﻿85 
  

  

  I 
  know 
  that 
  Colonel 
  Sober 
  has 
  worked 
  out 
  an 
  unique 
  method 
  in 
  the 
  

   root 
  system, 
  and 
  I 
  wish 
  he 
  would 
  tell 
  us 
  about 
  it. 
  

  

  Colonel 
  Sober: 
  The 
  slides 
  I 
  have 
  will 
  show 
  that. 
  

  

  The 
  President: 
  Is 
  there 
  anything 
  else? 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Doan: 
  How 
  does 
  Colonel 
  Sober 
  take 
  care 
  of 
  the 
  blight? 
  

  

  Colonel 
  Sober: 
  In 
  answer 
  to 
  that 
  I 
  will 
  say 
  that 
  in 
  1909 
  I 
  

   discovered 
  the 
  bHght 
  on 
  some 
  trees, 
  just 
  a 
  speck, 
  and 
  I 
  took 
  my 
  

   knife 
  and 
  cut 
  it 
  off. 
  That 
  is 
  my 
  best 
  method 
  and 
  then 
  you 
  are 
  

   sure 
  of 
  it. 
  

  

  The 
  President: 
  Are 
  there 
  any 
  further 
  questions? 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Doan: 
  Are 
  all 
  his 
  trees 
  Paragon? 
  

  

  The 
  President: 
  I 
  think 
  they 
  are. 
  The 
  Secretary 
  will 
  read 
  

   Colonel 
  Sober's 
  paper. 
  

  

  The 
  Secretary 
  here 
  read 
  extracts 
  from 
  the 
  preface 
  and 
  introduc- 
  

   tion 
  to 
  Fuller's 
  book 
  on 
  nut 
  culture, 
  prepared 
  by 
  Col. 
  C. 
  K. 
  Sober, 
  

   with 
  personal 
  interpellations, 
  as 
  follows: 
  

  

  I 
  believe 
  that 
  the 
  moment 
  is 
  opportune 
  for 
  advocating 
  an 
  effort 
  

   to 
  cultivate 
  all 
  kinds 
  of 
  edible 
  and 
  otherwise 
  useful 
  nut-bearing 
  

   trees 
  and 
  shrubs 
  adapted 
  to 
  the 
  soil 
  and 
  climate 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  

   States, 
  thereby 
  inaugurating 
  a 
  great, 
  permanent 
  and 
  far-reaching 
  

   industry. 
  We 
  are 
  spending 
  millions 
  for 
  imported 
  articles 
  of 
  every- 
  

   day 
  use 
  which 
  might 
  easily 
  and 
  with 
  large 
  profit 
  be 
  produced 
  at 
  

   home, 
  and 
  in 
  many 
  instances 
  the 
  most 
  humihating 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  

   transaction 
  is 
  that 
  we 
  send 
  our 
  money 
  to 
  people 
  who 
  do 
  not 
  purchase 
  

   any 
  of 
  our 
  productions 
  and 
  almost 
  ignore 
  us 
  in 
  commercial 
  matters. 
  

   I 
  am 
  not 
  referring 
  to 
  products 
  ill-adapted 
  to 
  our 
  climate, 
  nor 
  to 
  

   those 
  which, 
  owing 
  to 
  scarcity 
  and 
  high 
  price 
  of 
  labor, 
  we 
  are 
  un- 
  

   able 
  to 
  produce 
  profitably, 
  but 
  to 
  such 
  nuts 
  as 
  the 
  walnut, 
  hickory, 
  

   butternut, 
  pecan 
  and 
  chestnut 
  which 
  we 
  can 
  raise 
  as 
  readily 
  as 
  

   peaches, 
  apples 
  and 
  pears. 
  There 
  certainly 
  can 
  be 
  no 
  excuse 
  for 
  

   the 
  neglect 
  of 
  such 
  nut 
  trees 
  on 
  the 
  score 
  of 
  cost 
  of 
  labor 
  in 
  propa- 
  

   gation 
  and 
  planting, 
  because 
  our 
  streets 
  and 
  highways 
  are 
  lined 
  and 
  

   shaded 
  with 
  equally 
  expensive 
  kinds, 
  although 
  they 
  are 
  absolutely 
  

   worthless 
  for 
  any 
  other 
  purpose 
  than 
  shade 
  or 
  shelter, 
  yielding 
  

   nothing 
  in 
  the 
  way 
  of 
  food 
  for 
  either 
  man 
  or 
  beast. 
  Can 
  any 
  one 
  

   invent 
  a 
  reasonable 
  excuse 
  for 
  planting 
  miles 
  and 
  miles 
  of 
  roadside 
  

   trees 
  of 
  such 
  kinds 
  as 
  elm, 
  maple, 
  ash, 
  willow, 
  cottonwood 
  and 
  

   many 
  other 
  similar 
  kinds, 
  where 
  shellbark 
  hickory, 
  walnut, 
  butter- 
  

   nut, 
  pecan 
  and 
  chestnut 
  would 
  thrive 
  just 
  as 
  well, 
  cost 
  no 
  more, 
  

   and 
  yet 
  yield 
  bushels 
  of 
  delicious 
  and 
  highly 
  prized 
  nuts, 
  and 
  this 
  

   annually 
  or 
  in 
  alternate 
  years, 
  continuing 
  and 
  increasing 
  in 
  pro- 
  

  

  