at where the trees shaded the roads they were almost
impassable at times, while in the open places, they were fine.
In Michigan we took up the question of roadside planting, and Senator
Penny fathered the bill, the pioneer measure, that caused our state to
plant roadways. We have a very competent landscape engineer in charge of
one of the departments, and he is planning to grow roadside trees, using
nut-bearing trees, so that the next generation will profit largely by
the work of today. And this is just because of this association.
When I was honored with your presidency, one of the features of the work
we carried on was in getting nut trees from historic places, especially
from Mt. Vernon. The Superintendent of Mt. Vernon very kindly told us
that we could have the walnut crop from trees that were started there
during Washington's time, and the only stipulation was that we should
not commercialize the idea; that those nuts were priceless, and that we
should not receive any money for them, but should distribute them in the
schools and in a public way cause interest in the planting of nut trees.
That very movement brought about wonderful results, and today there are
from five to ten thousand walnut trees growing in our state, about the
height of a man, all of them having come from Mt. Vernon.
On our way through from White Sulphur Springs, we passed through the
home of Thomas Jefferson, Monticello, and we found some magnificent nut
trees planted by Jefferson. Some of our best trees today are from those
given to Washington by Thomas Jefferson; and I arranged at Mt. Vernon to
secure some of the nuts from the trees Jefferson planted there.
Just yesterday Mr. Dodge, the superintendent at Mt. Vernon, again said
that we could have the crop for this year. We will have a number of
bushels from there, although the trees have not been as fruitful this
year as usual, and I leave it to you to judge as to what we should do
with those nuts this year. Some of you have ideas about this, and I
would be glad to adopt them. But when the fact is known that the walnuts
can be secured in that way the entire country will want them. At present
I have letters from Texas and other places asking for some of Mt.
Vernon's nuts. It is a movement that will cause more people, in my
opinion, to have nut trees than any other, and we should push it to the
limit.
I had a letter from Henry Ford's secretary, asking for a dozen trees
which might be pla
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