18 



something of our beautiful city. We think it is the most beautiful 

 one in the country. Thank you. (Applause.) 



The President : If you can wait just a minute, I am going to 

 ask for a reply to your address of welcome. Mr. Patterson comes 

 from Albany, Georgia, and is probably the biggest producer of 

 pecans in the world. Mr. Patterson is a member of this association 

 and has very kindly consented to come all the way from Georgia to 

 be with us. 



Mr. Patterson : Mr. President, Mr. Mayor, ladies and gentle- 

 men : I wonder if the President in saying I was the biggest nut 

 grower in the world had any reference to my physical proportions. 

 You have certainly a wonderful exhibit here, Mr. Mayor, of the 

 products of your parks and you have reason to be proud of it, as you 

 have for many other things in the city of Rochester. It has been my 

 privilege to make short visits to the city, my wife having some rela- 

 tives here. I said to my cousin this morning, if there is any place 

 outside of the South where I would rather live, it would be Roches- 

 ter. 



The nut proposition is in its infancy and we all believe, those of us 

 who are wholly nuts, that it will grow into a giant. We have a little 

 giant in the south in the shape of the paper-shell pecan and we are 

 expecting that this Northern Nut Growers' Association will, within 

 the next few years, develop some varieties of nuts, or discover some 

 varieties of nuts, that are adapted to this northern climate and will 

 do for the northern states, the northern, eastern and western, what 

 the pecan is promising to do and really is doing for the South. While 

 not a native of the South I think I may extend the cordial greeting 

 of the South to you in the North. There was a time when a north- 

 erner like myself who moved into the South had just one name and 

 that was a " damned Yankee ", and a good many people through the 

 South thought that was one word, but that time has passed and they 

 are welcoming in the South today the northerner who comes with an 

 honest purpose of helping develop that wonderful country. The day 

 of bitterness is fast passing away, so I bring to you not only the 

 greetings of the southern nut growers, but of the South and I bring 

 to the Mayor, and through the Mayor to the citizens of this beautiful 

 city, the greetings of the membership of this association. (Ap- 

 plause.) 



The President : I am very grateful to you for your consider- 

 ation of my impromptu request. 



The Mayor : I will promise to give an order to the policemen to 

 crack no nuts while the nut growers' association is in town. As to 

 the 18th amendment, I think that nuts are about the only vegetable 

 that I know of that they are not making hootch out of at the present 

 time. 



The President : I feel that we have been particularly favored 

 not only in receiving an address of welcome from our Mayor, but 

 also in having with us the President of our Chamber of Commerce, 



