104 



to the next convention, and the secretary's office ought to be busy. 

 We are planning upon making it so to keep up interest. 



I think that the secretary shouldn't be handicapped by lack of 

 funds for stationery and things of that kind. I think that with a de- 

 ficit maybe he has been. Maybe more matter would go out if he 

 had funds and to that end I am putting in my check for $20 for my 

 subscription tonight in advance. If others will do that he will have 

 funds to work with. (Applause) 



The President : In a discussion I had with the treasurer and 

 the secretary before this evening's session we considered that point, 

 Mr. Olcott, and I thought that we would go after the remaining de- 

 ficit tonight and make it up, start ofif with a clean sheet. Mr. Bixby 

 said that if we were going to enter into this new membership cam- 

 paign in a really generous spirit, he felt that the matter of the re- 

 maining deficit should be taken care of. 



Mr. Bixby: If we can get two hundred new members this 

 year that will take care of it. 



The President : Two hundred are already pledged. 



Mr. Bixby: If we get them that will take care of it. 



Mr. Olcott: It will take to the end of the year to get the 

 returns. 



Mr. Weber : I will send my check when I get home, because I 

 don't want to go in to my pocketbook now. 



The PiiEsiDENT: What was the deficit, Mr. Bixby? 



Mr. Bixby: The deficit was $176. There was pledged yes- 

 terday, $75, and there has been $10 more today. That's $85 of the 

 $176. Then there is $20 of Mr. Olcott's. That would make it 

 $105. Mr. Weber, when he gets home, will make it $125. We will 

 clean it up one way or another. 



The Secretary : I think we should proceed now to the report 

 of the nominating committee and the selection of the next place of 

 meeting. 



The President: The hour is growing late and there is just 

 one message I want to give you here. While it may savour some 

 what of advertising our filbert enterprise, it was not with that idea 

 in mind that we proceeded to get the information we have got. Our 

 filberts have been distributed through the L. W. Hall Company, 

 nurserymen of this city, who have exclusive sale of them at this 

 time. They have been distributed during the past three years over 

 a considerable area : IlHnois, Idaho, Iowa, North Carolina, Massa- 

 chusetts, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Ohio, Delaware, New York, 

 Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia, Georgia, District of Columbia, 

 Pennsylvania and Kansas. 



Some little time ago I conferred wih Mr. Hall in regard to 

 communicating with his customers to whom he had delivered fil- 

 bert plants, the first in the spring of 1919. He has written them 

 asking them how the plants have done, and particularly with regard 

 to fruit bearing. I have the replies here and the gist of them is this : 



