in building up
their society. I doubt not that it will be here.

MR. SPENCER: I'm heart and soul in favor of the movement for better nut
trees. I'm tired of having trees planted that produce nothing but
litter, and for the small boy to keep breaking all the time instead of
going fishing. As I said the other day through the committee on trees of
the Bird and Tree Club of Decatur we have placed in that city a hundred
and fourteen nut trees. I believe that I can go to the different
purchasers and say that this association is anxious to increase the
knowledge of the people as to the value of nut orchards and nut trees
for food and shade and I can get them to become members. When those
subscriptions are sent in send the names to Mr. Jones and have all the
trees put in a little package and sent to me. Then I can deliver them
and Mr. Jones will only have one package to do up.

I believe by a little effort among our friends a great deal of good can
be accomplished. For instance I stated here that I was going to buy a
subscription to the American Nut Journal and send it to the Maitland
County Farm Bureau. Likewise, I hope I can get the Board of Education or
the Public Library, which purchased twenty-eight different trees to put
in the library grounds, to subscribe for the Nut Journal and take out
membership. It won't be very hard, I should say, to get fifty or sixty
new members in Decatur without going out and making myself a regular
canvassing agent. I have got a great many friends there and I know that
upon my representation they would be very glad to take out a membership
and get a tree. Anybody can go and plant a Carolina poplar or a soft
maple, or a basswood, or an elm, but his lot won't look different from
any other. If all the ladies in town dressed in the same calico and the
same cut you would not know whose wife was who. This idea of having all
the yards, all the lots, all the places look alike, is wrong. You might
as well have your home look distinctive and if you will take that idea,
to have your place stand out as a place distinct in horticulture on your
street, in your block, or in your city, you can appeal to civic pride.
You must appeal to something besides dollars and cents. You must appeal
to their public spirit, their civic pride. Then you can get them
interested. A great many people are proud of their city and there are a
great many people who can very easily say with Paul, "I am a citizen of
no mean city."