The public ledger. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1913-1968, 1921-12-07
CHRISTMAS TREE
HARVEST NEAR
AT HAND NOW
Interesting History Of How the
Christmas Tree Came To BE
An Annual Affalr.

The great winter harvest Is at hand.
1t is u crop requiring from to 30
years to ripen. Arriving late by a
single day II 10 worthless, yet its fall
ure would mean sadness and disap-
pointment to all the jewellers in child
Woodland. II Is the Christmas tree.
The history OF Christmas tree usage
extends far into the mists Of antiquity
and It's origin is difficult to trace
Some say II Ia connected with the leg
endary Tree OF Time. Ygdrasil, the
great tree or horst mythology, within
whose roots and branches heaven ana
earth are bound. Some say the tustom
may be traced TO the Egyptians who,
at the time Of winter solstice, decorat-
ed their portals with branches OF tho
date palm-the symbol OF life trium-
plant over death.
An ancient legent Of the Scand'na-
VANS relates no wthe Christmas tree
owes its origin to the service tree
which sprang from soil once drenched
with the blood OF two slain lovers, and
how each night during the Christmas
season mysterious lights played
among its branches To this legend
may perhaps be traced our custom OF
Illuminating the tree when darkness
comes. Among the Greeks, Christmas
g known as the least Of lights.
To people of different localities the
Term Christmas tree may mean mr.
spruce. pine, cedar, or eveen magnoha
fer each region makes use of the most
suitable special found nea rits mar
kets. In the vicinity of Chicago,
short-needle pine found in Michigan
md Wisconsin may be used. On the
Pacific Coast the white fir finds Ia
vor. while throughout Ohio Norway
spruce is largel yused. In Maryland
and Virginia the scrub pine finds II
way into many homes, and farther
south cedar and holly.
But the Christmas tree de luxe Is
the balsam fir. OF little us for lum-
Der, it possesses idead characteristics
fer holiday purposes - bautiful anu
symmetrical with long horizontai
branches and deep green foliage each
tiny leaf and bud of which sends out
"A breath of aromatic fragrance. |
Yearly a crusade is started against
the Christmas tree idea, usually pro-
testing the waste of timber and the
destruction caused to our young
growth through their removal. inc
Forest service of the United States
Department of Agriculture in answer
to these protests, points out that D.
900, 900 Christmas trees are used all
nually within the United States. ne"
England and New York take 1,5oo,ooV
trees amounting to some 500 carloads
Each year a christmas tree fleet
makes its way down Lake Michigan
with an evergreen tree at the mast OF
each vessel in token of the cargo II
carries.
Five million trees of the size used
fer the holiday festival could De
grown en- 5000 acres of land. Inc
lumber industry cuts over thousand
times this acreage in single year. IL
on December &c. 1921, all the Natlons
timber cutters should begin work
hours late. the resulting decrease IN
acreage annually cut would be equal
to the area exploited by the Christmas
tree industry for the entire year.
The annual cutting of 5,OOO,Ooo
trees is significant as compared with
the loss through forest fires which
each year sweeps over 12,oOO,OOO acres
causing yearly wastage of about
500, 100000.
In addition, it is pointed cut that
the lands from which large portion
of the trees are taken are often more
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