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who already had been studying nuts and their culture for several 

 years, published an article in The Medical Council on "Nut Growing 

 as a Side Line for Physicians." After reading this I wrote to Dr. 

 Morris asking what I could do with nut growing on my New England 

 hilltop farm of 40 acres. He replied that in fifteen years I could 

 be getting an income of $100 an acre from nuts alone. That was just 

 what I wanted, $4,000 a year from the farm, or from anything. So 

 I plunged, without stopping to consider that Dr. Mbrris's incurable 

 optimism might have let him to estimate my capabilities too highly. 

 I bought every kind of nut tree that^any Nurseryman had in the East. 

 I sent to California for trees. I imported nuts from Europe for 

 planting. I had hickory trees grafted for me in the South. Some 

 of you know, perhaps from your own experience, what happened. 

 First my high hopes for chestnuts were dashed by the blight. Then 

 my Persian walnuts and pecans, under neglect, grew smaller every 

 year, instead of larger, and finally disappeared'. The filberts grew 

 but were barren for lack of pollination. The hired man failed to 

 heel in properly my expensive grafted hickories and they were all 

 winter killed. The black walnut was not then highly esteemed. For 

 several years I was not able to get a single nut bud or graft to grow. 

 Pages could be filled with my different kinds of failure, but even then 

 would not rival the forty-seven varieties that Dr. Morris has described. 



About this time it occurred to me that other people must be having 

 similar troubles and that we ought to share our experiences. The idea 

 of organizing an association of such people met the approval of Dr. 

 Morris, Prof. John Craig of Cornell University, Mr. T. P. Littlepage 

 of Washington, Prof. C. P. Close, then of the Maryland Experiment 

 Station, and others. On Sept. 20, 1910 I sent out the following 

 circular letter: 



It has been suggested that it would be of 

 value to those interested in nut culture in the 

 North if organization could be effected and 

 meetings held annually or oftener. 



Affiliation with the National Nut Growers' 

 Association would of course be advisable. 



The project has the approval of Dr. Robert 

 T. Morris of New York, Prof. C. P. Close of 



