Perth Amboy evening news., 1921-11-30

be recognized at all seasons OF the
year by its deep green leaves when
are armed with spines along the
margin. The leaves are bright and
they often reflect light as mirrors.
The small bright red berries are
also a helpful means of identlhca-
ton IN fall and winter. Az old
manuscript in the British Museum
states that the "holy hath berys as
red as any rose" Devout people
regard the leaves of the holly as a
symbol of the Saviour's crown Oh
thorns.
The holly wreath is attractive
and popular, but the
methods of collecting the branches
are very destructive. In many IN
stances the tops of the trees are
cut out completely, leaving MOTH
ing but an erect bare trunk. We
need the holly sprig for decoratlV
purposes at Christmas, the Ameri-
can Forestry Association says, bu-
in order that a future supply may
be insured, special steps must be
taken at once to regulate the cut
ting in such a way that all the ex-
isting trees may continue 10 pro-
duce annually an abundant supply
of thrifty branchlets.
The American holly, also called
Christmas holly and the closely re-
lated European holly, are linked IN
separately with Christmas ira
ditions. Many people are familiar
with the holly leaves and berries,
but few of them know that they
grow upon trees which are common
in the coastal plain regions OF the
South and found locally as Tar
north as Pennsylvania and along
the Atlantic coast to southern Maine
While the Christmas holly may
reach a height of so feet and a
diameter of , to 3 feet in Arkansas
and Texas 1T rarely exceeds 20 feet
in height and a few inches in di-
amter in the extreme northern part
OF its natural range.
Another Christmas gift of the
forest is the mistletoe. 1t is the
only parasitic plant that is used for
aGornment at Christmas time. 1t is
sometimes called a tree thief for it
gets all it's nourishment from the
trees upon which it lives. Travelling
throughout the South one may see
thousands Of trees literally fes-
TONED with the mistletoe. 1t some
times grows in the form of a
W llCA > DIOOlly VI III may o0O IL
dangling down from the branches of
a tree in graceful array. 1t always
appropriates for it's W develop
ment the life blood of the tree upon
which it feeds.
There are more than 400 species
of mistletoe known in the world.
Most of them occur in the tropics
and nearly all of them are para
site. Many varieties r found in
the United States. They occur from
the coast of New Jersey southwark
and westward.
How MistletOe Grows
The mistletoe is SO common in
the state os Oklahoma that it has
been selected as the state flower.
If you question an Oklahoman
about the parasitic plant as a state
flower, he is likely to answer that
if man tap maple tree for sugar
and the pine tree for turpentine it
is fair for the mistletoe TO zap
trees so that it may develop and be-
come available for decorative use.
The mistletoe is not only unique
in its appearance and in it's flower
ing habits, but also because of its
structure. a careful examination
Of the leaves of the mistletoe will
reveal that they are almost nerve
less, thick and fieshy, and if one
has a maspifying glas and exam
ines the lower surface of the leaf
he will find only about 200 breath
ing pores to the square inch, while
in the common lilac there . occur
at least 200, 900 breathing pores to
the square inch.
The white fruit of the mistletoe
is attractive and unique in its make
up. The seed is covered with a gel
atinous covering which adheres very
readily to the feet of birds, and is
thus CARRIE TO the twigs and
branches of trees upon which it ger
Tinates and begins to grow. When
the seed puts out roots they always
turn toward the branch, no matter
whether they are located on the up
per or lower side.
Few people may know that i. Is
possible to raise the mistletoe. In
planting seeds of the mistletoe it Is
important to know the trees upon
which it prefers to grow for it will
hot develop upon all kinds of trees.
Some of the trees upon which it
prefers to grow are the elms and
hackberries. Both of these groups
are close kin to the mistletoe.
Large quantities Of the trailing
pine also known as the princess
pine, and ground hemlock are used
at Christmas time. These plants