The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1921-12-23
Of Christmas Greens.

the market? Last Sunday hundreds OF motorists
could be seen coming into town with little trees
and holly they hacked in the woods.
Cutting OF Christmas trees has become big in
dustry and steps must be taken at once to grow
more trees for this market. The wholesale cutting
by those who never go into the woods except at
this season is denounced by the American Forestry
Association. On the other hand the association
poSns out that the proper cutting of these holiday
grsAns aids the growth of the larger trees and the
: "tkhning out process if properly done is help.
. For example Vermont furnishes about 100000
trees for decorative purposes. There is no other
crop those hills produce with such financial
roSurn. The forests arc being depleted and repro
dsction methods must be begun at once, the asso-
caton says The first step is better FIRE prevention
+ methods.
The holly is being cut by the unthinking in a
way that borders slaughter, the association adds
and only the right sort OF cutting will save this
valued green for the holiday
There are twenty-five kinds OF fir trees found
in the world. Ten of these are native OF North
America eight occur in the Pacific slopes and in
the Rocky Mountain regions, and only two are
found in the Eastern United States, and one oil
+, these-Fraser's frs limited to the mountains oil
Virginia, North Carolina and Tennessee.
The grand fir, noble hr white FIR and red fir
are the most important of the Western members Of
the FIR group. The balsam FIR is unquestionaby the
best known and most widely distributed Of ma
tive varieties. the American Forestry Association
: says 1t is one of the most beautiful evergreen
trees native to North America. 1t frequents boys
I sUamps, and other wet places. Among its chief
Hassocates are the American larch arbor vitae black
spruce and red spruce. Its companion species are
not many for few trees can withstand the extreme
. wet and cold conditions of our Northern boys and
swamps.
The balsam FIR is tree which satisfies many
human wants. but the greatest of all its gifts is the
~ Christmas tree As Christmas tree it has no SUI
peror and in many localities no other native tree
has Christmas tree qualities that approach it.
- The mistletoc is so in the State of Ok
% ahoma that it has been selected the State flower
If you question an Oklahoman about the parasitic
q plant State flower, he is likely to answer that
IF man may tap maple for sugar, and the pine
aree for turpentne it is fair for the mstletoe to tap
y trees so that it may develop and become available
y Tor decorative use.
The mistletoe is not only unique in its appear
ance, and in its Towering habits, but also because
of It's structure careful examination OF the
leaves Of the mistletoe will reveal that they are al
most nerveless thick and heshy, and if one has a
magnifying glass and examines the lower surface
of the leaf he will find only about 200 breathing
pores to the square inch, while in the common
lilac there at least 100000 breathing to
the square inch.
The white fruit of the mistetoe is attractive
and unique in its makeup The seed is covered with
a gclatinous covering which adhcres very readily to
the feet of BIRDS and is thus carried to the twg,
and branches Of trees upon which it terminates and
begins to grow. When the seed puts out roots they
always turn towards the branch matter whether
they located on the upper lower side
Few people may know that it is possible to
propagate the mistletoe. In planting seeds of the
mistletoe it is important to know the trees upon
which it prefers to grow for it will not develop
upon all kinds of trees. 1t is fond of Gins and
hackberrics. Both of these groups close kin of
The mistlctoe.
Large quantities of the trailing pine, also known
princess pine, and ground hemlock are used at
Christmas time These plants really are not pines
or hemocks, but closely related to the ferns
When consider the many gifts with which
forests supply at Christmas time, we cannot
help but realize that Nature is liberal with u.s. the
association adds When our country was still new
and undeveloped, decorative material for Christmas
use was superabundant, but the population in
creased, the demand for it increased proportion
ately, and in time the supply began to dwindle
Now the demand is great and the supply so
small that something must be done to insure a
future supply.
Many suggestions may be made to meet the
situation, but there only two practical solutions
to the problems. 1t is imperative that the existing
supply be given adequate protection and harvested
with care. The great curse OF our forests-forest
hres-must be checked There is no better way to
insure future supply of FIR and spruce trees holly
wreaths and mistletoe than by making our forests
nearly hre-proof as possible
Then. too we have reached the point of our
economic development when it would be foolish for
JUS to depend entirely upon natures gifts 1t is our
DUTY to help nature, and wherever possible to i'm
prove upon her way of doing things. We may do
this actually growing much OF the decorative ma
terial required for Christmas time. We can grow