53 



way that they do not interfere. Practically we can get almost one 

 hundred per cent, of catches of our grafts now by the paraffin 

 method, that is, with perfect scions, perfect stocks and perfect tech- 

 nic by the operator. 



The President : Time is pressing and we have with us a mem- 

 ber whom I am very anxious to have you all hear. I refer to our 

 beloved member and my warm personal friend, the Pecan King, 

 Mr. J. M. Patterson of Putney, Georgia, who is here this evening 

 with Mrs. Patterson and their two sons. It afifords me great pleas- 

 ure to introduce Mr. J. M. Patterson. 



Mr. Patterson : Ladies and Gentlemen, your distinguished 

 president has set a nice pace for me, introducing me as a king! 

 Of course I am not unmindful of the fact that crowned heads are 

 not any longer in favor in this democratic world of ours. 



The President: When I introduced Mr. Patterson at the 

 Chamber of Commerce yesterday to Secretary Woodward, I intro- 

 duced him as the Pecan King. He is known as the Pecan King and 

 he is the Pecan King. There is no question about it. Mr. Wood- 

 ward responded in what I thought was a very gracious way. He 

 said he was much happier in meeting a pecan king than he would be 

 in meeting some of the kings in the old world. 



Mr. Patterson : That is my apology for being here. You 

 have made it easy for me. I have been away from home for nearly 

 five weeks traveling on four wheels, and I received notice from your 

 worthy president just a day or two before leaving my office that he 

 would expect me to read a paper on the Commercial Possibilities of 

 Nuts. At all events I had no time to collect my thoughts or make 

 any preparation, and those of you who have toured through a new 

 country and through some twelve or fifteen states, and passed 

 through eight or ten universities and got your graduation papers 

 each time as you went through, will realize that I have had not 

 much time to compose my thoughts on this subject. 



However, I am exceedingly glad to be here and I am going to 

 talk a little like a preacher I heard once in the city of Pittsburgh. 

 He said, " My text will be found in the Gospel of John, 4th Chapter, 

 15th verse, which reads as follows :" and he read the text. Then he 

 proceeded without a lapse of breath and said, " From which we now 

 take our departure." My subject is the Commercial Possibilities of 

 Nuts, "from which we now take our departure." 



California, or the Pacific Coast, has found the commercial nuts, 

 the almond and the walnut. The Southland has found the commer- 

 cial nut in the pecan. You good people of the effete and frozen 

 East are still looking for the commercial nut. That is how it comes 

 that we are here. It looked to me very much this afternoon when 

 we were out at Mr. McGlennon's nursery that he had helped you 

 very materially to answer that question, that he had discovered for 

 you one commercial nut. 



