lation of the United
States should suddenly turn to nuts as the chief means of meeting their
protein requirement, the total annual crop of nuts would be consumed in
a day or two, or possibly less time. The American people readily change
their eating habits. As nuts become more plentiful through the efforts
of the Nut Growers Association, and the general enlightenment of the
people concerning the superiority of this class of foodstuffs by a well
conducted propaganda such as has been carried on in behalf of the raisin
industry and such as the meat packers are now conducting in their effort
to induce the American people to eat more meat, but of course on an
honest, scientific basis rather than by means of untruthful and
misleading statements, as the packers are doing, the intelligent people
of this country could soon be brought to an appreciation of the great
value of edible nuts and the important place which they should fill in
the bill of fare.

Thirty years ago, the writer prepared a paste from peanuts which had
been previously cooked by steaming or baking, and gave to the
preparation the name of "Nut Butter." Little attention was paid to the
product for two or three years, then it began rapidly to win favor and,
according to a recent report by the Census Bureau, 56 establishments, in
1919, produced peanut butter to the value of nearly $6,000,000, and the
peanut crop last year was 816,464,000 pounds. In 30 years, the peanut
crop has increased from a few thousand acres to nearly 2,000,000 acres,
and the peanut has come to occupy a place on the national bill of fare
of considerable prominence. The peanut is not really a nut but a legume
and is in flavor and other edible qualities greatly inferior to the
products in which this Association is interested. Nevertheless, the fact
that it is accessible has given it an opportunity to quickly gain
popular favor. The writer feels very confident that if this association
and other similar organizations will continue their efforts in behalf of
nut growing, and will at the same time adopt measures to inform the
public concerning the remarkable nutritive properties of these products
which have been created expressly for the use of man and which are so
wonderfully adapted to his sustenance, there will be a steady advance in
their acceptance by the public and in the not far distant future, the
raising of nuts will come to be as nearly universal among farmers as the
production of apples o