The Wilmington morning star., 1940-12-16
CHRISTMAS GREENS
HIKE FARM INCOME
Preparation OF Trees,
Wreaths, Holly Important
Enterprise At This Time

Preparation and sale Of Yuletide
greens including Christmas trees,
wreaths, and holly-is an important
farm enterprise at this season Of
the year in many rural sections OF
North Carolina. In the mountains
the business of supplying native ma
~terials, including the distinctive
Galax leaves, is on a large-scale COM
mercial basis IN some communities
There are still nine more days un.
til Christmas. You still have plenty
of time to get your tree, but w. j.
Barker, assistant Extension forester
of N. c. State college, thinks that
more attention should be paid to
where you get 1t. To farm people
cutting trees for sale on curb and
community markets, he urges that
the trees be cut as a part of forest
thinning operations. Is
Before you start out with your
axe into a stand of cedars, or pines,
or frs, or spruce, mark the trees to
be cut so as to leave some for nat
ural re-seeding," Barker stated. The
Extension specialist pointed out,
also, that red cedar and longleaf
pine seedlings r available through
county agents from the State forest
nurseries at 81 per thousand de.
livered. ID
"These seedlings cannot be used
for ornamental paintings, and may
not be re-sold. They are available
exclusively for forest paintings, ero-
sion control, and ~windbreaks," he
explained. However, a cedar or
pine planting as a forest project will
soon reproduce enough young stock
so that an annual harvest of Christ
mas trees will be available through
thinning operations"
Fire Proofing Formula
Barker passes along a formula for
f~ire-proofing trees which many per-
sons have used to minimize the dam
ger of a fire marring the Christmas
spirit. ITO make your tree fire.
proof" he advises, stand the fresh.
ly-cut tree in a pail Of water in
which ammonium sulphate has been
dissolved. Use n pound Of ammon-
ium sulphate for every four pounds
the tree weighs. You will find that
about a pint and a half of water
will be sufficient to dissolve each
pound Of ammonium sulphate you
use.
Before you put the tree in the
solution, however, cut the base of
the tree at a slant. This operation
serves three purposes. It will allow
more surface for the water to enter
the tree; it will prevent the base
from resting flat on the bottom Of
the. pail; and it gives the solution
the freshest cut possible in which to
enter the tree"
ALSO, keep your tree where it's
cool it a temperature somewhere
between IS and 65 degrees Fahren-
heit. In two or three days most, if
not all, of the solution will be soaked
up by the tree. If you notice after
a day or two that the tree isn't soak.
ing up the solution, it may be that
the solution is a little too concen.
trated. In this event, add a little
more water
The forester says that calcium
chloride will work the same way, and
it should be used in the same amount
|-one pound for each four pounds
the tree weighs-dissolved in a pint
and a half of water per pound.
Keep Tree In Water
When it time to put the
tree in your house, Barker recon.
mends that the base Of the tree be
set in a pail of water to keep the
tree fresh. 1t will hold its leaves
longer in that way, and 1t will re.
main fragrant and green throughout
the entire holiday season.
There is also a solution which
some people have found valuable as
a ~preservative. 1t is not to take the
place of fire.proofing treatment, but
merely to keep the tree fresh after
il has had a dose of the fire-proof.
ing medicine.
For the preserving treatment, go
to the drug store and get Is grams
Of calcium carbonate, s grams OF
citric acid, and 6 grams Of malic
acid. Mix the citric acid and malic
acid in three quarts Of water. When
the tree is set up and braced in place
with its base resting in a pail, add
the Is grams of calcium carbonate
to the three quart solution and pour
it into the container in which the
base of the tree is resting. When
the tree has absorbed this solution,
add more water and keep water in
the pail as long as the tree is in
the house.
In conclusion, Barker emphasized
again the Importance of supervised
Christmas tree cutting. Leave some
stock for re-seeding so that future
Christmases may also be merry"
Polish Pilots Decorated
D. A. M..ILI n>-Al~.