The Chanute times., 1912-12-13

tanned The limbs are bound down tight so az
to save room in shipping. Then they are bound
together in punches of five, this being conVenleh'
for both shipment and sale They go to market
in open cars that they may be kept cool and pos
sibly damp Otherwise their tips might wilt and
their attractiveness thus be lessened. They are
sold direct from the cars to retailers and these
make 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, Dut
in the bigger cities they come in carload ana
trainload lots The fir is abundant in Colorado.
but it grows in high inaccessible places, and
therefore the Douglas spruce and the lodgepoie
pine largely take it's 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 is dug up and pared down to gracetul
piece of earth as base. Then a piece of 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 box or tub
and is ready to serve its purpose in the house
1t is more solid and effective indoors than the or
dinary tree and never willis or droops. 1t Is IN
reality living tree.
When the festivities 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 ac'
compished even where the ground is frozen The
tree is lifted from It's tub the cloth is taken from
around its base and 1t is fitted again into the
earth from which 1t came The protected roots
again take hold and the tree goes on growing
without even knowledge of Its holiday eXpe
rience. 1t is In no way injured
Nurserymen specially prepare trees for just
this purpose individuals may do the same thlna
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 better chance OF their fourishing when
they have been prepared for the transplanting
But any evergreen dug up with bit OF eartn
about its roots should grow.
There is also a manner of permanently marking
trees without injuring them or interfering with
their growth, tag fastened to a piece of wire
will remain attached to a tree for century
This tag may be OF metal and on 1t may be stamp
ed the date and whatever legend Is 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 in their old age they can
recall the planting OF the trees and the events
that hover about the occasion in question. Incl
dentally, the landscape will have been beauti
fed 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 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 nations forest land, 6O.OOO,OOO acres
are today covered with mature timber. while
10000 900 acres are well seeded with young
growth. This leaves 10O,00O00O acres that are
either non-productive or only partly productive.
It is for this 1OO0000O0 acres that seed to
be gathered and It is upon this vast expanse
that they are to be planted until the whole is
developed into its greatest possible yielding capa
city. making It one of the finest forests that the
world has ever known.