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ANNUAL REPORT 1918 AND 1919 



THIS ASSOCIATION 

 By Thos. H. Shedden 



The subject assigned to me sounds like a prospectively dry historical 

 sketch coming. But, cheer up; it is not so; for, while rapidly making his- 

 tory, the years of the California Avocado Association are, as yet, too few 

 to inspire the pen of the historian. A great life is only, just now, unfolding 

 before our wondering eyes. Its precious babyhood has been nurtured by 

 devoted hearts and hands that have lovingly lifted it out of its swaddling 

 clothes ; soothingly led it through its wheezy times of colic, measles, mumps, 

 whooping-cough and kindred concomitant troubles of tender years, — ^which 

 experts teach us is the only safe time to have 'em, — and now, upon this 

 1918 anniversary, presents it as a little three-year-old beauty, which, for 

 accomplishments, will take the blue ribbon at any horticultural baby show 

 in California. 



'Way back in the spring of 191 5, we were given a pen portrait of it, 

 by its honorable, and handsome father, Edwin G. Hart. Oft times, you 

 know, fond parents will, for comparison, secure a picture of the developing 

 child, each birthday, until the twenty-first. In like spirit, I presume, an- 

 other picture has been ordered upon this, its third birthday. These infemtile 

 remembrances will be of interest to glance at, occasionally, as the years roll 

 on towards its majestic stature of maturity. 



The avowed purpose of "This Association," as stated in its fellow- 

 ship agreement, is: "The improvement of the culture, production, and 

 marketing of the Avocado." 



Have members, all, discerned the keystone of this arch which rises 

 over the portals of the beautiful structure we are entering in California? 



Not long since, while conversing with several representative members, 

 upon the scope of the Association's work, I asked if they could repeat ex- 

 actly its object, as officially declared in the by-laws. They, each one, 

 said it was: "The culture, production and marketing of the avocado," 



They seemed satisfied with it; and truly that would be a splendid oc- 

 cupation for any California man or woman, and yet, it requires not a 

 philologist to point out that they entirely ignored the major word of this 

 neatly framed manifesto, viz: "Improvement of the culture, etc," and 

 quoted only the minor words. Two of the gentlemen frankly admitted they 

 had never observed the prominence of the word improvement; the other 

 one said he had forgotten it. 



Therefore, for a good purpose, may I here ask all the orthodox mem- 

 bers of the audience to slowly repeat, with me, our declared creed: "The 

 purpose of this Association is, the improvement of the culture, production 

 and marketing of the avocado." Thank you. The active word is, im- 

 provement; the others are passive. 



Let me then, good friends, encircle this fundamental word improve- 

 ment, with a little wreath of forget-me-nots. I will, as the publicity man 

 would say, "feature it"; as the pubHsher would order, "box it." 



TTie adopting of this watchword, "Improvement," has laid out for us 

 a lifetime of searching and striving for the best; during which, the findings 

 and provings of science will often seem coldly unsympathetic. Fidelity to 

 our purpose will make all initiative acts and final judgments of "This 

 Association" entirely impersonal. Truth is always so. 



