WHAT OUR CHRISTMAS TREES ARE 



747 



BOTANICAL STUDIES OF THE HOLLY 



The American Holly is linked inseparably with our Christmas 



traditions. The pollen-bearing and seed-producing 



flowers usually occur on different trees. 



plants, while in ancient times they were the prevailing 

 type of vegetation found in many places upon the face 

 of the earth, and among their members were many stately 

 trees. 



When we consider the many gifts with which our for- 

 ests supply us at Christmas time, we cannot help but re- 

 alize that Nature is liberal with us. When our country 

 was still new and undeveloped, decorative material for 

 Christmas use was super-abundant, but as the popula- 

 tion increased the demand for it increased proportion- 

 ately, and in time the supply began to dwindle Now the 

 demand is so great and the supply so small that some- 

 thing must be done to insure a future supply. Many sug- 

 gestions may be made to meet the situation, but there 

 are only two practical solutions to this great problem. 

 It is imperative that the existing supply must be given 

 adequate protection and harvested with care. This means 

 that our forests must be given adequate protection in 

 order that there may continue to flow forth from them 

 a continuous flow of necessary Christmas gifts, which 

 means that the great curse of our forests forest fires 

 must be stopped. There is no better way to insure a fu- 

 ture supply of Fir and Spruce trees, Holly wreaths and 

 Mistletoe than by making our forests fire-proof. 



Then, too, we have reached the point of our economic 

 development when it would be almost criminal for us to 

 depend entirely upon nature's gifts. It is our duty to hel]) 

 nature, and wherever possible to improve upon her way 



of doing things. We may do this by actually growing 

 much of the decorative material required for Christmas 

 time. We can grow Christmas trees from seeds, and we 

 can propagate the Holly and the Mistletoe. It is an es- 

 tablished fact that Christmas trees may now be grown 

 at a profit. It is not a mere pastime for the rich, but a 

 paying business. 



Just as Christmas trees are now being raised at a 

 profit, so it is also possible to raise the Christmas Holly 

 and the Mistletoe by artificial means. In this way an 



Courtesy Forest Pathology, Department of Agriculture. 



THE FAR-FAMED MISTLETOE 



The only parasitic plant that is used for adornment at Christ- 

 mas time, and truly a "tree thief" because it gets its nourish- 

 ment entirely from the tree upon which it lives. 



adequate supply may be insured for the future, and all 

 those who will contribute towards the development of 

 successful methods of propagating these plants will in- 

 sure the welfare and happiness of future generations 

 and bring immeasurable blessings to unseen faces. 



