CALIFORNIA AVOCADO ASSOCIATION 



45 



registration of varieties, damage due to frosts, and have transacted con- 

 siderable miscellaneous business. They have continued the advertising and 

 educational campaign by issuing about 20,000 pieces of printed matter. 

 Among them are leaflets entitled "Are you interested in Avocado Grow- 

 ing?" designed to secure memberships; "The Avocado, Your Questions 

 Answered" covering the inquiries of those who know little or nothing about 

 the fruit, and "The Avocado" a concise and comprehensive epitome by 

 Prof. Condit on the fruit, the tree, climatic requirements, propagation, soils 

 and sites for the orchard, varieties, yields, pests, food value, methods of 

 serving and by-products. This circular, with footnotes referring to the 

 annual reports of the Association where the topics are treated more ex- 

 tensively, will be of value to every inquirer for years to come. 



The Board consists of nine members, three of whom are elected by 

 ballot at each annual meeting of the Association and serve for a term of 

 three years. During the past year the board has consisted of the following 

 members, W. L. Hardin of Los Angeles, B. H. Sharpless of Santa Ana, 

 and Thos. H. Shedden of Monrovia, term expiring in 1919; C. D. Adams 

 of Upland, T. U. Barber of Puente and H. J. Webber of Riverside, term 

 expiring in 1920; J. M. Elliott of Los Angeles, Lester Keller of Yorba 

 Linda and Wm. H. Sallmon of San Diego, term expiring in 1921. Of 

 these nine men six were charter members of the Association and all have 

 been students of the avocado for years. What manner of men they are 

 and the extent and depth of their interest in the business you have com- 

 mitted to them will become apparent at this evening's session when each 

 is to speak for himself. 



I now propose to review briefly the history and progress of this 

 Association with some comments and suggestions in order to "stir up your 

 pure minds by way of remembrance," to stimulate the interest of new 

 members, and to inform others about the scope and purpose of our work. 



The Cahfornia Avocado Association came into being on May 1 5th, 

 1915, at an advertised meeting held at the Alexandria Hotel in Los 

 Angeles. A board of nine directors was named, tentative by-laws were 

 formulated, and at a later meeting the directors elected officers with Mr. 

 Edwin G. Hart as President and Mr. F. O. Popenoe as chairman of the 

 Executive Committee. 



The first semi-annual meeting was held at the same place on October 

 23, 1915. That the audience was largely composed of seekers after knowl- 

 edge was evidenced by the number who were armed with note-books and 

 pencils. This studious aspect which was noted at the first gathering, has 

 characterized all the subsequent public meetings of the Association. We 

 are students and pioneers of a new and promising industry. There is a 

 marked absence of cranks and faddists among us. The quality of the 

 leaders and their downright serious attention to the business of improving 

 the culture, production and marketing of the avocado, has saved the 

 industry from the danger of degenerating into a fad, and is placing it upon 

 a dignified basis. 



The first public meeting was notable for the contributions made by 

 men of scientific standing. Prof. M. E. Jaffa, head of the division of 

 Nutrition of the University of California, gave the benefit of original 

 research on the food value of the avocado. He stated as a result of 

 chemical analysis, that the avocado should not be considered merely as a 



