THE FARMER AND CHRISTMAS TREES

ARTHUR M. SOWDER.

Many farmers are finding that Christmas trees are a profitable crop. A Christmas-tree plantation fits in well with good land utilization and aids in the conservation of soil and moisture a good way to salvage an eroded hillside or gully or to make use of rocky land or an idle corner. Some plantations are only part of an acre in size.

Most of the Christmas trees used in the United States are cut from areas where the trees have grown naturally. However, the number of trees harvested from plantations is increasing annually. About 100,000 acres of plantations are now devoted to growing Christmas trees in this country. Two-thirds of the acreage is owned by farmers. Pennsylvania has nearly 40,000 acres in Christmas-tree production.

Each plantation-grown tree can be given plenty of space to grow into a symmetrical tree, in contrast to uncared for wild trees in crowded or dense stands. However, merely planting the tree and expecting to return in a few years and reap a harvest cannot be depended upon. A well-shaped tree, grown under adequate spacing conditions, with uniform distance between whorls or branches and fully shaped, will command the best price. Christmas trees respond to intensive management. Returns can normally be expected in 8 to 10 years after planting.

Things to consider in selecting a Christmas-tree planting site are value of the land, soil and climate, location of site with respect to market centers, accessibility, and the existing vegetative cover.

A PROSPECTIVE GROWER of Christmas trees should give careful consideration to the selection of species. While most evergreens are used for Christmas trees, yet some command better market 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 Christmas holidays.

2. Full, symmetrical shape.

3. Limb strength adequate to support 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 (Pseudotsuga taxifolia), Scotch pine (Pinus sylvestris), the balsam fir (Abies balsamea), white spruce (Picea glauca), red pine (Pinus resinosa), eastern red-cedar (Juniperus virginiana), the Colorado 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 exposure. In the selection of species, a good guide is to observe what evergreens 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 profitable poor-field crop. If soil preparation 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 seedlings and transplants are worth planting. 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 undertaking 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 prefer 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.

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 spacing is necessary as the trees develop.

PLANTING MAY BE DONE in the Spring or fall when the trees are dormant. Spring planting is usually more successful just as soon as the frost is out of the ground and before growth starts.

In handling the small trees, the roots should never be allowed to dry out. The package of trees should be soaked with water as soon as received and the trees planted as soon as possible. If the trees are not planted promptly, they may be stored for a day or two in a cool, damp place with the package weld soaked with water. If it is necessary to delay planting as much as 10 days, the small trees should be heeled-in by lining them out in a cool, moist, shady place; one should make sure the roots are thoroughly watered.

Two-man crews (or a man and a strong boy) are satisfactory for planting Christmas trees one man digs the hole, preferably with a mattock or grub hoe, and fills in the soil, while the other carries the planting stock in a bucket of water and inserts the tree. It pays to use extra care in planting to insure a good stand and thus avoid replanting.

If some woody vegetation such as brush covers the planting site, it is imperative that it be removed before planting. The small trees should be set the same depth as they grew in the nursery with the roots well spread out in the planting holes. The roots should never be allowed to dry out, hence moist soil should be firmly packed about the roots at the time of planting. Air pockets about the roots should be avoided and firming the soil with the heel will prevent this.

An 80-percent survival is considered satisfactory. It may be necessary to replace any small trees that do not survive the first year or two. Where different species are planted on an area, it is not desirable to alternate rows by species; it is better to plant each species in a group or block.

Weeds, grass, and brush should not be allowed to handicap the small trees. In areas of limited rainfall during the growing season, two or three cultivations each summer may be necessary to eliminate competition of weeds and grasses. Weed growth around the trees may keep the lower branches from developing. Later on, weed removal by mowing is usually adequate and will not disturb the lateral tree roots near the surface.