252 



Yearbook^ of Agriculture 1949 



of site with respect to market centers, 

 accessibility, and the existing vegeta- 

 tive cover. 



A PROSPECTIVE GROWER of Christmas 

 trees should give careful considera- 

 tion to the selection of species. While 

 most evergreens are used for Christmas 

 trees, yet some command better mar- 

 ket prices than others. There appears 

 to be no best all-around Christmas 

 tree. Desirable characteristics are : 



1. Retention of needles between the 

 time of cutting and through the Christ- 

 mas holidays. 



2. Full, symmetrical shape. 



3. Limb strength adequate to sup- 

 port ornaments and electric lights. 



4. Sufficient nonprickly foliage with 

 a healthy green color. 



5. Fragrant odor. 



6. Pliable branches that are not too 

 brittle so they can be tied compactly 

 for shipment, yet regain their shape 

 when released. 



Desirable species to be considered 

 for farm plantings are : Norway spruce 

 (Picea excelsa), Douglas-fir (Pseudot- 

 suga taxifolia) , Scotch pine (Pinus 

 sylvestris) , the balsam fir (Abies bal- 

 samea), white spruce (Picea glauca), 

 red pine (Pinus resinosa) , eastern red- 

 cedar (Juniperus virginiana) , the Col- 

 orado blue spruce (Picea pungens), 

 grand fir (Abies concolor) , and Fraser 

 fir (Abies fraseri). 



First consideration should be given, 

 however, to matching the species with 

 the local climate and planting site 

 that is, soil, moisture, slope, and ex- 

 posure. In the selection of species, a 

 good guide is to observe what ever- 

 greens are growing satisfactorily in the 

 vicinity of the proposed planting. Low 

 ground could well be a frost pocket 

 and may prove detrimental to new 

 growth. Well-drained and relatively 

 poor soils are satisfactory, provided 

 they are not too thin. The soil should 

 not be the best nor yet the poorest. 

 Good soil may make the trees grow 

 tall and spindly. Evergreens generally 

 are not adapted to alkali soils. Avoid 

 wet, heavy clays, coarse sands, and 



gravel. Christmas trees can be a profit- 

 able poor-field crop. If soil prepara- 

 tion is necessary, it should be done well 

 in advance of planting. 



THE PLANTING STOCK can usually 

 be obtained from public and private 

 nurseries, and names and addresses can 

 be had from the Forest Service, United 

 States Department of Agriculture, 

 Washington 25, D. C. 



Only good, healthy, graded seed- 

 lings and transplants are worth plant- 

 ing. Transplants may cost more but 

 should reach marketable size a year or 

 so earlier. The growing of planting 

 stock from seed is not an easy under- 

 taking and means a year or two of 

 waiting. Some farmers obtain seedlings 

 and line them out in transplant rows 

 near the planting site for a year or 

 two. Where wild evergreen seedlings, 

 such as balsam fir, are available, they 

 can often be used for planting stock. 



Many Christmas-tree growers pre- 

 fer a 4- by 4-foot spacing that is, 4 

 feet between trees in the row and 4 feet 

 between rows. It is practicable to plant 

 evergreens with a 3- by 3-foot spacing 

 with the expectation of removing every 

 other one as the trees develop. 



The tree sizes most in demand by the 

 Christmas trade are those 6 to 8 feet 

 high; that size is best grown when the 

 trees have been thinned to about a 

 6-foot spacing. 



Number of trees re- 

 Spacing in feet quired per acre 



3 by 3 4,840 



4 by 4 2, 720 



5 by 5 1, 740 



6 by 6 1,210 



7 by 7 890 



8 by 8 680 



If the growing of Christmas trees is 

 to be tied in with the production of 

 wood products such as fence posts, 

 pulpwood, or sawlogs, then wider spac- 

 ing is necessary as the trees develop. 



PLANTING MAY BE DONE in the 

 spring or fall when the trees are dor- 

 mant. Spring planting is usually more 

 successful just as soon as the frost is 



