370 
<Iht RURAL. NEW-YORKER 
March 1, 1910 
Part I. 
May we have an article on Christmas 
tree farming? No doubt some of the R. 
N.-Y. people raise Christmas trees and 
might write about it, for the pleasure and 
profit- of the rest of ue. l. h. F. 
Sebring, O. 
The spruce is said to signify hope in ad¬ 
versity. The farmer having a bit of waste 
land, fairly well drained and yet in such 
condition that he cannot cultivate it to 
good advantage, may well consider the op¬ 
portunities in trees, which in comparison 
with his crop of corn seem slow and un¬ 
profitable. Tree- crops are especially at¬ 
tractive when grown for a special market, 
such as that for Christmas trees. Ameri¬ 
cans have only begun to look to the pos¬ 
sibilities of growing them. We have been 
blessed with our great forest areas from 
which the little trees seemed to be a nat¬ 
ural toll. Yet for many years past for¬ 
est plantations have been established in 
European countries with the idea of mak¬ 
ing annual thinnings to supply the de¬ 
mand for Christmas trees. There un¬ 
doubtedly are a good many farmers 
throughout the country who each holiday 
season have been inspired to put m a 
patch of spruce or fir in the hope of help¬ 
ing to meet the increasing demand for 
Christmas trees. But trees grow so slow¬ 
ly Even a little Christmas tree must 
take years to get big enough for market. 
Besides, how would he do it' With that 
he promptly discards the idea, or it is 
stored in the garret of his brain until an¬ 
other Christmas brings it to light again. 
During these last few years, however, the 
idea must have come up with increasing 
force if he visited any of the city markets 
and learned the prices which were being 
paid. 
A Christmas tree may be of any dense- 
foliaged, fairly short-leaved conifer It 
must be green, and it should be fan Ij 
uniform and conical in shape. These ai e 
the ideals which seem to have become 
established. After that it must have 
trimmings, and home cheer, and, most ot 
all. the joy that comes with giving hap¬ 
piness to others, in order to make it com¬ 
plete. If you were' to look carefully at 
those which are displayed on the mai- 
ket vou would find spruce—either red or 
white, or sometimes Norway, balsam hr, 
hemlock and occasionally a white pme, a 
red cedar, or even a Douglas hr. ine 
spruces and firs will approach most neat ,\ 
the ideal Christmas tree and if you have 
tried them all you will probably decide 
that the fir, either balsam or Douglas, is 
the best. The needles of the spruce are 
short and sharp, and after a few days m 
the warm, dry temperature of the home, 
the floor becomes sprinkled with them. 
Even with the best of housekeeping 
( which is usually an impossibility during 
the holidays) they are tracked about the 
room, and the baby gets pricked with one 
or sticks it up his nose. The hr needles 
(or leaves, as they truly are) are softer, 
and have the ability to remain attached 
for weeks in spite of the naturally dry 
conditions within the house. 
Spruce transplants four years old, and 
standing one to two feet high, can be 
purchased by residents of New York State 
from the Conservation Commission in 
Albany for $4 per thousand. Spruce, 
balsam fir. or Douglas fir can be pur¬ 
chased from several reputable nursery¬ 
men for $18 and up per thousand for 
two and tliree-year-old stock, these will 
develop a little slower than the four-year- 
old spruce. Residents of other States can 
buy certain desirable trees from then 
State forester for low prices comparable 
with those charged in New York. W hen 
stock can be purchased for $4 per thou¬ 
sand it is more satisfactory to use trans¬ 
plants than to attempt to raise them from 
the seed, because the first four years ot 
growth are slow and require considerable 
hand labor. . . , 
The trees may be planted relatively 
close together; that is, three by three 
feet. It is better that they be planted in 
rows in order to save time when setting 
them out. This gives an opportunity for 
cultivation should it lie considered feasi¬ 
ble. and also facilitates the work when 
the stand is thinned for harvesting, ine 
trees may be plauteo w T ith a triangulai 
spacing of three feet each way, requiring 
5,584 trees to the acre. This offers the 
most complete utilization of the area. If. 
instoful of planting with the triangulai 
spacing, a rectangular spacing of three 
feet is used, 4.840 trees will be required 
per acre. _ ,, 
As estimated before, the soil require¬ 
ments are not demanding. It should be 
fairly well drained, and not sour. It is 
not necessary that it be capable of being 
plowed, although earlier results can nat¬ 
urally be expected from the better, more 
tillable land. On land which can be 
plowed and fitted a regular horse marker 
may be used. On other land the brush 
should be cut away and the spacing can 
be done as accurately as possible by 
sighting toward & flag or stake which is 
set over three feet after each row is fin¬ 
ished. The best time for planting is in 
the Spring, as soon as the snow is gone, 
and after the frost is out of the ground, 
but before growth begins in the trees. 
Fall planting is often successful, but there 
is always danger of the little plants being 
heaved out by the frost. Upon arrival of 
be removed from the package and heeled 
in, or stored in a cool vegetable cellar. 
The roots should be kept cool and moist, 
and if heeled in, a shady, protected site 
should be sought. 
Planting can be done to best advantage 
by two men, one man to dig the holes 
and the other to carry the trees and set 
them. An ordinary galvanized iron buck¬ 
et, filled about one-third full with thin 
handling the stock in the field to see that 
the roots do not dry out. They should not 
be exposed to either the sun or wind any 
longer than is absolutely necessary. 
Cultivation is not necessary, but if it is 
possible during the first two years the 
rate of growth may be increased. On 
land which is not capable of cultivation it 
is well during the first year or two to cut 
the weeds down with a brush hook. This 
gives the little trees access to the light 
add promotes more vigorous growth. Dur¬ 
ing the first year growth will be slow, 
after which it will increase until the trees 
will grow about one foot each year. More 
rapid growth is not advisable, because the 
sized trees. If sufficiently good, every 
other tree may be taken out. It is usu¬ 
ally advisable to take the larger trees, 
because they will bring the highest market 
price. 6. h. c. 
A Hospital Garden in Great Britain 
At Sarisbury, near Southampton. Eng¬ 
land. the American Red Cross is building 
the largest American hospital in Great 
Britain. Ten acres of vegetable gardens 
are included in the hospital grounds. This 
section of the grounds is arranged like 
a park, the vegetable plots being con¬ 
cealed behind banks of flowering shrubs, 
while arches of Wistaria and ivy are pro¬ 
vided with rustic seats in shady nooks 
where the convalescent soldiers may rest. 
This mingling of flowers with vegetables 
is a common feature in English gardens, 
even the dooryards of humble cottages, 
where one often sees mignonette, stocks 
or pinks bordering the rows of beans or 
cabbages. One American soldier, writing 
home from an English camp remarked, 
“they grow flowers everywhere here, even 
in the gardens,” meaning, of course, the 
vegetable garden, and as Sarisburg’is in 
a mild and sunny part of England, many 
beautiful shrubs and perennial plants may 
be grown there that are not hardy in our 
Northern States. 
View in American Red Cross Hospital Garden at Sarislury, England 
mud, is very satisfactory for carrying the 
plants. The roots should be kept im¬ 
mersed in the muddy solution, thus assur¬ 
ing the' tender root hairs protection. The 
holes should be slightly deeper than is 
necessary to take the roots when spread 
in a natural position. These can be dug 
with a heavy hoe or mattock. Fine moist 
earth should be sprinkled over the roots, 
then the coarser soil next, after which 
the dirt can be packed firmly with the 
foot. A layer of loose soil, dead grass, or 
old leaves should be scraped around the 
tree in order to retain the moisture. 
Great care must always be taken in 
trees tend to become spindly and open. 
If four-year transplants are used, a con¬ 
siderable portion of the trees should be 
four feet nigh at the end of four years. 
Some of these may be marketed. The re¬ 
turns from these trees should bring a 
small profit. This operation will have the 
added advantage of allowing the remain¬ 
ing trees to have more room in which to 
develop their side branches. Such a thin¬ 
ning is not necessary, in case the market 
does not warrant it, for the trees will not 
crowd so as to injure each other for sev¬ 
eral years. The degree of thinning should 
always depend upon the market for small 
Rye and Oats in Orchard 
I notice a letter in Tiie R. N.-Y. about 
using rye and oats in an orchard. I have 
seen the results of oats, rye and wheat, all 
used on different orchards which I have 
watched closely, beginning three years 
ago. Not one of the three orchards so 
sown three years ago has recovered from 
the setback yet. These grain crops were 
allowed to mature and were harvested. 
Early potatoes, followed by cow peas and 
Soy beans, showed good results. Corn 
showed good results, but not so good as 
potatoes and cow peas. Any grain crop 
that matures in June is injurious, as the 
orchard makes its growth in May and 
June, and needs the moisture and fertility 
at that time. Corn, maturing in Septem¬ 
ber, helps to check the late tree growth 
for Winter. h. a. tiiorniley. 
West Virginia. 
R. N.-Y.—Our experience is the same, 
and we would not let a small grain crop 
mature in a young orchard. Rye is the 
worst of all. 
“Bobrie, did you thank Mr. Carr for 
taking you out for a ride?” “Yes, moth¬ 
er, I thanked him, but I didn’t tell you 
because he said : ‘Don’t mention it.’ ”—- 
Boston Transcript. 
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