The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1930-12-17
YULETIDE TREE
is GETTING new
LEASE ON LIFE
Thinning Out of Forests Is
Helping Growth, Ex-
pertS Aver.
81 Science serrsce


WASHINGTON, Dec. 1.-THE
Christmas tree, center of the Yule-
tide celebration ever since our half
barbaric forefathers Toasted in the
forests Of Germany, threatened as
the result Of present-day need for
conservation of timber, has received
q new lease of life.
Within reason, says the United
States forest service, Christmas
trees may be used without danger
TO Americas chances for recovery
of her vanishing forests. Indeed,
the use of Christmas trees even may
aid in that recovery.
For in man-helped forests as in
naturally propagated ones, many
more young trees must be started
than ever have a chance to grow
to full maturity. A few years after
D burn or landslide, the swept
area may be thick with saplings like
hair on a dogs back" And for
esters initiate more or less this
thick-planting tendency of nature.
Sale Helps New Forests
But as the little trees grow up
they all demand room to spread
their branches, and if they are all
left standing they will push and
elbow each other most unmannerly.
A stand of saplings left unthinned
will grow up into a weed patch in
stead of useful timber, full of slim,
spindling trees whose trunks might
: be good for fishing poles but not
for much else.
So the foresters have to go in
and select the young trees that are
TO be the timber, and ruthleSsIy cut
out all others. Hundreds of thou
sands of young eyergreens are thus
eliminated every year.
They used to be heaped up and
burned to get rid of them, but with
the advancing price of Christmas
trees it has become better economy
TO go to the further labor of trans
porting them to market. The sale
of the little trees that are doomed
anyhow thus helps to finance the
new forests.
ppAu 10 hANdNg AdNUithC
There is a distinct hierarchy of
preference in the Christmas tree
field. BY far the heaviest favorite
is the spruce. There are several
species, but they all look pretty
much alike to the layman, and they
are alike for Christmas tree pur-
poses. They have short, stiff,
prickly needles, pretty completely
covering their twigs.
Another kind of tree that is a ia
rorite on the Christmas market
when there is a supply is the fir
This looks a good deal like the
spruce, but its needles are curved
and softer than spruce needles, and
are not prickly to handle When
it has cones, they stand up like thick
candles, whereas spruce cones are
smaller and hang down. FRS often
have drops of sticky resin on them,
which gives them the alternate
name of "balsam."
Little Pines Are Used
Where spruces and frs are not
. dOu4AldA4t, 4tObdDly III JliC OOutll,
little pines are used a good deal.
Several species of pines grow in
the poor soils of the barTens and
on rock Lodges. and especially in
the loWlands where spruce and fir
do not venture in the south.
Even more of g. fayorite than the
pines. in the non-spruce areas, is
the red cedar or Virginia juniper
This has the advantage of being
more compact and symmetrical
than a young pine tree. It's twigs
also are better clothed with their
short green needles, giving a more
uniformly green appearance.
Almost all other species of ever
greens also have their users, and
occasionally in the south or in
California one even sees little palm
: trees drafted. But where people
z can get it, the spruce tree, the
original "Tannenbaum" of the old
German celebrations, remains the
favorite.