Evening star., 1925-11-29
PUBLIC IS ASKED
TO SAVE GREENS
Wild Flower Society Starts
Campaign to Preserve Van
ishing Christmas Foliage.

4 nation wide campaign, entering
every State, will be carried on this
year by the National Wild Flower
Preservation Society, OF which P. L.
Kicker Of this city is president. for
the preservation of Christmas
green's"
Although the plant material used
for decoration during the holidays diff
fers IN various parts of the country,
the supply of some is being dimin-
iShed. practically everywhere. to such
an alarming extent that the society
has organized n drive this year, calCu-
lated to result in widespread saving
of natural resources for the future
through the use of substitutes.
In no section of the country. how
ever. it is emphasized by Mr.. Kicker.
will there be any effort to curtail the
Use of Christmas trees, as. in his
opinion. any campaign to prevent
their use on the ground Of forest de-
pletion" is largely unwarranted."
1t is for the purpose Of preserving
the vanishing greens in various sec
tions for enjoyment in the future that
efforts will be made through the pub
lie schools. the press. the radio, the
lecture platform. clubs and other
agencies to get the public 10 use sub
Stitutes wherever possible.
The campaign will not be the same
IN all parts of the country. No effort,
for instance. will be made to save the
mountain laurel, in the vicinity of this
city where il iS said to grow IN
enough abundance to supply all needs
Tor decorative purposes. In other sec
tions drives will be made TO preserve
the laurel, where the supply is being
exhausted.
Principal attention will he devoted
in Washington TO saving the holly and
ground pine. which. Mr.. Kicker says,
a. fast disappearing here.
Among the cooperating agencies in
the campaign is the Nature Magazine,
with national circulation, which in its
Christmas number will carry an ar
ticle by Mr. Kicker on the Christmas
green's. as "A Real Problem"
The Christmas season is one that
We should want to observe and go on
observing forever said Mr.. Kicker in
discussing the campaign. But we
have used many growing things for.
this observance with such lavish
hand in the past that we must now
think of the future. We must apply
strict conservation in various direC-
tons. self-denial and the use of sub
stitutes in others.
THE materials used for Christmas
greens vary considerably in different
parts of the country. The natural
abundance of any plant material used
in a given section varies SO much
throughout its range that statements
Iegarding its use in one section may
Hut apply to it at all In another sec
ton. Campaigns for the preserva-
rion of Christmas greens must be con-
Quoted with these points we'll under
stood, otherwise the campaign may
be a failure. In a general way, the
materials found growing naturally
and used for Christmas greens in the
eastern and western halves of the
United States and Canada are quite
different. and except possiblS%to
limited extent along the meeting line,
are not mixed on the market"
4 half million seals with red bor-
ders, and printed in green, bearing
different legends. have been sent out
to State organizations of the National
Wild Flower Society throughout the
country. In New England, for in
stance. the seal reads: Laurel and
ground pine are fast disappearing
Use substitutes for Christmas" The
word laurel is not used in the seals
for Washington, but the seals for
Washington include the names of
holly and ground pine.
Nature study teachers in the
Washington schools, under direction
Of Mrs. Elizabeth K. Peoples, in
charge, have planned to carry the
message to thousands of Washington
school children as part of the local
campaign.