17 



crops is generally recreational. We sally forth in the autumn to gather 

 nuts as a diversion. Our expeditions are designed to please the chil- 

 dren. When we buy nuts occasionalh^ in the stores we classify them as 

 luxuries. "Nuts and candy" are, I believe, still traditionally correct 

 Christmas gifts for the youngsters. That fact is indicative of their 

 status. 



And yet, for all of that, we are really consuming immense quantities 

 of nuts. It astonishes me to learn that in 1926 we imported 22,679,- 

 000 pounds of shelled walnuts and 21,000,000 pounds of walnuts that 

 were not shelled. How many dollars this represents I do not know, 

 but unquestionably' millions. 



It is not my intention to indulge in a technical discussion as there 

 are experts in attendance to advise you. I am simply trying to make 

 it clear what this conference has already done for me. It has chal- 

 lenged my interest and has awakened me to a realization of the possible 

 economic values with which you are dealing. It should and no doubt 

 will awaken an interest in others whose knowledge of the subject is 

 no greater than mine. 



All of this is by way of saying, that down here on the Peninsula 

 we actually know very little about nut culture. Certainly we have 

 no local data upon which to base a claim that we can grow nnts commer- 

 cially and at a profit. 



We know that we can grow nut trees, and that these trees bear a 

 varying harvest. The unregulated tree ajapears to be rather unde- 

 pendable. Our problem, I presume, is to find out whether we can 

 make our trees reliable servants. 



The man who invents or perfects a new commercial crop for the 

 Peninsula deserves a place in the annals of the great. What we need 

 is a nut growing Burbank. Some day someone will bring forth a wal- 

 nut that can be cracked without the aid of a trip hammer; a walnut in 

 which it is possible to find the meat without securing a search warrant 

 or the assistance of a private detective agency. We have the paper 

 shelled pecan, and I hope that as time goes by we will evolve paper 

 shells on all the nuts we grow. 



The practical requirement is a demonstration farm on the Peninsula 



