Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1921-12-18
CHRISTMAS TREE HARVEST A Big
One In THE NATIONAL FORESTS;
CUSTOM NOT AN ECONOMIC Waste
Five Million Christmas Trees Used Annually
i'm the United States; Forest Service Offic-
ials Favor the Cutting Under Scientific
Methods of Thinning and Pruning.

The great winter harvest is at
hand. It is q crop requiring from
five to fifty years to riDen. ArriV-
ing late by a single day it is worth
less, vet it's failure would mean
sadness and disappointment to all
the dwellers in childhoodland. 1t
is the harvest of 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 it is connected
with the legendary tree of time,
-Ygdrasil, the great tree of Morse
mythology, within whose roots and
branches heaven and earth are
bound. Some say the custom may
be traced to the Egyptians who, at
the time of winter solstice, deco
rated their portals with branches
Of the date palm--the symbol OF
life TRIUMPHANT over death.
An ancient legend of the Scan
dinavians relates how the Christ
mas tree owes its origin to the
s'seryice 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 per-
hans be traced our custom OF IL
Eliminating the free when darkness
comes. Among the Greeks. Christ
mas is known as the feast OF
lights"
To people of different localities
the term Christmas tree may mean
fir spruce. pine, cedar or even
magnolia, for each region makes
use Of the most suitable species
found near it's markets. In the
vicinity of Chicago a short-needle
pine found in Michigan and Wis
consin may he used. on the Pa
cific coast the white fir finds favor,
while throughout ohio, Norway
spruce is largely used. In Mary
land and Virginia the scrubs pine
finds it's way into many homes, and
farther south cedar and holly,
The Tree de Lake.
But the Christmas tree de luxe
Is the balsaam fir. OF little use for
lumber, It possesses ideal charac-
teristics for holiday purposes
beautiful and symmetrical with long
horizontal branches and deep green
foliage, each tiny leaf and bud of
which sends out a breath of aro-
matte fragrance.
Yearly a crusade is started
against the Christmas tree idea,
usually protesting the waste of tim
Der and the destruction caused to
our young growth through their
removal. The forest service of the
United States. department OF agri-
culture in answer to these protests,
points out that 100000 Christmas
trees are used annually within the
United States. New England and
New York take 100000 trees
amounting to some 500 carloads
Each year christmas tree fleet'
makes is way down Lake Michigan
with an evergreen tree at the mas
of each vessel in token of the cargo
1t carries.
Five million trees OF the size
used for holiday festival could be
grown on 5000 acres OF land. The
lumber industry cuts over 1000
times this acreage in single year
If on December &c, 1921. all the
nations timber cutters should be-
gin work two hours late, the result
ing decrease in acreage annually
cut would be equal to the area eX'
plotted by the Christmas tree In
dustry for the entire year.
The annual cutting of 5,OOO,OOl
trees is insignificant as compared
with the loss through forest fires
which each year sweeps over 49,
100000 acres, causing n yearly
wastage of about $20.000,000.
In addition. it is pointed out thai
the lands from which a large por.
ton OF the trees are taken are
often more suitable for pasture ant
are more valuable after the timber
crop has been removed than they
were before. In the European for
ests the removal of Christmas tree
is made to serve the welfare or tn
forests when, at the holiday sea
son, the cutting of the small tree'
is in the nature of an improvement
thinning and at the same time
source of revenue. The remova
of Christmas trees from our owl
national forests under the super
vision Of forest officers not onl
places a small profit in the nation
pocket each year. but it results II
q more healthy and faster growin
stand Of timber.
It has been demonstrated that b
cutting Christmas trees of certain
evergreen species above the lowe
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