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1917 ANNUAL REPORT 



where we shall be able to think and hear, and not have to wait until the 

 proceedings are published in order to know what was said. 



Since our cinnual meeting in May, at the election of officers. Dr. 

 Webber who has so ably, satisfactorily and comfortably filled every nook 

 and corner of the presidency, and whose enthusiasm for the avocado has 

 endeared him to all, shook his head, and turned a thumb down when the 

 subject of re-election was broached. He gave reasons therefor, in conse- 

 quence of which the present incumbent was elected to succeed the scholarly 

 Dr. Webber, * 'Whose shoe latchet I am not worthy to unloose." 



The selection of such a raw recruit was a surprise to me, and the elec- 

 tion was contrary to my protest. I am deeply appreciative of the confi- 

 dence shown and the honor bestowed by the act, and by personal expres- 

 sions. I thank you with all my heart while pledging my best efforts. 

 "Guaranteed to work in single, or double harness," in forwarding the in- 

 terests of our beloved avocado. I am a beginner in this unfolding life of 

 the avocado in a strange land, but one who has at heart a hope to labor 

 and live long enough to see this superb fruit become the attainable and ac- 

 ceptable food of rich and poor alike. 



I am under instructions to deliver a presidential address, "To include 

 some suggestions of policies to be pursued," was the wording, "in develop- 

 ing this fascinating industry." 



The avocado is an interest worthy of our best thought and action. Its 

 high characteristics call ladies and gentlemen to its culture. It has a charm 

 for youth, and yet there is a seriousness about it which attracts mature men 

 and women of all walks in life. There seems to be more old, than young, 

 enthusiasts engaged in training the infant avocado for a useful future in 

 California. This though recurs to me whenever I have looked over an 

 avocado assemblage, and noted, in its makeup, the preponderance of white 

 heads and bald heads. 



What is the secret of its attraction for the senior class in life? Its 

 delight and richness as a food cannot fully explain it, for conservative age 

 does not seek new and strange foods to feed its declining capacity. I sub- 

 mit these two believable reasons: 



First: The avocado holds out to all its devotees, the pleasing hope 

 of attaining that which is prized by all humanity, a green old age. Proofs 

 of this are plentiful in countries of its habitat, where nonagenarians and 

 centenarians, and over, abound without causing comment. Some years ago, 

 a gentleman who had lived long in lands where this fruit for unnumbered 

 centuries had been the daily food of all classes, said to me, "In looking 

 at natives who are healthy, hearty and active after one hundred or more 

 years of ahuacate eating, I have sometimes thought of the Scriptural de- 

 scription of Moses, when he died at the age of one hundred and twenty, 

 •His eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated'." 



TTie second reason is, that the avocado, as a food, fosters optimism 

 and happy life among those who are really fond of it. I affirm this as 

 the result of many years of observation among avocado eaters, in both 

 hotels and homes. The pleasure in eating the fruit, and the effect of the 

 food upon the system seem to create a cheerful state of mind. I have rare- 

 ly ever met pessimistic persons who were fond of avocados. Have you> 



