me that it requires no prophetic eye to
see the day not far distant when we will have, stretching from the
Island of Manhattan up to where Albany now stands, one vast series of
teeming cities with suburb touching suburb. The problem then will be how
to feed this multitude. Developments in Russia show that, no matter how
idealistic one's theory of government may be, food, in the last
analysis, is the thing which makes or breaks a nation.

Those of you who have studied some of the interpreters of early
Scripture will remember, perhaps, that the Garden of Eden was in reality
an oasis of trees in the great valley of Mesopotamia, and even today
"garden" in the oriental term means a group of trees. It has been proven
by experience in these different tropical realms that where tree
production is biggest and nuts and other products are grown under
intensive cultivation, an acre will produce more food than where grazing
is practiced. I spent a very pleasant year in California and saw some of
the operations of the California nut growers, where they are growing
English walnuts on a most extensive scale. I believe I will be making no
false statement when I say that those areas in southern California which
are growing nuts produce more in fats, proteins and calories for the
maintenance of the health and strength of the human race than do the
acres which are given up to the growing of animal crops.

So I applaud the idea of planting a tree in the memory of the Father of
his Country. I believe I belong to your group, at least through
interest, because I have been doing a little experimenting of my own in
my back yard at Syracuse where I have an English walnut which I planted
in 1915 which is this year producing for the first time. I am going to
take those nuts and see what can be done with them in perpetuating that
particular variety, because it is hardy, fast growing, and early to
mature.

The New York State College of Forestry has a platform as broad as the
entire state. We are interested in every kind of land which is not
suited to agriculture, fish, game, recreation, conservation of water,
and I pledge to you the sympathy and the support of the New York State
College of Forestry. We have three experiment stations; one in Oneida
county, one in Onandaga county, and another in Cattaraugus, with a
fourth in St. Lawrence, if you wish to call it such. We would be
delighted to receive from you any slip or any sort of fruit which you
w