The Canadian Horticulturi^ 



Vol. XXXV 



DECEMBER, 1912 



No. 12 



The Christmas Tree 



W. T. Macoun, Dominion Horticulturist, Ottawa, Ont. 



ALREADY children have begun to 

 think of Christmas, and in those 

 Canadian homes where the Christ- 

 mas tree has become part of the annual 

 celebration of this great children's day, 

 happy memories of past excitement over 

 trees laden with unknown and unexpect- 

 ed gifts crowd the youthful mind, while 

 at the same time it tries to picture the 

 tree as it will look this year and then 

 counts the days until the great event 

 will take place. While the Christmas 

 tree is associated with that season of the 

 year at which we commemorate the birth 

 of Christ, it has grown out of a heathen 

 custom. In early times, many centuries 

 ago, certain trees were dedicated to a 

 deity. Later, worshippers of this deity 

 laid their gifts under these trees as offer- 

 ings. The time when such gifts were 

 made was, however, in the spring. 



The Christians of Northern Europe 

 finally adopted this heathen custom, but 

 with some changes. They brought the 

 trees into their own homes, or into pub- 

 lic buildings, placing gifts under them 

 for friends or for needy {jersons, and 

 holding the celebration on Christmas 

 Eve. The custom spread from Germany 

 to England, with slight changes, one be- 

 ing that the celebration is usually on 



Christmas Day In England. In Canada, 

 and in the United States, there are 

 people of many nationalities, and the 

 methods of decorating the trees and dis- 

 pensing the gifts vary considerably. 



It is not known how many trees are 

 required in Canada each year for Christ- 

 mas trees, but the number is very large. 

 In the United States it is estimated thai 

 about four million trees are required an- 

 nually. Of this enormous number of 

 trees, of which many come from Canada, 

 many, unfortunately, are cut without due 

 regard to the effect such wholesale de- 

 struction may have on the future supply 

 of timber in those districts where the 

 trees are cut. As most people are will- 

 ing to pay for trees, and the custom is so 

 firmly rooted in this country, trees will, 

 no doubt, in time be grown in large 

 numbers especially for Christmas when 

 they can no longer be obtained in the 

 forests. New regulations in regard to 

 evergreens shipped from Eastern Can- 

 ada into the United States require an in- 

 spection of the trees for injurious insects 

 before they are permitted to enter, which 

 may be the means of preventing the ex- 

 port of as large a number in future from 

 Canada. It is surprising what efforts 

 people will make to obtain Christmas 



trees. Nearly every year several fine 

 evergreens are cut down at the Central 

 Experimental Farm and removed under 

 cover of night We can scarcely believe 

 that these trees are taken by those who 

 are going to use them. It is more likely 

 that it is unscrupulous persons who take 

 them to sell them. 



The Balsam Fir is perhaps the most 

 popular tree in Eastern Canada for a 

 Christmas tree. Its branches bear the 

 weight of presents very well and the 

 leaves do not fall off when they become 

 dry, which is the case with the spruces. 

 The White Spruce makes a very good 

 tree. It has many small, stout branches, 

 which make it particularly useful. The 

 Norway Spruce, while not as attractive 

 in color, is a very rapid grower and 

 more graceful, and no doubt will be 

 growi, in increasing numbers in the fut- 

 ure, especially for Christmas trees. For 

 Western Canada the Douglas Fir is per- 

 haps the best tree. It is very graceful 

 and the branches are suflficiently strong 

 to make it bear its load well. Pines are 

 used where Firs and Spruces cannot be 

 obtained. 



It takes from twelve to fifteen years 

 for a tree to grow to the size desired for 

 the average home if raised from seed, 





Same of the Decorated Tables, and County and Wrapped Apple Exhibits of Fruit at the Recent Ontario Horticultural Exhibition 



