r American chestnut but are old enough
to show you that they have not been killed by this bark disease.

These trees show signs of the disease but that they have a high degree
of resistance is apparently beyond dispute. This shows the black scar
near the top which Meyer diagnoses as the remains of the chestnut bark
disease.

The scar there in the crotch of this chestnut tree indicates the degree
of resistance of this species. Just how it is going to behave here in
America no one can tell but that it would be possible to grow orchards
of these Chinese chestnuts with the care which you exercise in growing
pears or even peaches I think is a pretty safe guess.

Meyer remarks that this tree is probably a century old and with signs of
this disease on it. Here is one that he marks as between two and three
centuries old.

This, gentlemen, is the newest arrival in this country coming from East
Africa near Zanzibar. In Curtis's magazine there is published an account
of this nut after Mr. Playfair a British subject who had lived on the
island of Zanzibar. This is one of the most curious and most interesting
nuts that has been brought to our attention.

It is borne by a climbing vine the stem of which sometimes reaches six
or seven inches in diameter. The fruit is between two and one-half and
three feet long and eight inches in diameter, and bears between 250 and
264 of these large seeds about the size of chestnuts and with a delicate
flavored. In 1884 this Mr. Playfair sent some of these nuts to England,
but we have just discovered them so to speak. They will probably grow in
our tropical possessions and we must not overlook the fact that after
all there is a distinct drift in our agriculture towards the development
of that part of the globe which has been so overlooked by
horticulturists in the past. It is not at all impossible that some of
you who are here in this audience today will buy that Playfairia on the
markets.

I thank you very much indeed for your attention.

* * * * *

THE PRESIDENT: The hour is late. What Dr. Kellogg may have to say I know
will interest you all greatly but it might better be said tomorrow when
we are fresh and the attendance will probably be larger than it is this
evening. If there is nothing further to come before the meeting tonight
we will take a recess until 9:30 in the morning.

The convention adjourned until 9:30 a. m. Friday, October 8.

MORNING SES