Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1920-12-02
5,thurS. st
SUPPLYING THE
NATION WITH
CHRISTMAS TREES

The United States uses annually
between four and five million Christ
mas trees, according to the estimate
of the Forest Service, United States
Department of Agriculture. This
equals approximately the combined
consumption of England. Scotland
and Wales and is about 25 per cent
greater than that OF Germany.
On the Great Lakes. the Christ
mas-tree ship bringing greenery
from the upper peninsula of Michigan
to Chicago or Detroit is usually one
of the latest events in navigation each
winter. In the Northaa stern and
Lake states Balsam fir furnishes the
bulk of the Christmas-tree trade. In
the South the Fraser fir is the favo-
rite. In Colorado and other Rocky
Mountain states, fir, though album
dant, is difficult of access and the
Lodge Pole pine and occasionally the
Douglas fir and Engie2.ann spruce
are used. On the. Pacific coast the
Christmas tree is often the white fir.
Spruces vie with frs in popularity as
Christmas trees. but as a rule in the
South and West they occur at high
attitudes which make them difficult
to get.
New York and the New England
States consume 1,500, 900 trees. Maine,
New Hampshire, Vermont. the Berk-
shire hills in Massachusetts, and the
Adirondacks and Catskiils in New
III &c 81.
New York. Philadelphia. and Boston,
and, even Baltimore and Washington.
The swamps of Michigan. Wisconsin
and Minnesota furnish the markets Of
Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis, and
the cities of the plains sta&s
Christmas trees vary in size from
5 to 35 feet in height. and trees with
perfect whorls of branches the most
sought for. Prices vary from % or
so cents up to s35 or $50. There is
very little profit in the business for
those who furnish the material. These
are mostly farmers and owners of
woodlots who look upon the trees as
q gift of nature, and in selling them
consider only the labor of cutting and
hauling and not the labor and ex-
pense required to grow the trees.
Improves the Forest
That the use of Christmas trees is
perfectly compatible, however, with
the welfare of the forest is fully
proved by the practice in the Eu-
ropean forests. The cutting of small
trees for Christmas is not there con-
jsidered in the least as a menace TO
the forest but as a means for improv-
ing the forest and source of revenue.
and is therefore constantly encour-
aged. 1t is not by denying ourselves
the wholesome pleasure of having a
bit of nature in our homes, forest
officials say, that we shall preserve
our forests but by learning how to
use them wisely and properly The
following rules are laid down by the
Forest Service for the woodland
owner who wishes to improve a
rather dense stand of evergreens and
market the good trees for Christmas
purposes: "A
I'd Find market for Christmas
trees of the species which are grow
ing on your land.
CD Go through the woodland care
fully. pick out and mark the most
vigorous specimens of trees These
should be allowed to remain to form
the mature stand of timber.
(s) Mark for removal the trees
which are crowding. these better spe-
cimens.
40 Cut as many of these inferior
trees as there is suitable market