﻿35 
  

  

  taking 
  the 
  country 
  over, 
  that 
  nut 
  trees 
  thrive 
  best 
  when 
  they 
  are 
  

   given 
  treatment; 
  that 
  is 
  they 
  must 
  be 
  given 
  cultivation 
  and 
  fertili- 
  

   zation; 
  be 
  given 
  some 
  degree 
  of 
  attention 
  the 
  same 
  as 
  an 
  apple 
  or 
  

   peach 
  orchard. 
  Colonel 
  Sober, 
  however, 
  will 
  show 
  you 
  quite 
  a 
  

   different 
  thing. 
  He 
  will 
  show 
  you 
  chestnut 
  trees 
  that 
  are 
  not 
  cul- 
  

   tivated 
  at 
  all, 
  so 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  staggering 
  blow 
  to 
  my 
  argument, 
  and 
  yet 
  

   Colonel 
  Sober 
  gets 
  something 
  like 
  three 
  and 
  a 
  half 
  bushels 
  to 
  the 
  

   tree. 
  You 
  don't 
  fertilize 
  those 
  trees, 
  do 
  you, 
  Colonel 
  Sober? 
  

  

  Colonel 
  Sober: 
  No 
  sir, 
  not 
  at 
  all. 
  Haven't 
  yet. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Reed: 
  So 
  there 
  is 
  an 
  argument 
  that 
  silences 
  me 
  and 
  still 
  

   it 
  is 
  true 
  that 
  we 
  can't 
  safely 
  plant 
  hickories 
  and 
  pecans 
  without 
  

   some 
  degree 
  of 
  cultivation. 
  I 
  don't 
  think 
  Professor 
  Smith 
  has 
  

   planted 
  anj^ 
  on 
  these 
  hills. 
  

  

  Still 
  we 
  all 
  agree 
  with 
  Professor 
  Smith 
  in 
  a 
  way. 
  Something 
  

   ought 
  to 
  be 
  done 
  to 
  the 
  surface 
  to 
  prevent 
  the 
  land 
  from 
  washing, 
  

   and 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  better 
  way 
  of 
  doing 
  that 
  than 
  by 
  planting 
  trees. 
  

   Then 
  the 
  roots 
  will 
  prevent 
  washing 
  and 
  they 
  can 
  take 
  care 
  of 
  them- 
  

   selves 
  better 
  than 
  a 
  surface 
  crop. 
  Especially 
  is 
  this 
  true 
  on 
  the 
  hill- 
  

   sides, 
  so 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  good 
  deal 
  in 
  Professor 
  Smith's 
  argument. 
  And 
  

   yet 
  there 
  is 
  the 
  danger 
  that 
  those 
  trees 
  will 
  be 
  infected 
  with 
  disease 
  

   and 
  insects. 
  On 
  plants 
  and 
  trees 
  that 
  are 
  attended 
  to 
  and 
  culti- 
  

   vated 
  we 
  find 
  those 
  pests 
  will 
  be 
  kept 
  in 
  check. 
  So 
  there 
  are 
  two 
  

   sides 
  to 
  that 
  argument. 
  

  

  Professor 
  Smith: 
  The 
  point 
  I 
  raised 
  was 
  this, 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  possi- 
  

   ble 
  in 
  some 
  places 
  to 
  attain 
  by 
  fertilization 
  the 
  advantage 
  that 
  

   comes 
  by 
  cultivation 
  in 
  other 
  places. 
  Great 
  things 
  have 
  been 
  done 
  

   without 
  fertilization. 
  There 
  are 
  chestnut 
  orchards 
  in 
  Corsica 
  of 
  

   grafted 
  trees, 
  ranging 
  from 
  the 
  size 
  of 
  my 
  wrist 
  to 
  eighteen 
  to 
  twenty 
  

   feet 
  in 
  circumference. 
  They 
  have 
  not 
  been 
  fertilized 
  in 
  centuries, 
  

   and 
  they 
  yield 
  enough 
  to 
  support 
  the 
  entire 
  population. 
  

  

  The 
  President: 
  We 
  would 
  like 
  to 
  hear 
  from 
  Col. 
  Van 
  Duzee, 
  

   and 
  I 
  want 
  to 
  say 
  that, 
  as 
  President 
  of 
  the 
  National 
  Nut 
  Growers 
  

   Association, 
  he 
  is 
  well 
  acquainted 
  with 
  these 
  things. 
  I 
  commend 
  

   him 
  to 
  you 
  and 
  promise 
  that 
  whatever 
  he 
  may 
  have 
  to 
  say 
  to 
  you 
  

   is 
  worthy 
  of 
  your 
  very 
  careful 
  consideration. 
  I 
  have 
  the 
  honor 
  

   to 
  belong 
  to 
  the 
  association 
  of 
  which 
  he 
  is 
  the 
  president, 
  and 
  know 
  

   it 
  is 
  seldom 
  we 
  have 
  an 
  opportunity 
  to 
  hear 
  men 
  like 
  him. 
  

  

  Col. 
  Van 
  Duzee: 
  Gentlemen, 
  I 
  am 
  going 
  to 
  side 
  step 
  this 
  argu- 
  

   ment 
  for 
  I 
  do 
  not 
  think 
  it 
  worth 
  while 
  taking 
  up 
  the 
  time. 
  We 
  are 
  

   here 
  for 
  other 
  purposes. 
  Personal 
  experiences 
  are 
  not 
  the 
  gen- 
  

   eral 
  rule 
  because 
  each 
  one's 
  experience 
  differs 
  from 
  that 
  of 
  others. 
  

   We 
  might 
  all 
  tell 
  our 
  personal 
  experiences 
  and 
  after 
  we 
  were 
  all 
  

  

  