.
THE SECRETARY: As an example of nut enthusiasm here is the corporation
counsel of the city of Cincinnati, who on his walks abroad picks up nuts
that he finds and examines them. He finds one on the dyke of the river
that he considers remarkable and in conjunction with the president of
this association conducts an advertising campaign in the watershed of
the river where that nut was found in order to locate the tree, and
succeeds eventually in doing so.
Mr. President, here is a communication which I received in July from the
Secretary of the American Pomological Society inviting us to become a
member. I didn't feel that I had the authority to send him a check for
ten dollars, but I would like to put before the association the question
as to whether we ought not to make this association a member of the
American Pomological Society. I would ask, Mr. President, that you put
that matter up for discussion, if you think it is of sufficient
importance.
THE PRESIDENT: I do, Mr. Secretary, and think it would materially help
in gaining names in our plans for increasing the membership if we were
able to say we were a member of that society. What do you suggest
relative to the procedure in that connection?
THE SECRETARY: I think all that is necessary is the motion by some
member that the treasurer be authorized to take out a membership for the
association in the American Pomological Society.
BY A MEMBER: I so move. They will know we are in existence and if we
take an interest in their work they will take an interest in ours.
Motion duly seconded and carried.
THE PRESIDENT: Your reference to Mr. Reed reminds me that prior to his
receiving orders to go to China, he and Mrs. Reed both had promised to
come and make addresses at this convention; Mrs. Reed on the subject of
nuts as a food and Mr. Reed with a fine exhibit and also an illustrated
lecture. He wrote me quite fully just before going saying he was awfully
sorry that he could not be here. With reference to the Secretary's
remarks regarding Dean Watts, I had the privilege of meeting Dean Watts
last year at Lancaster and I think his ideas are very much along the
same line relative to increasing our membership and improving our
financial condition so that we can do real things. I had a letter from
Mr. Littlepage early in the season and he expected to be here. Then he
finally wrote me and said it would be absolutely impossible for him to
come but he was sending his able lieutenant, Mr. O'Connor. I was
beginning to feel a little worried this morning that perhaps Dr. Morris
might not be able to get here but I was very happy a few minutes ago to
see the Doctor come in and now I feel considerably more comfortable
because he is a great aid and help at these conventions. Is there
anything further, Mr. Secretary, that you have in mind?
THE SECRETARY: I just want to call your attention to the exhibits; they
really hardly need any one to call attention to them, but I would like
to mention especially the exhibits at the two ends of the table. The one
at the further end of the table by Mr. Dunbar of the Department of Parks
of Rochester is really a very remarkable exhibit, especially from a
scientific point of view. (See list of exhibits in appendix.) At this
end of the table is a splendid exhibition of filberts grown in Rochester
in Mr. McGlennon's filbert nursery under the direction of Mr.
Vollertsen; it needs no word of praise from any one, it speaks for
itself. Also I call your attention to these three English walnut trees
in pots, each one bearing fully developed nuts, which were grown by Mrs.
Ellwanger. Last of all I will mention again the cluster of Indiana
pecans brought here by Mr. Wycoff of Aurora.
MR. DUNBAR: Dr. Deming didn't tell us about the Chinese chestnuts that
are fruiting--the castanea mollissima.
THE SECRETARY: Dr. Morris has had them fruiting for a number of years. I
don't know whether any others have or not.
DR. MORRIS: They fruit very well and are a good hardy nut. They are on
limestone land.
THE SECRETARY: It is a very interesting nut.
MR. CORSAN: Out of twelve varieties of chestnuts that I planted on my
place it is the only one that died. I got them in Washington. I looked
after them probably too well. I will try them again to be certain they
had no climatic reason for dying. It is very strange that that chestnut
didn't grow. Nobody near me grows chestnuts so I can cultivate them for
a good many years without any worry about blight.
DR. MORRIS: I doubt if the blight amounts to much with you. It is
carried by migrating birds. Some birds will take the blight north and
our friends in Canada will finally have it, so cheer up, the worst is
yet to come, but it will be a good many years.
MR. CORSAN: The blight has got to the extreme northern part of the
chestnut growth, that is, to the top of Lake George. The chestnut
doesn't go a quarter of a mile beyond Silver Bay.
DR. MORRIS: I have found chestnut trees in Quebec.
PROFESSOR NIELSON: Speaking of the range of nut trees, I have seen the
hazelnut in the Saskatchewan several hundred miles north of the
international boundary and at Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
THE PRESIDENT: That is very interesting to me for about the time that we
started in experimenting with filberts I received a letter from an old
friend of mine in Canada, Mr. Edward Kennedy; he stated that he believed
the hazelnut or filbert would do very well in the Canadian Northwest. At
that time we were in the nursery business and were finding it difficult
for our general nursery stock to survive the severe winters in the
Canadian Northwest. Mr. Kennedy thought that from his observation of the
filbert throughout that country it was the one item in the nurseryman's
list that would do very well there.
DR. MORRIS: In that connection I would like to say that I have seen the
hazelnut growing as far north as Hudson Bay and it is very hard to
distinguish it from the elm. The hazelnuts grow to a height of from
twenty to twenty-five feet and the elm comes down to about that height.
The leaves look so much alike that I found myself looking for hazelnuts
under an elm tree.
THE PRESIDENT: Mr. Patterson told me that while fishing on one of the
streams near Albany he had found some of the common hazelnuts in fruit.
I have sent down to some of my friends at Albany some of our filbert
plants to see how they might do there and the reports up to the present
time have been altogether favorable. My thought up to the present time
has been that perhaps the climate there is a little too hot.
The next item on our program is the report of the treasurer, Mr. Willard
G. Bixby of Baldwin, N. Y.
NORTHERN NUT GROWERS' ASSOCIATION
_In Account With_
WILLARD G. BIXBY, _Treasurer_
_Receipts:_
From annual members, including joint subscription
to American Nut Journal $222.25
From contributing members, including joint
subscription to American Nut Journal 80.00
From contributions 357.50
From advertising in report 5.35
From sale of reports 12.00
From sale of Bulletin No. 5 8.58 $685.68
------
From Life Membership W. L. Linton 50.00
------
$735.68
Deficit September 1, 1922:
Balance Special Hickory Prize $25.00
Balance Life Memberships 95.00
Deficit for regular expenses 176.87
Net deficit 56.87
------
$792.55
_Expenditures:_
American Nut Journal--their portion of joint
subscription $74.00
1921 Convention 71.46
Printing report 12th meeting 212.19
Printing and stationery 142.82
Nut contest 111.01
Postage and express 5.00 $616.48
------
Deficit October 1, 1921:
Balance Special Hickory Prize $25.00
Balance Life Memberships 45.00
Deficit for regular expenses 246.07
Net deficit 176.07
------
$792.55
The work of the treasurer for the past year has not been satisfactory to
him.
The amount of attention he has been able to give it has been much less
than he had hoped. While supposed to be retired with nothing to do
except just what he wants to this is far from the facts. While it is
true that in 1919 he did retire from business, in which he had spent
practically all of his time since leaving school, he has never been able
to retire entirely and is still president of one corporation and
vice-president of two. In the case of one of these the conditions under
which it operated have changed so entirely that he has had practically
to get back into business and the work of the association has had to be
sandwiched in as best it could and at times has had scant attention. Had
it not been for Mrs. Bixby's help on the work of the treasurer proper,
he would have had to resign.
There is a deficit[1] shown by the treasurer's report although less than
that of a year ago. The attempt to induce a rather large proportion of
our members to become contributing members, paying $5.00 per year as
membership fee, including subscription to the American Nut Journal, has
been reasonably successful, about one-quarter of our receipts of
membership fees being from this source. The real difficulty, however, is
that our total membership is not sufficient to enable receipts from dues
to pay expenses. In every year, for a good many years, receipts from
contributions have been about equal to those from dues and apparently
that condition will have to continue until our membership is doubled,
unless the activity of the association is materially reduced, which
course seems inadvisable to your treasurer.
[1] This was wiped out at the meeting by contributions and guarantee of
new membership which more than equalled the amount of the deficit.
The results of the nut contest the past year have been unsatisfactory.
The nut crop was a failure over quite a portion of the country covered
by the association. The number of nuts sent in was not over one-tenth
of those received in 1920 and no nuts of notable excellence were
received. Were it not for the fact that this year promises to be a great
year for nuts in the northeastern United States, one might think that
the nut contests had outlived their usefulness. They have, however,
brought us so many good nuts and are so comparatively inexpensive that
your treasurer would not want to give them up yet.
During the past year an earnest effort was made by the treasurer to get
new members by getting nurserymen to enclose in their catalogs circulars
regarding the association as well as membership application blanks, over
$100.00 being expended on this item. The nurserymen on the accredited
list responded heartily. The results, however, were far from being as
satisfactory as a year ago when the literature sent out by the
nurserymen simply called attention to bulletin No. 5. Literature
regarding the association and membership application blanks were
inserted in bulletin No. 5 and between five and ten per cent. of those
who received bulletin No. 5 became members, the number being
considerably greater than those from similar efforts this year.
This shows conclusively that direct appeals, unless there is personality
behind them, do not have much force. A year ago bulletin No. 5 in the
possession of one interested enough to purchase it, supplied the
personality and gave force to the appeal that was lacking this year.
Thirty-eight new members have joined the association since the last
report, making 561 since organization, of whom we have 249 at present,
making 312 who have resigned, or dropped out, or have been removed by
death. The additional members obtained this year are largely due to the
personal efforts of the president and those in his office.
During the past year we have lost by death our only honorary member, Dr.
Walter Van Fleet of the United States Department of Agriculture, and one
life member, Col. C. K. Sober of Lewisburg, Penn.
Respectfully submitted,
WILLARD G. BIXBY, _Treas._
* * * * *
THE PRESIDENT: I feel that we have got to get busy and get some more
members and more money. At nearly every convention a deficit is
reported; it ought to be the other way, and it can be. We will all
agree, I believe, those of us who are in the habit of attending these
conventions, that they resolve themselves largely into meetings of a
mutual admiration society. Outside of Dr. Deming, Mr. Bixby and one or
two others, there is very little thought given to this association
during the year except immediately prior to the convention. Of course,
we can't get ahead very far that way. Ever since I have been actively
connected with this association I have given first thought to the matter
of membership and the improvement of our finances. I do hope that at
this convention some definite and specific action will be taken so that
a year from now there will be a decided increase of members, because I
am confident we can do it if we put our shoulders to the wheel. Then we
will have a surplus instead of a deficit. As I said in my paper this
morning, the association is engaged in scientific work, but we are not
going to get very far along unless we have more money, and we can't get
more money unless we get more members. We ought to put our shoulders to
the wheel and pull this association up to a membership that is worthy of
its title. If each member would get from three to five new members
during the year we would have a membership in the neighborhood of a
thousand another year and that would give us a surplus of money. I hope
that definite action will be taken at this convention to stimulate that
development of the association. If any of the other members have
anything to say on that subject I would be very glad to hear from them.
MR. OLCOTT: I think that the membership is really one of the most
important things for this association to consider. But I do not think it
would be well to go away from this convention with only the idea that
each member should try to get three or four others. That is all very
well and it would mean considerable IF they would do it. I think there
are enough business men here and brains enough here so that if this
matter were referred to a good big committee that would spend some time
on it, and before we go would report some definite way of stimulating
interest in nut culture and in this association, that it would bring the
membership up to a point where it could accomplish something in a
business way. It is not a matter for individual action but a matter for
association action. It needs publicity and a good comprehensive plan.
The money will come as more members come. The wider knowledge of what
this association is doing for an active membership would make a bigger
membership. If you will remember President Linton suggested that each
state should provide twenty-five to fifty members; it does seem as
though there should be twenty-five or fifty members, men and women, in
each one of the twenty or so northern states. If there were fifty there
is a thousand members in the twenty states. He pledged, I believe,
twenty-five names from Michigan on his own account; I don't know whether
he made good or not but the plan is good to aim at fifty members in each
of twenty states.