nce for further nominations at our last business session.

PRESIDENT BEST: Now, then, we have an opportunity to hear from a group
of what we might call authorities in their various fields. We have quite
an assortment. The only way I know of to express it is to say we have
the wise men out of the east and the wild men out of the west. I think
we first might hear from Mr. Kyhl of Sabula, Iowa. Mr. Kyhl, you come up
and give us your version of the nut business.

About Nuts

IRA M. KYHL, _Sabula, Iowa_

What we all have in mind at this time is nuts and more nuts. One way to
get them is to plant more nut trees. Why not start a campaign in this
direction? Where I live in the midwest the black walnut is at home and
likewise the hickory, hazel, etc. Farmers may be reluctant to set aside
acreage for this purpose but they could be planted along fence rows
around the entire farm and would produce shade for livestock, an
abundance of marketable nuts, and later a fortune in saw logs. The
average size farm of 160 acres could support a great many black walnuts
if planted along fence rows which ordinarily grow up to brush and weeds.
Seedlings are cheap or one could buy 2 or 3 bushels of Thomas nuts and
raise their own. One could also plant hickories, heartnuts, filberts and
chestnuts if variety is desired along fence rows, but the main thing is
to get this work started. We could no doubt get cooperation from County
Agents and Conservation Departments because of wind breaks and erosion
control. Farmers who could be induced to do this work would no doubt
become nut enthusiasts in due time.

I feel that at this time it may be in line to pay a slight tribute to
our friend the squirrel. I wonder how many of us gave a thought as to
who was responsible for all of our wild trees, such as black walnuts,
butternuts, hickories, hazels and so forth, and how they came about.
The answer is simple, the squirrels, of course. They have been planting
nuts for centuries and without their good work in the past, there would
be very few wild nut trees.

The squirrel has been wrongfully condemned for his apparently good work
and has even been cussed a little for living on the efforts of his own
labor, and due to my appreciation of his good work, I have grafted or
rather topworked some of the trees he planted to Persian walnuts,
pecans, etc., so that he may have more of a variety of nuts. Someday I
expect to have some of the largest and fattest