successfully for fifty years--possibly longer, and ought to be bearing
nicely in eight years if properly cared for. But, success depends upon
the care and intelligence with which the original selection of trees and
soil is made, and upon proper cultivation. I have set an orchard of
northern varieties of pecans budded from the parent trees in the
Evansville section on my farm in Maryland this spring. The land cost me
sixty dollars per acre. When they are ten years old they ought to be
worth at least five hundred dollars per acre. I do not know how much
more this grove of nut trees will be worth in ten years, but I would not
option them at the present time for that price. I have about the same
confidence in the English walnut.

I have always been conservative on these matters and always expect to be
because in conservatism lies safety. These figures I have given you are
merely my personal opinion. I have seen pecan groves ten and fifteen
years old for which I would not have given any more than the land was
worth on which they were growing. If any one has a notion that he can
make money in nut culture, without intelligent exertion, he had better
go into some other line of business in which there are men having a fair
degree of success with unintelligent effort. I know of no nut grove in
the whole United States that is succeeding without intelligent
application, and on the other hand I do not know of a single grove which
with intelligent application is not succeeding. I am a
"conservative-optimist." I have been talking nut culture for a number of
years and expect to see every hope and estimate which I have expressed
fulfilled, and after all has been said and considered my final advice is
to _Plant Nut Trees_.

* * * * *

THE PRESIDENT: The chair invites a very active discussion of this paper.

PROFESSOR SMITH: It would be unkind to criticize so very instructive an
address but there is one thing laid down in that paper I wish to speak
about. I believe we were told we must cultivate our nut trees. I believe
the fact is that in the greater portion of the United States, we can
grow trees, even nut trees, without cultivation. If anybody doesn't
believe that, go to Washington by the Chesapeake Railroad and you will
see thousands of walnut trees along the way. I believe the human race
can grow trees on a hillside without cultivation, and I want to suggest
to persons putting out nut trees to put