THIRTY-FOURTH FRUIT-GROWERS^ CONVENTION. 



19 



you have found the fruits in Riverside all that 3^ou have expected. 

 (Applause.) 



PRESIDENT JEFFREY. We will now listen to a statement from 

 the Secretary, Mr. John Isaac. 



Secretary Isaac stated in his report that, as secretary of the Thirty- 

 third Convention, he had been instructed to forward resolutions, then 

 passed, favoring a national horticultural quarantine and the parcels 

 post, to the representatives of California in Congress and to other 

 United States officials, interested therein. That in compliance Avith such 

 instructions he had sent copies of the resolutions, and received acknowl- 

 edgments from those to whom they were sent. These letters of acknowl- 

 edgment, which were of a favorable trend, were read by him, and on 

 motion, the report was adopted. 



(At this time an adjournment was taken until 1 : 30 o'clock p. m.) 



AFTERNOON SESSION-FIRST DAY. 



Tuesday, April 28, 1908. 



PRESIDENT JEFFREY. You will please come to order. It now 

 affords me great pleasure to introduce Mr. J. B. Neff. Mr. Neff is a 

 conductor of farmers' institutes for the University of California, and 

 lives at Anaheim. He will now read a paper on "Walnut Culture and 

 Top-Grafting to Increase Production." 



WALNUT CULTURE AND TOP-GRAFTING. 



By MR. J. B. NEFF, of Anaheim. 



When walnuts are spoken of in California it is always understood 

 that softshell walnuts are meant, and softshell walnuts are becoming 

 known in the markets of the United States as ''California walnuts," 

 this being the mark of excellence and used to distinguish them from 

 imported walnuts. These were formerly known as English walnuts, 

 probabl}^ because of having. been marketed by English merchants Avhen 

 all walnuts were imported, but likely originated in Persia or Asia i\Iinor, 

 though it has been found native over a wide area, including the moun- 

 tains of G-reece, or Armenia, of Afghanistan and the northwest Hima- 

 layas. It is also found in Japan, and has been reported as growing on 

 the highlands of the Congo, in central Africa. Walnuts from Persia 

 were brought to Rome by merchants, and from there the trees were dis- 

 tributed over Europe and to America. 



There are no records to show when the first walnut trees were planted 

 in California, but the best authorities say that it was about the year 

 1769, and that the planting was done by the Mission fathers. Very 

 few trees were planted after this first planting for nearly one hundred 

 years. About the year 1843 a few trees were planted at San Diego by 



