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Show ( "W ymmmmm 4-m., f " Ea;;:ssl tained. The limbs are bound down tight bo as J f frfc Jh4 ."11-3 j t0 save room ln snipping. Then they are bound S-v W - , f ! ss, j, together in bunches of five, this being convenient V? I5 -" "V -A 5srt for both shipment and sale. They go to market 1- t - J"' v'" p 4 c ln open cars that they may be kePt co1 and ps- ffl.C1 s - " v w jw k , slbly damp. Otherwise their tips might wilt and t " ' s -A, " " v V x. tbelr attractiveness thus be lessened. They are i 1 -s, " J.j!n. Bold (iirect from the cars to retailers and these-Ik these-Ik j . 5s i J " v-c ! t " make a point of keeping them always in the open - .v lf J ''icii-r sc"''' ''' Throughout the southern states the supply of xi1 ""!., V " - w v. s - v " J' i J- Christmas trees, comes from the southern pine j'- x-v j- ' 5 -al lat overruns tne region. Ordinarily the markets . 4 i " .-w " VT " V; are supplied by the wagons -of the farmers, but 4. w i ti a, ' " x l ln tne DigSer cities they come in carload and N'T " v iS- 5 Ja trainload lots. The fir is abundant In Colorado, "? " 8 x S I f 2 141 but 11 6r0WB ln hlSh. inaccessible places, and , "'V t , ' therefore the Douglas spruce and the lodgepole '3jV' j "tJ,v;x 4 t & si'v j plne larSely take' lts P'ace. This is largely true f i 'r-5"! ' 4tl- A of all the Rocky Mountain states. In California T C A t and the other Pacific Coast states the incense x " fxtr I l -J? 9C?t m cedar and the young coast redwoods are quite '" v Jf r fZ?,"',v-C5 generally used as Christmas trees. The swamps " y V1J t V3 Si i-A i S-t-f . ? & ot Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota furnish ta's 'W V4f i. tt--4f A , ' the markets of Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and w lAflC ii'') i5f Detroit. 1 1, - xnlvi rti when the t,me ,s ready fr the indor "se f K f , r'''? f I ' Cj?s" the tree U ls dug up and pared down t0 a gleeful x V &- fc" v5?l - piece of earth as a base. Then a piece of can- jf 1 " Ji'ih'&- 1 I vaa or any otner sort of stout cloth is bound N. -wj - $ if It about the base to prevent crumbling of the earth. v $f ff f 5 The whole of this is then fitted into a box or tub N. Ijsk v and 'r- ready to serve its purpose in the house, w ww '3 more solid and effective Indoors than the or- I JJ v,. f 1 dinary tree and never wilts or droops. It ls ln t . I ' J reality a living tree. - J When the festivities are over the tree Is taken ' r r r . JZ&2T-Jl0 ' Jf$' 'jiZPly . to the point where it is to be planted. A hole is v ' ' "(' ' 1 t " i - .'" V - ' " - dug to fit Its base. This may be successfully ac- tained. The limbs are bound down tight bo as to save room in shipping. Then they are bound together in bunches of five, this being convenient for both shipment and sale. They go to market ln open cars that they may be kept cool and possibly pos-sibly damp. Otherwise their tips might wilt and their attractiveness thus be lessened. They are Bold direct from the cars to retailers and these make a point of keeping them always in the open air. Throughout the southern states the supply of Christmas trees, comes from the southern pine that overruns the region. Ordinarily the markets are supplied by the wagons -of the farmers, but in the bigger cities they come in carload and trainload lots. The fir is abundant in Colorado, but it grows In high, inaccessible places, and therefore the Douglas spruce and the lodgepole pine largely take' its place. This is largely true of all the Rocky Mountain states. In California and the other Pacific Coast states the incense cedar and the young coast redwoods are quite generally used as Christmas trees. The swamps of Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota furnish the markets of Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Detroit. When the time is ready for the Indoor use of the tree It ls dug up and pared down to a graceful piece of earth as a base. Then a piece of canvas can-vas or any other sort of stout cloth is bound about the base to prevent crumbling of the earth. The whole of this is then fitted into a box or tub and Ir, ready to serve its purpose in the house. It is more solid and effective Indoors than the ordinary or-dinary tree and never wilts or droops. It is ln reality a living tree. When the festivities are over the tree Is taken to the point where it is to be planted. A hole is dug to fit Its base. This may be successfully accomplished ac-complished even where the ground is frozen. The . tree ls lifted from its tub, the cloth is taken from around its base and It is fitted again Into the earth from which it came. The protected roots again take hold and the tree goes on growing without even a knowledge of Its holiday experience. expe-rience. It ls ln no way Injured. Nurserymen specially prepare trees for just this purpose. Individuals may do the same thing with no more explanation than that given above. Trees from the native woods around any village may have their roots pruned in advance or they may be dug up with no preparation whatever. There is a better chance of their flourishing when they have been prepared for the transplanting. But any evergreen dug up with a bit of earth about Its roots should grow. There is also a manner of permanently marking trees without injuring them or interfering with their growth. A tag fastened to a piece of wire will remain attached to- a tree for a century. This tag may be of metal and on it may be stamped stamp-ed the date and whatever legend ls desired. The home of a growing family may thus be left with a permanent monument of all the Christmases that have passed over the heads of the children that have dwelt within it. When these return to the ancestral hearth ln their old age they can recall the planting of the trees and the events that hover about the occasion ln question. Incidentally, Inci-dentally, the landscape will have been beautified, beauti-fied, and aside from the sentimental phase of It, much valuable timber produced. The Christmas tree industry of the United States has assumed great proportions and Uncle Sam is making plans to place the industry upon a permanently profitable basis through reforesting reforest-ing large areas. Incidentally the new Industry has furnished an opportunity for hundreds of boys and girls to earn their Christmas money In a new way by harvesting the cones of evergreen trees. Of the nation's forest land, GO, 000, 000 acres are today covered with mature timber, while 40.000.000 acres are well seeded with young growth. This leaves 100,000,000 acres that are either non-productive or only partly productive. It is for this 100,000,000 acres that seed are to be gathered, and it is upon this vast expanse that they ai-e to be planted until the whole is developed into Its greatest possible yielding capacity, capa-city, making It one of the finest forests that the world has ever known. . JJ J W ft YRiAD are the myths and JS. m legends that cluster around I q the Christmas tree. Its origin q 1 takes us far back into pre-historic pre-historic times when our skin- TiKv clad savage ancestors were V-Va5" tree worshippers and belle v- ".r- ed that a g0d r goddesB r"gT. dwelt in the evergreen. Long TLrt..s;- Prior to the Christian era, the ySii$s. fir tree was used in Rome in " nTV the December holiday festivl- yWdlJ ties of the Saturnalia and its WW branches were decked with' Uttle yellow jeweled Images , QT.. , o pagan divinities, especially of Bacchus. In the Yuletlde celebrations of the Druids of ancient Britain, the evergreen had a distinctive place with ivy, holly and mistletoe. The Druids believed that the evergreens sheltered the good spUlta of the air who fled to them at the approach of cold weather. There ls a Scandinavian myth that tells of the tree that sprang from the blood-soaked ground where two lovers met a violent death, and of mysterious lights that hovered about the tree at Christmas time. At the period of the winter solstice, sol-stice, the ancient Egyptians decorated their houses with palm leaves which symbolized immortality im-mortality and the starry sky. At this period of the year the ancient Persians decorated the plane tree with ornaments and jewels. An old German tradition gives Saint Wilfred the credit of transforming the tree worship of the savage Teutons to a Christian ceremony, it was about the year 725 that he led a party of priests into central Germany for the conversion of the worshipers of god Thor. Prince Gregor, the grandson of a king, was with him, having been intrusted to his care by the abbess of the cloister Phalzel. On Christmas eve they were fighting their way through the snow of the forest when they came upon the heathen tribe of Geismar. They were assembled under the thunder oak, symbolic of the power of Thor, and were prepared pre-pared to offer up sacrifice. The white-haired priest of the heathens had chosen the young son of the chief as the fairest possession of the tribe, and he was to be offered, for the god was very hungry and needed the utmost atonement. As the venerable priest raised his stone hatchet on high and brought it down to kill the boy, who was ready, prepared for the stroke. Winfred jt" ""' warded off the blow with his staff. Vibert P-.re gratified at his saving of their I Angeles re.,owed h,m Bpeecn and he gave JTospital in Srstlan creed Then he and the Oym a bulletr took thelr axes ,,3 cut down the fatl-.nd AB.rt was ready to fall the light-a light-a prisojyM'and BpIit it in many parts and it fell suit wr. The waiting tribe then beheld In its a Blender fir tree, green and sparkling and chlorous. Winfred bade the tribesmen bear this succ.to the hall of Grundhar, the chieftain, to structu.isemblo about it and make merry. About Eleven Christmas tree the wild men of the Jured Tst heard the tale of the Bhepherd boy jr V!lds of Judah and It gripped their sturdy !k9 trlbeB became Christian and ever (1 tho fir tree as a token of ' the day of Irth N nU8resertNBtyle of usage canaot be traced back farther than the sixteenth six-teenth century. It than existed only ln the Rhine valine'; to which narrow limits it was restricted for more than 2-00 years. At Uie opening of the nineteenth century it spread to the rest of Germany, Ger-many, and fifty years later had reached Bohemia, Hungary, Paris and England. German Immigrants had already brought the custom to our own country coun-try and here It has become so popular that the supply of trees in the cit-7 markets is never equal to the demand. Linking the presen'. with the dim past of unnumbered un-numbered centuries, chere will this Christmas be displayed in American homes 5,000;000 evergreen trees. There are about 20,000,000 families in the United States, and one ln four of these will make the Christmas tree a part of the celebration that ls at hand. This does not mean that only these will participate in the festivities of the season, for there Is still the stocking method of dispensing dispens-ing gifts. But in this great number of homes It has become the custom to use the trees in accordance ac-cordance with the old-fashioned custom of sturdy, rural Germany. New York, the metropolis of the nation, uses far more Christmas trees than any other city ln the world. Yet the city is so admirably located from the standpoint of available forests that the supply is always abundant and prices low. A quarter of a million Christmas trees are each year brought to New York, and all of them are sold during the week before Christmas. Over on Riverside Drive, where are the homes of the wealthy, expensive trees are sold. These are elaborately prepared, often being specially grown for the purpose and bring prices as high as $50. Yet the East Side gets its due proportion, and so abundant is the supply that good shrubs may be had for 25 cents and 50 cents. The little trees grow quickly and the farmers are often glad to have them cleared off their land. As a result the people who count the pennies closely find the Christmas greens within their reach. Father Knickerbocker lives right In the midst of the most productive Christmas tree section. The state of New York yields them abundantly Straight down from tho Adirondacks they come in trainload lots. Northern Pennsylvania also produces them without stint, and so are all the nearby cities guaranteed an abundance. All through New England there is a general use of the Christmas tree. For a month past there have been hundreds of men preparing the Christmas tree harvest for the youngsters who dwell in the towns and cities. In the smaller communities, provided the region produces the right sort of trees, the farmer himself him-self cuts them down and brings them to market. He sells these trees to market men, to grocers, to florists and decorators. They are bought from him by the wagonload and cost little. Then they are properly prepared and set upon the sidewalk. But preparation for the larger markets are different. dif-ferent. In the hills around the greater cities making ready for Christmas is begun two months before the arrival of the day to be celebrated. In Maine, for Instance, the men go out in gangs of four. They know their business, for they have gathered this self same harvest for a generation. They have bought the trees as they stand in tho fleld' paying the farmer five cents each for them. The- butt of the tree Is sawed o,T BitmntHv nnd |