Show Uth U hJAL JA J I Christmas I Trees I Dy By MARJORIE HAYES in Boston Herald 91 ABLY every one has a Christmas NI NEARLY tree nowadays but U If you had bad been a child In America a hundred hun hun- droo dred years ago the chances are that you ou m might ht never have seen one The custom was universal In England many years before It was WIlS very common here except In communIties of at German or settlers For It was In Germany Gormany that the Christmas tree had Its origin There a ace e several different legends In regard to It it Here Hore is 11 one which dates from the Twelfth century An English monk named Winfred who had bad gone gOM Il as It a mIssionary Into Germany came camo upon apon some priests about to sacrifice the young prince priMe ABUl to tiro god Thor beneath the blood oak He stopped their cere cere- monies an and ordered them to cut down the oak whereupon a young fir tree appeared In Its place which WInfred told them signified the tho tree of Ute life or of Christly lIving From that tIme Germans who became Christians made the fir a part of the Christmas festival festival decorating It 11 with gilded nuts and ap ap- plea to like stars The two trees most commonly used for tor Christmas trees are the spruce and fir They look very much aUke alike but pp r Spruce Twill Showing the Cones Hang Hang- HangIng HangIng Ing Downward the spruce Js 18 likely to shed Its needles after two or three day days In the house while the fir remains in good condItion much longer There are several ways In which you OU may distinguish thom them first the cones Those or of the spruce hang downward while the cones of the fir are hell erect Ibis will not be much help to you In selecting a Christ Christ- Christmas mas tree however as they ar are usually not old enough to bear conga cones But if you examine a twig of the spruce you ou will find It covered with little tIttle horny projections In w the needles are sot set The spruce tree is 18 pyramidal in shape the long cones hangIng from the branches near the top The needles are arranged in spIral rows aroun around the stem those at the tho top poInting sharply upward They ha have va three or tour four dis- dis distinctly angled Sides Some common varieties are the tho red black white and Norway spruce Spruce timber has been used a great deal of late years for tor wood pulp Fir trees In varIous sections ot of the tho country are the balsam firs which grow abundantly In the mountains and which wo we find displayed ed In our markets at ChrIstmas time The fir la Is shaped much like the spruce but the needles are flat fiat and blunt blunt and usually spread feather wise from two sIdes ot of the stem only They are ara dark green above aboTe and silvery beneath The Tho dark purple cones stand erect glistening wIth balsam near the top Balsam also exudes from the trunk and Is used for medicine The fresh tresh needles are used as a stuffing stalling for sweet smelling balsam pillows Another evergreen sometimes used as a Christmas tree Is e the hemlock It ItIs Is more slender than the spruce sprats with feathery waving branches v grow very close to the ground The needles are arranged In two tInt flat rows on the twigs ant and have tiny stems They are The Balsam Fir Is Shaped Much LI LIka the Spruce soft ott and silvery underneath The cones are tiny growinG at the tho ends ot of the twigs The Tho bark is 11 used need In tanning leather Wreaths made mado ot of branches with little tIttle cones canell on them are very lovely |