Show Ruthless Mirthless Profiteers I rs I II ten A Available va i 1 a bI e Tree Supply I i Christmas i V American Forestry Association Points to Annual i 1 Cutting of Millions of T Trees ees Without I Ii P Pro Proper roper er R Reforestation e f t t. t Ion i f l jV I 1 r WASHINGTON A HINGTON Dec l 16 lEach Each Each Each hol hol- Iday time brings th the usual story ab about ut r the Chr Christmas trees where trees where they come from how man many and the tho m means ans used tR bring pring hundreds of train loads of ot t them to the markets I But the Christmas tree and the holly hol hoi 1 ly and the other greens which go so D far toward making the holiday are doomed to unless some means are taken to reproduce ce them The state of Vermont Vermont Ver- Ver Vermont trees mont alone one furnishes for the eastern markets each Christ Christ- r a time and unless means are taken i to conserve and reproduce the sup sup- supply ply some time will be te exhausted The Am American rican Forestry association has Issued Issued is- is sued a Christmas tree monograph on the subject The first step to save the ChrIstmas Christinas Christ ChrIst- I mss inas greens it says is better fire prevention methods Wholesale cutting cutting cut cut- ting ting ing by venders who never go into the the woods except at this season and the holdup prices in n big cities aro are aro denounced On the other hand proper cutting dutting aids the growth of ot the larger trees trees and If It properly done is a help The holly is being being- cut ut by the unthinking unthinking un un- un- un thinking in a way that borders on slaughter and only the right sort of cutting will save sage this valued green for or the holiday season Ten en of the twenty-five twenty kinds kInas of tir fir trees found in the world are native na- na tive to North America eight occur Inthe In Inthe the Pacific slopes and in the Rocky mountain regions and only two are re e found in the eastern United Stat States Stales s I and one of these these these-Fraser's Fraser's Frasers fir fir Is is limited limited lim Hed to the high mountains of Virginia Vir Vir- Virginia ginia inia Inia North Carolina and Tennessee Most Important in the western group are are the tho Grand fir Nobel fir White fir and Red fir Th The Balsam fir is unquestionably the best known and most most widely distributed d of o our or r nativo na- na native na na- tive- tive firs It is one of the most beautiful beautiful beau beau- evergreen en trees native to North orth America It frequents bogs swamps and nd other wet places Among Its chief associates associates' are are the A American larch Arbor Vitae Black spruce and Red spruce Its companion species are not thany for few trees can withstand the Extreme wet and cold conditions of qUI northern bogs and swamps BALSAM IS FAVORITE r J The iThe Bas Balsam fir is a a tree which satisfies many human wants but the he greatest of all its gifts gift Is is the Christ Ghrist I tree As a Christmas Christmas tree it has no superior and in many de no other native tree has ChrIstI Christinas's Christ- Christ I F mass inas's tree tree qualities that even ap approach ap- ap it It The Th Europ European an fir fir so 0 cornn common com common corn com mon rhon n throughout many parts of cont continental con con- t Europe has many characteristics character character- in common with our Balsam fir It lit too has been used for centuries as asa asa asa a Christmas tree The similarity bet be- be t veen these two trees Is very marked ma may have helped develop our V high l regard for the Balsam fir and arid 0 rate luta It as the foremost Christmas tree treo of the eastern United States Balsam will willbe willbe On the trunk of ot the be found a large number of little sacs of balsam A finger fingernail trail nail will puncture the little blisters and nd there will flow a small quantity df 01 l balsam as clear as crystal When this is used in making miI mi- mi I q slides in our scientific lab lab- I It Is la used chiefly to at- at tich cover glass to the slides Balsam t- t t Js' Js also regarded as an excellent medi medi- j I ne r buds Balsam fir and of ot the I l are le are e very ery distinctive The buds are almost round about one one sixth sixth of an an inch long clustered at the end of the twig and appear to be four tour inches long cylindrical l And stand erect on onI I th the twigs Their scales fall off soon they y reach maturity and leave Gentral Central This Thi Thio Is an unal un- un j sual al habit among evergreen trees Z northwoods man many collect th the eaves ay s and use them in filling pillows I a and d cushions for the leaves when t u i ned emit a very fragrant odor The wood is soft does not contain resin ss IJ es and ranges in color from Ii o to brown It weighs about four twenty four pounds per cubic foot and i Mused Sed extensively in the ture Ut ure of paper pulp crates crate an and pack- pack boxe boxes v i. i There aro are tw twenty nty kinds of spruce ees and they occur in every c country t the northern hemisphere Eight Alf rg e native to North America Amerl three Ibe being n found in the eastern part and five fhe i I ir the western part Deep green leaves wl which ich are armed spines pines along the margin distin r I Christmas holly The leaves aro so bright and they often reflect light as mirrors The small bright red rd berries lire are also a helpful means of ot Identification in ht fall and and winter An old manuscript in the the BrItIsh museum museum states that the Holy Hoh hath bath beryl berys as red as any rose rose Devout people people peo people peo- peo regard the leaves of the tho holly as asa asa asa a s symbol of the Saviours Saviour's crown of I thorns Unfortunately the methods of collecting collecting col col- the branches is v very ry destructive j COl tive In many instances s the tho tops of the trees nr are cut out completely leavIng leaving leav leav- ing nothing but bit an erect bare trunk We Ve need the holly sprig for decorative decorative decorative decora decora- tive pm purposes oses' oses at Christmas but in order that a future futuro supply ma may be insured special steps must be tal taken en enat at once to regulate ulata the cutting in such a way that all the existing tr trees es esmay may continue to produce annually an abundant supply of thrifty branch- branch lets HOLLY NATIVE OF SOUTH The The American holly also called Balled Christmas holly and the closely re related related related re- re European holly are linked with Ith our Christmas tra traditions 1 Many people people people peo peo- peo- peo are familiar with the the holly leaves and berries but few of them know that they grow up upon n trees which are arc I common in the coastal plain regions of t the e south south southland and and found locally as far far j north as Pennsylvania and along the the Atlantic coast to southern Maine 1 j While the Christina's Christinas f holly may reach a I. I height of fifty feet and a diameter of two to three feet In Arl Arkansas and and- I Texas It rarely exceeds twenty feet In Jn height and anda a few inches in hi diameter in the extreme northern part of its I natural range Of course particularly the young folk wants to miss mistletoe It Is the only parasitic plant that tha t is used at t Christmas s time It is sometimes sometimes some some- times called a tree thief for it gets all its nourishment from the trees I upon which it lives In the so south th one may se see thousands of trees literally I festooned with the mistletoe It sometimes sometimes some some- times grows i in the form of a witches' witches broom or one may see it dangling some some-I down from the branches of ot a tree in n graceful array It always appropriates ates for Its own development the lifeblood lifeblood life- life blood of the tree upon which It feeds Some species of mistletoe are are listed Most of ot them occur in the tropics and nearly all of them are parasitic Many varieties arc are found In Jn the tho United States They occur from the coast of New Jersey southward and westward w In Oklahoma the mistletoe has been selected as the state flower If I 1 you question an Oklahoman about the I parasitic plant as a state flower he heIs heis heis Is likely to answer answer that tha t if It man may tap a maple tree tre for syrup and the pine tre tree for turpentine It is fair fall for the mistletoe to tap tap- trees so that it may develop and become av available for tor decorative use Examination Examination- or orthe orthe orthe the leaves of the mistletoe show they are aro almost n nerveless thick and fleshy and a magnifying glass will show only about breathing pores to the square inch while In the common lilac there occurs at least breathing breathIng breath breath- ing pores t to the square Inch Large quantities s of trailing pine also known as Princess pine and ground hemlock are used at Christmas Christmas Christ Christ- mas time These plants really are arc not pines or hemlocks but are closely closely close close- ly related to the ferns r As As s Christmas trees can be bo raised at a profit so RO it Is also possible to raise the Christmas holly and and the mistletoe by artificial means In that way an adequate supply may be In Insured insured insured in- in for the future and all those who contribute towards the developIng develop develop- ing lag of or successful methods of propagating propagating prop prop- gating these plants plants' will insure the welfare and 01 happiness of future gen gen- |