Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-12-22
SYMBOL OF THE DAY
Christmas Tree is Supremest
of YuIetide Joys.
UNNOTICED IN THE FOREST
Work of the Woodsmen That Trees
May Be Had.
THEIR SELECTION A FINE ART
Protective Measures of the Owners Of
New England Tree Lands to
Prevent Deforestation.
THEIR SELECTION A FINE ART

Written for The Star.
An army works for months that the Amer
lean child may enjoy the supreme instant
of Christmas day.
ANY father or mother can affirm when
that instant comes. The joys of the toys,
of candy of the holiday feast, all fade into
nothingness compared to the bliss of the
child when it is first admitted to the room
where the Christmas tree is.
Nothing can detract from the fascination
of the hemlock, cedar or fir when it takes
it's place of honor in the room that is to
bear the burden of the Christmas celebra-
ton. The toy shops the child has with him
the year round, and there is no novelty in
candy and fruit only an extra abundance
of something that is in some measure al
ways obtainable
But the Christmas tree comes at Christ
mas alone 1t is the symbol of the best of
all holidays. Even the poorest of Christ
masses is all right if tree goes with 1.-THE
best is nothing if the tree be omitted.
The favored home of the Christmas tree
is Maine, and from the hillsides and fields
of the northernmost state in the Union come
the harvests.E
For eight weeks the work of getting the
trees from woods to homes keeps army
busy.
By the first week in November the Christ
dence in Maine. Having garnered all his
other crops, the farmer has chance to de-
vote himself to the children's crop, as the
Christmas tree yield might fairly be called.
Only Certain Percentage.
Those who love the forests, and who re-
greet to see the AK laid at the root of any
tree, will rejoice to learn that the basam
fir, so perfectly adapted to Christmas use,
is of no especial timber value, and grows
SO quickly that its loss by no means WORKS
the destruction of a tract of wood.
Moreover, the owners of the land are care
full to permit the cutting of only certain
percentage The right to cut and gather
the trees is usually let out, and the farmer
always imposes such protective measures
as will prevent the deforestation of his land
In Maine the cutters usually work in
gangs of four. At the head of each is gen.
orally shrewd Yankee. who knows every
detail of cutting the right trees and of get
ting them off to market in just the proper
shape.
He has been working for the children Of
the United States for years, this quaint
long bearded Yankee, and he protects the
forest SO that he may continue to realize
money from it for years to come.
Selecting the tree is fine art. The farm
knows that he has little chance to sell
tree that has not grown evenly. a crooked
Christmas tree cannot be given away.
Those who have forests of Christmas
trees do not dare crowd them Trees natu-
rally look upward to the light, and must be
close enough together to keep their tops
reaching up, and yet far enough apart not
to be dwarfed.
Christmas Tree Art.
This is the Christmas tree art in a nut
Shell. The American youngster is tyrant
who must be pleased, and who is just as
particular about his Christmas tree as ev-
erything else.
The Christmas tree man pays at the rate
of 25 cents bunch for his trees, and there
are five in bunch. When the owner of
the forest has sold out his stock at this fig
He has nothing to do but count his money
The first of the army working for Young
Americas Christmas has been paid. but the
gathering and transporting of the trees
have only been started.
The cutter and his staff are next.
The boss selects his tree by it's top. He
points his at that spot which will give
him a short stem with symmetrical
branches about 1t. This tree, fifteen feet
tall from bottom to tip. is placed on a tres
tie. The butt is sawed off smoothly paint
ed, so that the sap will not run out and the
branches are carefully bound together to
form a compact bunch, particular care be-
ing taken to protect the tip, on which de-
ponds to large extent the value of the
tree.
A gang of four, working together can
clear up a remarkably large tract of wood
land in a surprisingly short time
Then the boss pays off his three associ-