For December, 1922 



333 



The Beautiful Christmas Tree 



BERTHA BERBERT-HAMMOND 



THE idea of using an evergreen tree as the chief sym- 

 bohcal decoration at the Vuletide festival dates back 

 to ancient times. The practice spread from the 

 Teutons to other European nations, and then to America, 

 wiiere the custom of using a gayly spangled, gift-laden 

 evergreen tree at the Christmas celebrations is now the 

 general usage, there being, according to statistics of the 

 forest service of the U. S. government nearly five mil- 

 lion young evergreen tres marketed at Christmas time, 

 one and a half million of these being required to supply 

 the demand of New York State and the New England 

 States. These figures loom up large, and read without 

 a wider knowledge of conditions would seem to indicate a 

 great waste of our natural resources. Probably, if closely 

 and coldly reckoned in terms of dollars and cents, our 

 country's wealth would be slightly increased if so many 

 evergreens were not annually cut down, but great wealth 

 is not the only factor to Ise considered in this connection. 

 The joyful anticipation, the great ]ileasure, and happiness 

 that these Christmas trees bring to rich and poor, old and 

 young, wherever the light of Christianity has penetrated, 

 compensate mankind a hundredfold for any pecuniary 

 loss that may be the direct result of cutting the young 

 evergreen trees. Moreover, many of the trees used have 

 been raised expressly for the purpose, and growing them 

 furni.-^hes a profitable side industry. In some of our 

 States the trees used at Christmas would be weeded out 

 anyway as the land needs to be cleared for improvements, 

 so that the number of trees that have been thoughtlessly 

 sacrificed is proportionately small. 



in the cutting of trees for the Christmas trade the rules 

 applied in forestry must be observed. Trees that are 

 not crowded should not be taken nor should tall trees 

 that are the result of years of growth be shamefully 

 mutilated by cutting out the tops. Evergreen trees on 

 watershed areas also must be protected, but if only the 

 surplus growth of the forest is thinned out, the cutting 

 of the trees will be an advantage and not a damage to the 

 woodland as the following experiment will attest : A 

 year or two ago the Government Forest Service, as a 

 trial, thinned out the young growth on about three acres 

 of land belonging to the Pike National Forest, Colorado, 

 leaving about 730 selected trees (whose growth was nor 

 hindered) standing on each acre of the land. With the 

 impediment to their progress removed these trees having 

 freedom will add greatly to the wealth of the forest and 

 still the young, crowded growth cut out yielded to the 

 government the sum of three hundred dollars. 



Though in the past there has been much of the prodi- 

 gality characteristic of Americans, our forests still cover 

 about 550,000,000 acres, or approximately one-quarter of 

 the area of the United States, and now that our people 

 have awakened to the fact that forests are a National 

 asset, and that it is high time to practice scientific for- 

 estry methods, for the protection and perpetuation of 

 standing timber and for the reforestation of denuded 

 lands on the millions of acres of idle land not adapted for 

 agriculture, but quite suitable for the growing of trees, it 

 is leasonable to believe that having learned the lesson 

 the people of this progressive country will be quick to 

 take measures for the maintenance and preservation of 

 forests for their own benefit and that of future genera- 

 tions. But even so. it is possible for American families to 

 enjoy the treat of a real Christmas tree, for forestrv meth- 

 ods Ihat do not provide for the use of trees are a failure, 

 because they are not practical. Realizing how much true 



joy humanity receives from Christmas trees, the ever- 

 green trees required for that purpose could be put to no 

 Lietter use. One may admire the sturdy oak, the spread- 

 ing elm, the symmetrical sugar maple, the fragrant lin- 

 den, the graceful willow, the ornamental catalpa or erect 

 Lcmbardy poplar, but prompted by tender feeling and 

 fond association the thought remains that 



Sing of this or that tree. 



Growing here and there ; 

 All around the world, dear, 



Every tree is fair. 

 North or South it may be, 



Maybe East or West ; 

 But take them all in all, dear, 



The Christmas tree is best. 



And though the charming old custom of having a 

 Christmas tree is one of deep sentiment and not of prosaic 

 economics, the idea has increased in popularity, and has 

 broadened until at the present time, in addition to the. 

 home tree, we have the out-door community tree. For 

 this purpose a large, well-placed, synunetricalh' formed, 

 living tree is selected, and its many beautiful, spreading, 

 c^s ergreen branches are wired for lighting with multi- 

 colored electric bulbs, and decorated with glittering oma- 

 merits. while once a year at least the people of the com- 

 munity, catching" the true Christmas spirit of tmiversal 

 u,, selfishness and "good will toward men." get together 

 snd join heartily in the celebratioris. As long as this 

 countrv and its vast wealth exists, nothing should allow 

 the passing of the joy-giving tree without which Christ- 

 mas would lose nuich of its charm. 



ELEAGNUS ANGUSTIFOLIUS 



A TREE with silverv white foliage can sometimes be 

 ■^^ mixed with advantage with dark-leaved trees to pro- 

 duce contrast in the landscape, and for this purpose no tree 

 which is hardy here at the north is so well suited as the 

 Oleaster, as Elcaguux angustifolius is sometimes called. A 

 native of southern Europe and western Asia, it is a tree 

 sometimes thirty feet high, or a large arborescent shrub, 

 with erect and spreading, sometimes spiny branches, and 

 narrow lanceolate leaves up to three or four inches in 

 length. The fragrant flowers are produced in few-flow- 

 ered clusters in the axils of the young shoots and are 

 nearly half an inch in length with a bell-shaped Uibe and 

 four spreading lobes. The fruit is oval, half an inch 

 long, vellowish and covered with silvery scales ; the flesh 

 is sweet and mealv. — Arnold Arboretum Bulletin. 



"America is not to be made a polyglot boarding house 

 for the money hunters of twenty different nationalities 

 who have changed their former country for this country 

 only as farmyard beasts change one feeding trough for 

 another. America is a nation. No man has any right 

 here and no man should be permitted to stay here unless 

 he becomes an American, and nothing else." — Theodore 



ROOSX'ELT. 



We live in deeds, not years ; in thoughts, not breaths ; 



In feelings, not in figiires on a dial. 



He most lives 



Who thinks most, feels the noblest, acts the best. 



— Festus. 



