Northern Nut Growers Association Report of the Proceedings at the Twelfth Annual Meeting | Page 8

the number reported a year ago, 66. This in the judgment of the Treasurer is entirely due to the less amount of energy expended for a smaller proportion of members have dropped out than a year ago. While the gaining of members is not particularly easy it can be done and the number gained to quite an extent is in proportion to the energy put on it.
The finances of the Association this year are in a more troublesome situation than any year since the undersigned had charge. Two reports each at double normal cost each is quite enough to cause it. An inspection of the Treasurer's accounts have made it evident that during no year in the history of the Association have the dues received been equal to the cost of carrying on the Association. Each year some members interested have contributed in addition to paying dues. During the year past these sums have been considerable. It is believed that with only one report a year there will be only normal difficulty in handling the finances of the Association. The orderly conduct of the finances of the Association makes it very desirable that normal receipts of dues take care of normal expenditures with a little margin for contingencies. The matter of classes of membership would seemingly help on this. The treasurer would not recommend changing the annual membership from its present figures, $2.00, but would suggest that this meeting consider making a class of contributing members at $5.00 per year including the American Nut Journal. This would give the Association double the income from each such member that it now gets for most members accept the combination offer of membership in the Association and subscription to the American Nut Journal at $3.25 for both which nets the Association $1.75 per year.
Respectfully submitted, Sept. 30, 1921. WILLARD G. BIXBY.
THE PRESIDENT: Mr. Bixby is certainly a first class treasurer. He makes a recommendation in his report. Do you desire to act upon it at this time? I refer to his recommendation relative to a new class of membership. It is a first class suggestion and a motion covering it would be in order.
THE SECRETARY: I move that a committee of three be appointed by the president to consider the recommendation of the treasurer relative to different classes of membership and to report at this meeting.
MR. A. C. POMEROY: I second the motion.
The motion was carried.
THE PRESIDENT: I will appoint as that committee the treasurer, Mr. Bixby, the secretary, Dr. Deming, and Mr. R. T. Olcott.
Mr. Reed, the chairman of the committee on road-side planting, is in California, and unable to be with us at this session. If a report is to come from that committee it must necessarily come from some other member, so we will defer action on that particular report at this time.
We also regret the absence of Dr. Morris the first president of the association. He is unable to be with us at this meeting but he has forwarded a paper and unless there are objections we will receive it at this time and have it read by the secretary.
NUT TREES FOR PUBLIC PLACES
DR. ROBERT T. MORRIS, NEW YORK
The question of the planting of nut trees along highways and in parks and other public grounds falls into classification under two separate and distinct heads. First, the abstract proposition of planting useful trees upon ground which is not usefully occupied otherwise. Second, the reaction of human nature to the different phases of the proposition. The latter part is the larger part of the question, otherwise the work would already have been done.
Let us take up the smaller part of the question first. Nut trees which are indigenous to any locality, or allied species from other countries having similar soil and climatic conditions, will grow and thrive on public grounds quite as well as upon private property. They will be as beautiful and as useful upon public grounds as they are upon private property, speaking in a large way, although disposal of their products will go along different channels perhaps. Nut trees of various species will be quite as beautiful and distinctly more useful than any of the other trees that are commonly selected for planting upon public grounds. Because of the inclusion of the economic factor the question as to whether nut trees may well supplant the kinds of trees commonly selected is not a debatable question.
Let us leave this part of the subject however and take up question number two, relating to the human nature side. A little examination into this phase of the matter will disclose reasons why nut trees are not already along our highways and in parks and other public grounds. The supplying of trees on a large scale for such a purpose is commonly done