The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-12-01

large part of the state of Vermont
is now practically a great Christ
mas tree farm, according to the
American Forestry association, and
one which is being badly over
worked. This state furnishes an
nually about 5,000,0 900 trees for
decorative purposes. These trees
are by far the most profitable crop
which many hill sections of the
state can grow, but unless the cut
ting is better regulated, the asso-
citation says, the crop will be ex-
hausted. Reforestation of large
areas and better fire protection are
also needed.
The association gives us a most
interesting account of all the ever
green plants which suddenly in
wade the cities about this time of
the year. Christmas trees, it says,
7 mostly either frs or spruces.
The baIsam fir is unquestionably
the best known and most widely
distributed of our native frs. 1t is
one of the most beautiful evergreen
trees native TO North America. 1t
%frequents boys, swamps, and other
wet places. The baIsam fir is a
tree which satisfies many human
wants, but the greatest of all its
gift is the Christmas tree. AS a
Christmas tree it has no superior.
The European fir, so common
throughout many parts of CONT
mental Europe, has many character
istics in common with our balsam
fir. 1t, too, has been used for cen
turtles as a Christmas tree.
Careful examination of the trunk
of the balsam will reveal a large
number of little blisterlike sacs of
balsam. If one takes a kIife and
~punctures them the baIsam will
flow freely. This balsam when re-
fined is used in our scientific labo-
ratories to attach cover glass to
microscopic slides. Balsam is e
garded as an excellent medicine in
the treatment of throat and pull
monary troubles Many noun
taineers collect the balsam from
the blisters on the trees and then
store it away for family use. 1t is
a common practice in the north
woods to collect large quantities of
balsam leaves and use them in fill
ing pillows and cushions, for the
leaves when dried emit a very
fragrant balsam odor. The wood
is soft, does not contain resin pas
sages and ranges in color from
white to brown. 1t weighs about
"a pounds per cubic feet and is
used extensively in the manufac-
ture of paper pulp, crates and pack
ing boxes.
There are 20 different kinds of
spruce trees in the world. All of
them are beautiful evergreen trees.
They occur in every country in the
northern hemisphere. Eight of
them are native to North America,
three being found in the eastern
part and five in the western part
of the country.
What Holly Z.
The Christmas holly can readily
be recognized at all eason of the
year by its deep green leaves
which I armed with spines along
the margin. The leaves are bright
and they often reflect light as mir
Tors. The small bright red berries
are also a helpful means of identi-
fcation in fall and winter. An old
manuscript in the British museum
states that the holy hath berys as
red as any rose" Deyout people re-
gard the leaves of the holly as a
symbol OF the Saviour's crown of
thorns.
The holly wreath is attractive
and popular, but unfortunately the
methods of collecting the branches
are very Obstructive. 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 decorative
purposes at Christmas, the Ameri-
can Forestry association says, but
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-
trees may continue to pro-
duce annually an abundant supply
thrifty branchlets.
The American holly, also called
Christmas holly, and the closely
related European holly, are linked
lnseparably with u Christmas
traditions. Many people are famii-
lar with the holly leaves and ber-
ries, but few of them know that
they grow upon trees which are
common in the coastal plain re-
giOns of the south and found locally
as far north as Pennsylvania and
along the Atlantic coast to south
srn Maine.
While the Christmas holly may
reach a height of so feet and a
diameter of two to three feet in
Arkansas and Texas, it rarely ex-
eeeds 20 feet in height and a few
in diameter 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 adornment at Christmas time. |
Il is sometimes called A tree thief |