Milford chronicle., 1925-01-02

the holly trees in Delaware this beautiful ever
green will follow the tracks of the large forests
which formerly were found in the Diamond
State. From time almost immemorable thous-
ands of families in Sussex county have reaped
golden reward from the cutting of holly and the
wrapping of the beautiful leaves into wreaths.
In time gone by those who cut holly were care
full when securing supply for the wreath bus
mess; but in later years, the spirit of CONNER
cialism has pervaded the people so that even old
trees are slaughtered in the mad rush to get
the evergreen for the holiday trade A very ma
tural condition has arisen from this wanton
waste of the slow growing holly tree, with the
result that farseeing citizens are alarmed for the
future of the holly business in the county. The
land owners on whose land the holly is found
are generally very jealous of their trees: but
the vandals who secure the branches with leaves
and berries for the holiday trade, circumvent
the owners by visiting the trees at night and de-
stroying them With this condition of affairs the
long dormant forestry laws in Delaware are to
be enforced and in addition, an effort will be
made to have very stringent laws enacted at the
coming legislature, which will remedy part of
the trouble at least Speaking editorially in re-
cent issue of the publication, the Every Even
ing, of Wilmington, under the caption Spare
the Holly from Extinction" very pertinently
points out the danger facing the holly industry.
The editorial follows:
Every Evening has been asked to emphasize
to the people of Delaware the need of legis-
lative restriction to prevent the final extermi-
nation of holly. 1t is quite welI-known that
the trees are being felled in considerable
numbers at each mid-winter holiday season
and shipped to market where the pretty foli- |
age and its gorgeous berries bring such |
prices as to make the shrub gathering worth |
while to the people living in the country It is
declared by persons who know that with the
present ration of consumption the holly will
have almost reached the vanishing point /
within the next five or eight years. Such a
condition would be regrettable from the fact }
that it is one of the prettiest of trees indigen-
GUS to this section, and further to the circum-
stance that they bring in relatively large rev.
enue to those who gather the foliage and for
ward it to the cities, where there is always
a waiting market at increasing prices b
Formerly the holly tree was treated with L
great consideration and only such branches
as would be replaced by natural growth re- =
moved for decorations, but latterly whole In
trees are sawed or chopped down and sold.
Farmers protest against this form of vandal- i
ism and are planning to ask the legislature
to enact conservation law and to in some r.
way protect their property against these raids s.
usually at night.
It is known, of course to every one who is
at all familiar with the habits of the holly m
that it is exceedingly slow in reaching ma
turity-that it is long a shrub before it s
reaches the dignity of a tree. They must like In
wise know that the holly only grows when
it springs up sporadically out of the soil, and
that it does not lend itself to cultivation In.
deed it is the most difficult of all forestry
feats to raise" the holly tree. By some ta
strange trick of nature the seed, it is said M
must be extracted from the berry, usually by MI
somesbird with voracious appetite whetted 7 J
by long winter fasting, and when once it III
comes to the. surface the shrub cannot be gu
transpla0 that point it requires fort ma
ty to fifty Bfore the holly reaches mat I,
ture deVeI Consequently the trees are Eo
never four 7son in this section any anC
1t would re century to restore cot
them were all leveled 2Sr
1t is quite every one that the gu A
reckless dests@A - 5f the, holly must soon anr
mean the death f the beautiful green geese dau
WHICH lay sOluen eggs for so many of our wa we
people in the rural sections ofSower Della Dec n1r
ware. This source Of revenue ohce exhausted N
will perhaps newer be restored which would Ithei
unfortunate for the trees hiring money into job
ne pockets OF people who in the winter sea- ,lt
son probably have not many other resources tho,
or earning it. Sho
II is proposed to restrain the holly gather Mrs
RS for short term of years and then to con- dtu iN
rol the collecting in such way that the m
ranches and foliage plucked each winter terri
will be restored, during the summers. The Mr.
dea advanced is to for this highly dec NJ
rative tree so that they may produce more ente
Or use in the mid-winter holidays instead of day
ess. If we continue to permit the wanton Wall
utting of the holly trees we may be sure Ms Id
nat unending famine will follow the feast IBisb
nat gatherers of the shrub have so long en- Ring
Dyed. of n
Phil;
Nj
LIVE POULTRY BARRED writ
FROM ENTERING STATE Ed