CALIFORNIA AVOCADO ASSOCIATION 



71 



I ask you to study this phase of the fruit, and tell it to others. It will be 

 good missionary work. 



Avocadoans appear to be happily and agreeably disposed. As con- 

 tributing evidence, I might cite that we have never had any fights, or 

 squabbles in our Association meetings, or board sessions — so far. 



The avocado man stands unique in this world of rising prices. With 

 a slim crop of one of the richest foods known, he has made no change. 

 Some uncharitably disposed persons say he never makes change; always 

 keeps the change, when a purchaser tenders him a dollar. 



Doubtless the thought uppermost in the minds of members today, is 

 solicitude for the avocado, which, in this present year has been, to a certain 

 extent, menaced by excessive frost in Florida and heat in California. But 

 happily these menaces have passed and gone; let us hope for a long time. 

 It did keep us on the anxious seat, though, in passing, in memory of which 

 in this presence of friendly feeling I make this individual confession: Hav- 

 ing prepared and planted Florimel Orchard, cared for each of the trees, 

 watched their growth, returned their welcome smile each morning, praised 

 them for the way they came through the winters, with flying colors, and 

 having partaken of the fine product of their young lives, I became fond of 

 them, and when I realized the torture which they had endured last June, 

 I was full of compassion for them, — for those that had succumbed and 

 those that survived and stood up smiling cheerfully, but pathetically, at me. 

 Anxious thought went to all the avocado centers, and soon we found that 

 it was the weaklings that were stricken. 



Many of my trees were not right, eugenically, or euthenically, when 

 I got them in an avocado orphan asylum in 1914. Months of recovery 

 and reconstruction have passed, and now, as an individual member, and 

 as the mouthpiece of the Association and its wise directors, I can encour- 

 agingly say to you, that there is nothing in the avocado situation now, that 

 need cause a whimper over the results of that conflagration in the avocado 

 orchards. Sometimes fires have been "blessings in disguise." Every great 

 city of the civilized world, from Rome to San Francisco, has been built 

 upon the embers of its formative period. This was one such. It has 

 taught us the absolute necessity of planting, not only strong varieties but 

 healthy trees. 



In passing through different orchards, "after the fire," I stopped, 

 looked, listened, and everywhere, through the burned branches and rattling 

 leaves, came the warning voice of nature — mingled with that of Mr. 

 Spinks and Mr. Scott: 



"Plant strong trees." 

 "Plant healthy trees." 

 "Plant pedigreed trees." 



Nature has been helping in the process of elimination, and the "sur- 

 vival of the fittest," by thus destroying the weak ones in their youth. 



The unbiased Committee on Varieties, and the Board of Directors, 

 all men big enough to forget personal interests, deliberated long, and then 

 heroically took up an axe that was as free from guile as was George 

 Washington's hatchet, and chopped down a whole forest of avocado trees 

 that have been confusing and impeding the progress of the industry. They 



