THE MISTLETOE 



965 



the: mud-cracks utiIvIzed: beKTS in the :fore:ground, peas at I.E1FT, WHEAT AT 



RIGHT, THE T.ATTER BEING THE CORNER OE A lO-ACRE TRACT (SEE PAGE 967) 



At flood-time the previous June water covered this area to a depth of 8 feet, as shown by 

 the mud-stain on willow trunks in the vicinity. Photo taken April 17, 1910, by J. Griffin. 



THE MISTLETOE 



PEOPLE living in northern cities who 

 purchase small strings or bunches of 

 mistletoe at a good price for Christmas 

 decoration rarely are aware that it is one 

 of the most destructive tree parasites 

 known. There are localities in the South, 

 particularly in Texas, where mistletoe is 

 so abundant upon trees and so harmful 

 as to make the control of the plant and 

 its extermination a serious practical 

 question. It is spread principally by 

 birds — mocking-birds, robins, w^ax-wings, 

 and cedar-birds — who carry the mistle- 

 toe berry from tree to tree. The sinker 

 of the seedling pierces the tenderest 

 portions of the tree, young branches or 

 buds, and sucks away the tree's vitality 

 by draining the water and nourishment 

 of the tree (see pages 962, 963). 



OUR COLORED PICTURES 



IN this number of the Magazine, for 

 the first time, the National Geographic 

 Society publishes a large series of illus- 

 trations in color. These pictures are all 

 from photographs taken by Mr William 

 W. Chapin, a well-known citizen of 

 Rochester, New York, and an amateur 

 photographer of much skill. The photo- 

 graphs were colored by hand, under Mr 

 Chapin's direction, by a Japanese artist. 

 By the use of colors, the atmosphere and 

 reality of foreign scenes in many in- 

 stances can be more accurately and 

 graphically portrayed than in the usual 

 black-and-white illustration. This is par- 

 ticularly true of the Orient, where the 

 use of brigfht, striking pigments — golden 

 yellows, rich reds and blues and greens — 

 are so prevalent in dress and street deco- 



