It is surely not good policy to enrich other nations at the expense of our own people, as we are now doing in sending millions of dollars annually to foreign countries in payment for such luxuries as edible nuts that could be readily and profitably produced at home. There need be no fear of an overproduction of such things, no matter how many may engage in their cultivation.[A]
[Footnote A: Note by the secretary: At the time when Fuller wrote his excellent book, the chestnut blight, as at present known, had not been observed, although he makes an interesting reference to some disease of the chestnut, of unknown nature, at one time destructive to the trees in the Piedmont region. The Northern Nut Growers Association does not recommend the planting of the chestnut in any region where the chestnut blight, _Endothia parasitica_, is prevalent. With this exception the association is heartily in sympathy with the sentiments expressed by the writer.]
COLONEL VAN DUZEE: I have no questions to ask, but as I am going to be obliged to leave the session before the close of the lecture, I should like to express my appreciation of the paper which has been read and make a remark or two. I am so heartily in sympathy, in this commercial age, with some of the thoughts expressed there, that it is a pleasure to listen to a paper which takes into consideration something a little beyond, and the idea of planting trees by the roadside for the benefit of humanity, is of too much importance to be overlooked. I could go on at great length along this line, but as I have not time I just wanted to express my appreciation before I have to go.
THE PRESIDENT: Has anyone else any suggestions or any general business?
THE SECRETARY: There has been no discussion at all of the filbert, I think. That is a nut that is possibly going to be of great importance in the future. I think it was Mr. Doan who asked me about the filbert and there might be someone here who could give us some information about its possibilities. Perhaps Mr. Reed could tell us something about it.
In charge of Nut Culture Investigations, United States Department of Agriculture]
MR. C. A. REED: Well, I am glad the subject has been brought up but I would rather listen than try to talk. As Mr. Littlepage made clear in his paper yesterday, there has been considerable effort in the eastern states towards the introduction of the filbert, but almost uniformly such attempts have met with failure. About two weeks ago some of us visited Dr. Morris's place and while there we were shown some large European filberts, ten to twelve feet high, bearing heavily. These were not suffering from the effects of the blight at all so far as we could see, and they were right in the district where the native northern filbert is one of the most common of the wild plants. It was quite a revelation to me to see the native filbert or hazels bearing so heavily. Everywhere we went we saw low bushy hazels not over two feet from the ground loaded with immature nuts. I thought there was an opportunity for some nut enthusiast to canvass that territory, and find the best individual plants for propagation. The filbert, it seems to me, offers an unusually inviting field, and unless I am greatly mistaken there is a great field for exploration. Dr. Deming lives in that same section, and he tells us that on his farm the hazels are even more common than at Dr. Morris's place. Dr. Morris agrees with us that there is a fine opportunity for searching for the best varieties. He has done it and has found, I believe, one which he thinks is especially fine. I would be glad to hear from any one else about these nuts.