20 



attempt to add anything to what His Honor, the Mayor and President 

 Gleason have said relative to our wonderful city. It is one of the 

 great cities of the world. 



The Secretary : What is the population of Rochester? 



The President : Over 300,000. 



To Members of The Northern Nut Growers' Association : 

 Greetings : 



Your President recommends that definite action be taken to the 

 end of increasing our membership, to the still further end of exem- 

 plifying the truth of the old saying that "in union there is strength," 

 More members mean the spreading of our gospel over greatly in- 

 creased areas that should be interested in nut culture. The present 

 membership is approximately 250, an increase of only 24 since the 

 Lancaster Convention in October last year. And while it is also 

 an old and true saying that "self praise is no recommendation," the 

 fact remains that 18 of these new members were secured through 

 my office. 



It has been suggested at previous conventions that a systematic 

 campaign for members can be perfected through organized co-oper- 

 ation by our State Vice-Presidents. I believe this to be the most 

 efficacious medium through which the greatly desired results can be 

 obtained. Of many, I am sure, systems that can be employed to such 

 end there are two that always appeal to me as most desirable. 

 Doubtless you all have thought of them at some time or other; in 

 fact I have heard at previous conventions casual mention of the sec- 

 ond. But the first I have heard little if anything of, and it is that 

 effort should be exerted to interest women more actively in nut cul- 

 ture. We have a few women members. Why shouldn't there be 

 as many women as men? I can think of no reason why there 

 shouldn't. I believe that women are just as competent as men to 

 conduct any feature of nut culture, with the possible exception of 

 specific manual labor. And I can think of no more delightful voca- 

 tion for women who love the great and wonderful outdoors — and 

 where is the woman who does not ? — than nut culture, the cultiva- 

 tion of nut trees and bushes, beautiful things not only for the grace 

 and beauty of trunk and limb, foliage and flower, but for their real 

 substance, their fruit, nuts, one of the most nutritious foods for 

 human beings. More and more nuts are being consumed every 

 day, and I venture to say that their consumption as a leading item in 

 our dietary is only in its infancy. So I feel that here is another 

 opportunity for our women to demonstrate the justice of her recent 

 acquired suffrage in our national affairs. 



The other possible source of membership I have in mind is a 

 systematic campaign to enlist the interest and co-operation of school 

 teachers. Just think of the possibilities of such a campaign. School 

 teachers, every one, being the high-class people they necessarily are, 

 would respond finely, I'm sure, and serve as a most desirable medium 



