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about seventy-five feet high. The neighbors told me that they got 

 a bushel of chestnuts every year off that one tree. I presume if they 

 took better care of it and gave it some fertilization they would get 

 more than that. I happen to be the chairman of the tree committee 

 of the Bird and Tree Club. The city of Decatur purchased 42 trees 

 and planted them in seven parks of the city of Decatur; members 

 of the Bird and Tree Club came to me for advice and last year I 

 placed 114 trees for them. They placed a number of trees with the 

 Oberlin Conservatory of Music, chestnut trees, and they planted them 

 on the campus. I believe that persons who are associated with dif- 

 ferent clubs would take up the matter of nut growing. That means 

 that you can interest the children and if you can interest the children 

 then you get the parents interested. In Macon County alone the 

 county surveyor told me there are 20,000 acres of ground that are 

 absolutely worthless except for pasture because they form bluff 

 land along the Sangamon river. It isn't a large stream, I suppose 

 down here you would call it a creek, but the city has put a dam 

 across the river and trees were planted. I tried to create a senti- 

 ment to have that shore planted with nut trees instead of ash and 

 elm and the various trees that can bear nothing but leaves, but the 

 hardest thing in the world is to start a new idea. 



An ordinary crop of nuts after a tree commences bearing is 

 worth a great deal more than a crop of wheat or oats and in the 

 meantime you can use the ground under it if you want to. 



Now these are simply my individual efforts in Macon County 

 to get people interested in nut-bearing trees. It is a hard road and 

 1 am like some other people, I don't like to be pointed out as a 

 crank, but I am pretty near that on this subject. With the co-oper- 

 ation of Mr. Reed a year ago I delivered an address, illustrated 

 with pictures that were supplied by the Bureau of Plant Industry, on 

 the subject of "The Value of the Nut Trees for Shade and Food," 

 with the idea of having farm homes made beautiful by trees and 

 attractive by the fruits thereof to keep the children home. Last year 

 I delivered an address on "Nut Trees and Roadside Planting," also 

 illustrated by pictures sent me by Mr. Reed and through the courtesy 

 of McMillan & Company I reproduced pictures describing Dr. Mor- 

 ris's new way of grafting. If you will take steps along those lines 

 and work through the Bird and Tree Clubs and get the children in- 

 terested I believe you could do something toward spreading the gos- 

 pel of nut culture. I thank you for your attention. (Applause.) 



Mr. Corsan : As to getting new members, I am ashamed to 

 say that since I joined in 1912, I just got one new member actually 

 into the club and that was Dr. Kellogg. I interested hundreds of 

 people but he was the only person I got in. The only way to do is 

 to step right up and ask a man for his money as soon as you give 

 him the proposition. Now that is where I fail. I struck Mr. Mac- 

 Donald, the permanent Boy Scout Director, 200 Fifth avenue. New 

 York City. He is very enthusiastic but he hasn't come in as a mem- 



