important one. The Dominion nevertheless is importing $5,000,000 worth
of nuts annually from other countries.

In view of these facts, the Northern Nut Growers' Association in
assembly at its 15th Annual Meeting, in New York, commends the work of
Prof. J. A. Neilson of the Horticultural Experiment Station at Vineland,
Ontario, and expresses the hope that the Canadian Government and private
support will further his work in such a way as to make it a matter of
large public service. Service of the sort relates not only to eastern
Canada but to the commerce of this entire continent."

(Signed) ROBERT T. MORRIS,
J. F. JONES
Z. H. ELLIS.

THE PRESIDENT: The secretary will accordingly transmit this message to
the Canadian Government.

NOTES BY PROFESSOR A. S. COLBY

_Purdue University, Illinois_

Friends: I believe an apology is due you. I was away on my vacation at
the time the invitation came to me to make an address at this meeting
and I have come here without one. But I shall be glad to give you some
sort of an idea of the past, present and future of nut culture in
Illinois.

I became actively interested in nut growing about a year ago. Our work
started partly in response to public demand. We have been receiving an
increasing number of letters of inquiry from people interested in the
subject but who know little about it. We are attempting to secure such
information as will be of value regarding the best species and varieties
of nuts to plant, where to plant them, and how to care for them. There
are a number of members of the N. N. G. A. in Illinois and they are very
kindly helping me in this work. The Illinois State Horticultural
Society, founded in 1856, has also been interested to some extent in nut
growing.

Illinois has had three grand old men in the nut industry, Mr. George W.
Endicott of Villa Ridge, Mr. E. A. Riehl of Alton, and Mr. Benjamin
Buckman of Farmingdale. Mr. Riehl is eighty-seven years young now and is
the only one of the three men living.

Mr. Endicott was interested, not only in the commercial side of
horticulture but was a pioneer in scientific work. He originated the
Endicott plum and other valuable fruits and, since he was interested in
plant improvement, naturally turned to hybridization of the chestnut, a
tree which grows readily in southern Illinois. In 1899 he crossed the
Japanese chestnut (Castanea japonica) with pollen from the American
Sweet (C. americana). He mu