for me. I have been away from home for nearly five weeks traveling on
four wheels, and I received notice from your worthy president just a day
or two before leaving my office that he would expect me to read a paper
on the Commercial Possibilities of Nuts. At all events I had no time to
collect my thoughts or make any preparation, and those of you who have
toured through a new country and through some twelve or fifteen states,
and passed through eight or ten universities and got your graduation
papers each time as you went through, will realize that I have had not
much time to compose my thoughts on this subject.
However, I am exceedingly glad to be here and I am going to talk a
little like a preacher I heard once in the city of Pittsburgh. He said,
"My text will be found in the Gospel of John, 4th Chapter, 15th verse,
which reads as follows:" and he read the text. Then he proceeded without
a lapse of breath and said, "From which we now take our departure." My
subject is the Commercial Possibilities of Nuts, "from which we now take
our departure."
California, or the Pacific Coast, has found the commercial nuts, the
almond and the walnut. The Southland has found the commercial nut in the
pecan. You good people of the effete and frozen East are still looking
for the commercial nut. That is how it comes that we are here. It looked
to me very much this afternoon when we were out at Mr. McGlennon's
nursery that he had helped you very materially to answer that question,
that he had discovered for you one commercial nut.
We have in the South two pecan organizations, one of which we call the
National Nut Growers' Association. You will notice the word _National_
Nut Growers' Association. The association is composed wholly of pecan
growers. Many of us recognize that the name is a misnomer. We have been
hoping that the time would come when we could have the name of that
organization changed to the Southern Pecan Growers' Association, but we
have one old member who has one English walnut tree in his orchard, who
says we are a national nut growers' association and he objects. Some
time that English walnut tree will die or he will die, and then we will
be able to change the name. Then we have the Georgia-Florida Pecan
Growers' Association. There is a California Walnut Growers' Exchange and
a California Almond Growers' Exchange, and I am hoping to see a time
when this Northern Nut Growers' Association will have discovered some
real commercial nut, and then we will have complete the organization of
the nuts of this country, the Almond Association, the Walnut
Association, the Pecan Association and then the filbert, or whatever nut
you discover here. We will bring them all together in one great national
organization, and we will have an organization of real nuts. I am
expecting to see that day. (Applause.)
I read a criticism the other day of a book that was published in which
the reviewer said: "It is well for a man when he sits down to write a
book that he know something of the topic on which he is going to write."
I know very little about the possible nuts that may become commercially
important in this section of the world. If it wasn't for the fact that
when I come North here I like to meet some fellow nut, we wouldn't care
very much whether you fellows ever discover a commercial nut in this
part of the world or not, because the Lord has been so generous to you.
The Lord has not given us a perfect climate. He gives one climatic
feature here and another one there and another one some place else. He
distributes his benefactions. It seems to me he has been lavish with you
people, especially in New York and all through the middle West and the
East. You have so many things. Why should you want to grab off the nut
business? But just for the sake of letting you have a little variety and
having some real good things to eat, I am willing to have you discover
some real good commercial nut and then the time will come when we will
have this national organization.
I am going to tell you a little bit about the history of the pecan. I
think you would be interested in that. The cultivated pecan is of
comparatively recent history. It is not so long since those who were in
the South dreaming of a commercial nut were in very much the same
position as this association is here, although the South seemed to be
the natural place for the pecan. There were no commercial pecan orchards
twenty years ago. There were wild groves in the river bottoms of Texas
which there are today, but there were practically no cultivated pecans.
There were actually no bearing groves of cultivated pecans. It is only
a matter of fifteen or eighteen years that the cultivated pecan has been
commercially planted.
I think our concern was among the earliest. I think we may claim to be
the very first who, in a large way, planted pecans. We did not start
with the intention of planting them in a large way. It was a sort of
natural growth. It was only sixteen years ago this month, sixteen years
ago, that I first heard of the paper shell pecan from John Craig of
Cornell University; right under the shade of where we are meeting
tonight I first heard of the paper shell pecan and was induced to put a
little money in planting groves. I think I may say that New York State,
through the instrumentality of old John Craig, can take credit for the
start of the great commercial pecan groves of the South. Since that time
pecan groves have been planted very extensively. I don't think that any
accurate statistics are obtainable of the acreage planted to pecan
groves in the district in which we are located in southwest Georgia, but
in an area of probably forty or fifty miles I imagine there are
seventy-five thousand acres of pecan groves. They have not all proven
successful. Some have been planted on soil that was not adapted and
there are some cases of insufficient or unwise care, and some of not
having the proper stock to plant. For one reason or another a good many
groves have not proven successful today. Others have proven quite
successful. There is no question but what that which was a hope fifteen
years ago is today a reality and that the cultivated pecan is today an
established industry. I do not mean by that that we have reached the
stage which our friend Mr. Taylor has reached with his almonds or which
the almond growers have reached. We are still in our infancy and have
many problems and the problems multiply as days and years go by. Fifteen
years ago we would have said there were no insect pests nor any diseases
of the pecan. They have certainly made themselves known in the last few
years. We have a good many insect pests and we have some fungus. We do
not believe that any of these will be beyond the skill of scientific
investigation and that they will ultimately be brought into subjection.
As an indication of the growth of the industry, eight years ago the
association of which I chance to be president gathered their first crop
of nuts of something like six thousand pounds. Last year we harvested
over four hundred thousand pounds of nuts. In eight years of course
there was an increased acreage but they were all young groves. I tell
you that fact just to show you that when you do find a nut that is
adapted to your soil and to your climate, as the pecan is adapted to the
climate and soil of the South, it will not take many years to develop
such a nut into a commercial proposition.
I had the pleasure last fall of entertaining Mr. Pierce, the president
of the California Almond Growers' Association. Mr. Pierce was very much
interested in this young giant of the South in the nut world. He had had
a very unfortunate experience in the use of pecans. He had passed
through Chicago a short time before and a friend of mine, an officer of
our association, happened to be a friend of his, and gave him some
pecans, and he liked them so well that as he started from Chicago on the
way to Washington he indulged too freely, and by the time he got to
Washington he had to go to the hospital for repairs. Mr. Pierce wrote me
a letter after that and said that he didn't know why the Lord permitted
trees to grow such nuts until he created a new race of human beings with
gizzards in place of stomachs. That is because California men were not
used to eating good, rich nuts. We claim for the pecan that it is about
the best nut there is. We don't claim the earth but if you people can
develop or discover any nut that is better in quality and more tasty and
more alluring than the pecan, we shall be mighty glad to have you
discover it, and we hope it will be adaptable to the South. You know the
Buick automobile says, "When better cars are made, Buick will make
them." "When better nuts are made, we will make them." We know that all
people can't have the best. We know that some people have to eat cheaper
steaks. The trouble with this country today is that everybody wishes the
very best. The packers tell us they have great trouble in disposing of
the cheaper cuts of the meat. I do not imagine that the nut growers are
going to have much trouble in disposing of the round steaks, but we are
going to furnish the best nuts. The market for cultivated pecans has
developed in a most marvelous way. There has never been any advertising,
except in a very small way, and yet the demand has always exceeded the
supply. It has grown just naturally. People learn of a good nut and they
spread the good news to their friends so that the demand increases.
Customers in New York but four or five years ago would order eight or
ten barrels of nuts; they are ordering 150 barrels now.
I want to say to you, find a nut like that that you can grow in New York
State or that you can grow down in Connecticut, or in any of this part
of the world, and we will be mightily glad to see what you can do, and
we will try to steal it and grow it in the South. It has been said that
every great institution is only the shade of some great man. If you can
build up a great institution of a great commercial nut here in the North
let it be the shade of the Northern Nut Growers' Association.
I am not going to keep you longer because this rambling talk is not
prepared. I have been interested as I drove through New England in
seeing great groves along the public highways of maples and elms, and I
have thought how wonderful it would be if those were all pecans or
walnuts or almonds or some tree that would bear nuts instead of
furnishing shade. There is a world of opportunity in this country for a
commercial nut. They are used as delicacies now, most of these nuts, but
they are food, and they are food of the very highest type. I expect to
see the day when all our best hotels and restaurants will have on their
menus nut steaks, almond and pecan steaks, and when a great many of
their guests will order these steaks in place of the beef steaks that
they are ordering now.
I want to say that we are glad to have your distinguished president as a
fellow pecan nut. He is largely interested in Georgia and we see his
smiling face frequently in that section of the world. We are interested
to see him succeed there and I am sure the members of this association
are all interested and pleased to see what he has accomplished in
developing the filbert right here in the shade of Rochester. (Applause.)
* * * * *
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 cooperation 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.
MORNING SESSION, SEPTEMBER 8th, 1922
The Convention was called to order by the President at 9:30 o'clock A.
M.
THE PRESIDENT: After a night of good rest we are ready to proceed with
our deliberations and as we have a lot to do we are going to try to push
things along fast this morning.
Some of the papers have not arrived and some of the speakers will not be
here. Senator Penney of Michigan wrote me that he was not only in rather
poor health but he was in the midst of an election primary and that it
would be impossible for him to be here but that he would endeavor to
send a paper. I am sorry to say that it has not arrived.
I was pretty sure that ex-President Linton would be here. But I have a
telegram from him this morning saying it is absolutely impossible and
that he, too, hasn't had any time to prepare a paper. Mr. Linton is a
very busy man and about the only way to get a rise out of him is by
wire. I have written him three times and wired him five times. Finally I
succeeded in getting a telegram from him this morning. I was
particularly anxious that he and Senator Penney be here to discuss the
roadside planting of nut trees and the legislation of Michigan in that
regard, believing that such aid would materially help us in getting
other states interested along the same line. I'm sorry, therefore, that
they are not here.
This telegram from Mr. Linton, received this morning, reads as follows:
"Expected until yesterday that I would get to Rochester convention but
am bitterly disappointed in being unable to do so owing to fatal illness
of chairman of our state commission, whose called meetings and pendent
duties have fallen upon me. Senator Penney is in midst of strenuous
primary campaign closing Monday and can not leave and Mr. Beck is in
hospital recovering from operation. So your Saginaw trio, positively
with you in spirit and good wishes, is held here this time absolutely
and all regret the situation beyond measure. I expressed to you
yesterday, prepaid, the Washington walnuts, fine young trees only
eighteen months old, and will replace them next spring if necessary.
Penney and Beck join me in sincerely desiring the success of your
convention and extending kind regards to you and those present, all of
whom we hope to meet another year.
WM. S. LINTON.
The trees we are going to plant tomorrow morning, if these seedlings get
here, are grown from nuts furnished Mr. Linton by the superintendent of
Mount Vernon. Last year we planted some in one of the parks at
Lancaster.
I will ask Mr. Vollertsen to read his paper now.
MR. CONRAD VOLLERTSEN: Ladies and gentlemen: My paper this morning will
necessarily be very short as the subject assigned to me is one of which
I so far have not had any practical experience and therefore am unable
to say much about.
According to our program I have been assigned to make a few remarks on
"The Blight-proof Propagated Filbert," a subject I think rather hard to
discuss as we have so far no positive proof that blight, if it at all
exists on the improved filbert, will not eventually appear on varieties
we are now growing. I therefore believe the subject, "Blight-proof
Propagated Filbert," should have been worded somewhat differently, as we
have no assurance when blight may appear, nor any guarantee against its
appearance. It may fall on our plants over night or at any time. That we
can not prevent nor control.
In the nursery of improved European filberts which we have maintained
for ten years, blight is so far not known and has never made its
appearance. We know of other filbert plants, several varieties, all of
German origin, in this, our home city, from thirty to forty years old,
never affected by blight, bearing nuts today. But all this will not
guarantee the improved propagated filbert to be blight-proof. We
certainly do not claim our propagated improved filbert plants are
blight-proof. In fact to our knowledge there is no such thing as
blight-proof filberts no more than there are blight-proof pears, quinces
or other fruits. But we do claim that our improved filbert varieties,
imported from Germany, will stand our climatic changes very much better
and will resist the attack of blight to a greater extent than any other
variety imported from France or Italy.
We really do not fear blight. We have heard very much about it and have
so far seen nothing of it. But should it eventually appear in our
nursery I am fully convinced we can easily control it and prevent its
spreading by cutting the affected parts thoroughly away, removing the
diseased twigs or branches so low as to make the cut in entirely sound
wood. Through such an operation I am fully convinced the disease can be
completely eliminated in a comparatively short time, should it ever
appear.
We have been repeatedly told blight will not only attack small parts or
branches of the improved filberts but will kill them entirely. Such a
thought I can never entertain, not for a moment. I have had too many
years' practical experience with the growing and cultivating of improved
hazel or filbert plants, and have never seen anything of the kind. It
would be very interesting if members of this association who have
observed blight on the improved hazels and seen plants actually killed
by that disease would relate their experiences and the real facts so as
to enlighten the public on the subject. For instance: