h the orchard is
growing. Now, just simply go right down deep under everything, pay
absolutely no attention to the wonderful stories that the promoters tell
you (laughter), keep your money, save it, use it, and spend it--yes, but
recognize this one thing, that the most important element in success in
the small orchard, as part of the rural or suburban home, is a knowledge
of agriculture and horticulture. It is one of the most fascinating
studies in the world, and I have no doubt but what you will find that
you can go right along inter-cropping with vegetables and other crops,
bush fruits, strawberries, and all those things for the first few years
after you plant your nut trees, and even if they all die you will have
been able to break even on the commercial side of the proposition, and
then you will have the additional years of experience, which no nut
orchardist can dispense with. You can't buy it with money or get it out
of books. You have got to dig it out of the ground yourself. (Applause.)

THE PRESIDENT: I am going to take the liberty of emphasizing one point
the Colonel made. He told you about the great number of things they knew
down South that were not so. I wish to give some geographical spread to
his generalities. We are in the same condition in the North. If you will
stop and look clear through an agricultural idea, you will be
astonished, ladies and gentlemen, absolutely astonished, to see how,
mostly, we don't know it. The other day I happened to be walking through
an apple orchard with the official horticulturist, and in response to
some remark he made I asked: "Do you know that, or do you think it?"
"Has that been experimentally proven?" He answered: "No, it has not."
Most of the things we read in the books and hear in this place and other
places we don't know. We think we know, but when we come to a show-down
we really haven't got experimental data. I know of no people to whom
that thing needs to be emphasized more than to the Northern Nut Growers'
Association.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 9TH, AT 10.30 A. M.

Meeting called to order by the President.

THE PRESIDENT: The first order of business, I believe, will be the
report of the Nominating Committee.

THE SECRETARY: The report of the Nominating Committee is the following:
For President, W. C. Reed, Vincennes, Indiana; Vice-President, W. N.
Hutt, Raleigh, North Carolina; Secretary-Treasurer, Dr. W. C. Deming,
Georgetown, Connecticut.

MR. LITTLEP