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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 25, 1921)
r CURRENT HAPPENINGS WONDER IF SOME FOLK'S DONT WISH THEY'D KEEN COOD LITTLE EOVS ANI CONE TO SUNDAY SCHOOL. BURYING IT IN HOLLY AND OTHER CHRISTMAS TREES ARE IN DANGER OF EXTINCTION, SAY FORESTERS State of Vermont Alone Furnishes Five Million Trees for Eastern Market Each Holiday Season Asso ciation Issues Warning cnd Urges Action to Maintain Supply. WASHINGTON, D. C. Dec. 24. Each holiday time brings the usual lory about the Christ mas trees where thc come from, how many, and the means used to briny hundreds of train loads of them to the markets. But the Christmas tree -and the holly and the other greens which gro so far toward makinar the holiday "itmr'here" are doomed to extinc tion unless some means are taken to reproduce them. The state of Vermont alone furnishes 5,000,000 trees for the eastern markets each Christmas time and unless means are taken to con serve and reproduce the supply aome time this supply will be exhausted. The American Forestry association has issued a Christmas tree mono graph on the subject. "The first step to save the Christ mas greens," it says, "is better fire prevention methods. Wholesale cut ting by venders who never bo Into the woods except at this season and the "holdup" prices In big cities are denounced. On the other hand proper catting- aids the growth of the larger TIIE MIDDLE OF THE PACIIfrC. trees and if properly done is a help. The holly Is being out by the un thinking In a way that borders on slaughter, and only the right sort of cutting will save this valued green for the holiday season. Elsht Kinds of Flra on This Coast. "Ten of the 25 kinds of fir trees found In the world are native to North America, eight occur In the Pacific slopes and in the Rocky mountain regions, and only two are found In the eastern I'nlted States, and one of these Eraser's fir ii limited to the high mountains of Virginia, North Carolina and Tennessee. Most im portant In the western group are the grand fir. noble firwhite fir and red fir. The balsam fir la unquestion ably the best-known and most widely distributed of our native firs. It is one of the most beautiful evergreen trees native to North America. It frequents bogs, swamps and other wet places. Among its chief asso ciates are the American larch, arbor vltae, black spruce and red spruce. Its companion epeoles are not many, for few- trees can withstand the ex TTTE ' treme wet and cold conditions of our northern, bogs and swamps. "The balsam fir Is a tree "which satisfies many human wants, but the greatest of all its gifts la the Christ mas tree- As a Christmas tree It has no superior, and in many localities no other native tree haa Christmas tree qualities that even approach it The European fir, so common through out many parts of continental Europe, has many characteristics In common with our balsam fir. It, too, has been used for centuries as a Christmas tree. The similarity between these two trees is very marked, which may have helped develop our high regard for the balsam fir and1 rat it as the foremost Christmas tree of the east ern United States. Fir Balsam Valuable. "On the trunk of the balsam will be found a large number of little blisterlike sacs of balsam. A finger nail will puncture the little blisters and there will flow a small quantity of balsam, as clear as crystal. When refined, this Is used In making micro, scopic slides in our sclentifla labora tories. It U used chiefly to attach SUNDAY OREGOXlAN, PICTORIALLY PRESENTED BY DARLING bestoes rr doesnt look anything like the league of nations. r DONT 3E TOO Haed-on them QWRE. AFTER ALL' YOU KNOW IT'S YOUR- I ? v. s saw i . . . ivy i SXC OVN FLESH ANT Kh. Cl blood Y ,yA OVN FLESH ANT BLOOD A LONG STEP LOOKS LIKE A "WORLD'S ' RECORD cover glass to the slides. Balsam Is also regarded as an excellent medi cine. "Cones and buds of the balsam fir are also very distinctive. The buds are almost round, about one-sixth of an inch long, clustered at the end of the twig and appear to be covered with a coating of varnish. The cones are from two to four Inches long, cylindrical, and stand erect on the twigs. Their scales fall off soon after they reach maturity and leave a bare central axis. This. Is an unusual habit among evergreen trees. In the north woods many collect 'the leaves and use them in filling pillows and cushions, for the leaves when dried emit a very fragrant oder. The wood is soft, does not contain resin pass ages and ranges In color from white to brown. It weighs- about 24 pounds per cubic foot and Is used extensive ly in the manufacture of paper pulp, crates and packing boxes. "There are 20 kinds of spruce trees and they occur in every country in the northern hemisphere. Eight are native to North America, three being found in the eastern part and five in the western part. "Deep green leaves which are armed with spines along the margin dis tinguish Christmas holly. The leaves are so bright and they often reflect light as mirrors. The small bright red berries are also a helpful means of identification in fall and in win ter. An old manuscript in the British museum states that the "Holy hath berys aa red as any rose.' Devout people regard, the loaves of the holly PORTLAND, PIXiranffJl FORWARD. as a symbol of the Saviour's crown of thorns. "Unfortunately the methods of col. lectlng the branches is very destruc tive. In many instances the tops of the trees are cut out completely, leav ing nothing but an erect bare trunk. We need the holiy sprig for decora tive purposes at Christmas, but 1c order that a . future supply may be insured, special steps must be taken at once to regulate the cutting In such a way that all the existing trees may continue to produce annually an abundant supply of thrifty branch lets. American Holly Widespread 'The American holly, also called Christmas holly, and the closely related European holly, are linked with our Christmas traditions. Slany people are familiar with the holly leaves and berries, but few of them know that they grow upon trees which are common in the coastal plain regions of the south and found locally- as far north as Pennsylvania and along the Atlantic coast to south ern. Maine. While the Christmas holly may reach a height of feet and a diameter of 2 to 3 feet in Arkansas and Texas, it rarely exceeds 20 feet in height and a few Inches in diam eter in the extreme northern part of its natural range. "Of course, nobody, particularly the young folk, wants to miss mistletoe. It Is the only parasitic plant that Is used at Christmas time. It is some times called a tree thief, for it gets all its nourishment from the trees upon which it lives. TIM ftT? J?l .. 25. 1921 fTHE BOYS ARE ? l I STt' WERE SMITH ANEW ' JiWi DESK FOR -YQO Jjl SOV g . . GERALD banged his cousin over the head with the fly swatter, and when wo were trying to get hira to apologize h looked from one to the other, rather studiously, and said: "Well, mother, there was a fly on him." it- J- On John's birthday an elderly woman came in. "How old are you?" she asked. John replied: "Four; how old are you?" She eald: "I'm pretty old, honey." "When were you new?" asked John. A. S. When daddy returned home from work he asked Buddy what was the matter with his Up. "Nothin"," he answered, "only John hit me." .Well, what did you do to him that caused him to hit you?" asked father, quite interested. 'Nothin'," Buddy answered. "I missed him." D. I. S. m Not long ago a carnival came to our town and my two brothers coaxed till dad let them go. He gave Dick, a dime. Dick's eyes fell on some tempt ing pink lemonade, so he spent his dime for a glass of It. Jackie, beginning to think he was UPSETTING THE WHOLE OFFICE THAT ISN'T GOIN-G TO HELP THE FISHING ANY. losing out, exclaimed: "Dick, I want some, too." As Dickie .was dipping Into the large glass jar of lemonade, the pro prietor shouted: - "Hey, there, kid! What are you dolne?" "It says all you can drink for a dime, and I'm plving my brother his share," said Dickie. H. G. C. Margaret, thougli scarcely older, was almost constantly at the side of her brother, William, ready to Impart her knowledge of this great world for his special benefit. When mother left for downtown shopping and gave baby the usual bye-bye, he seemed much amazed at all the excitement until Margaret came to the rescue with "Wag vour hand, William." J. J. Catherine had a letter from her aunt saying she had mailed her a package containing some candy and other small articles. After a long wait for the parcel-post carrier she said to her mother: ".My, the mailman hurries so slow." J. M. m I have a caucy niece who lives 'way down south. She was visiting her uncle one week end with her sister and brother and her mother and father, and they had the nurse with them. She was rather naughty and AGAIN. her uncle was trying to make her mind. She looked him right In the eye, and threw back her head with the startling announcement "I mind mamma and paps and nurses but 1 don't have to mind uncles." C. L. B. When Ethel returned home after her first dajr at school she wan asked how she got along, and replied: Oh, I did fine. I got 100 In everything and 102 In reading." II. B. We had been traveling by steam ship. Meals on board were table d'hote. Charles liked this method and often, little as he wits, did Justice t" the whole menu. When iter hi- ni on a diner In a train hr caul. "Had, what do you do here? ;: d.-r, ..r eat all you want?" C. C. Stanley was walking Lome from churoh one beautiful Suiwluv ;ff-r-noon with his aunty. Aftt r walking a long distance he puillenl;. - m-t!, "My! aren't we having a : il- uii our feet?" '1 ( ' Mary Lou seemingly has v.-ry w i) gratified. Her latest aoiu ;: n !, . monkey, which good fort u e a -im I one youngster to say: "It seems to i that even Mary Lou's tbmks i .; true." 1.. c . t
