Herald it Lantern 2 December 81

A Guide to Selecting a Living Yule Tree

t»y F.E. J©hii«toii-Jr. Once aRain. the exciting SChritftmas season is at (hand A time for holiday spirit; truly a season to he jolly there's no better way to get sinto' the Christmas spirit man by traipsing thriytigh a field of evergreen ^trees with the family, on a crisp I>ecembcr day in search of

the perfect natural Christmas tree. All at once, your senses become alive. The sight and the rich aroma of hun dreds of firs, spruces and pines., of varying shapes and sizes, will be a reminder of the bounty of nature and the beauty of the rural landscape TO SELECT the right tree and to make choosing a tree a thoroughly satisfying and enjoyable experience for all concerned, there arc a few facts you should know. First, you need to locate a Christmas tree farm Since there are approximately 250 tree farms throughout New Jersey, no doubt there will be one located within a

short distance from your home. If you don’t know where, to gp^to find your faipilV tree,'the New Jersdy Christmas Tree Growers’ Assn, puts out a leaflet entitled Where to Find •Choose * Cut' Christmat Trees In New Jersey. To receive a free copy, contact your local county Agricultural Agent or Area Forester or send a stamped ' addressed envelop to: HE- Johnston, P.O. Box 4060, Princeton, N J. 08540. '(Phone: 799 4200) NEW JERSEY growers have approximately 200.000 Christmas trees ready for •sale this year. It is advisable to call a few

Christmas tree farms to find out what types of trees they have, their prices and hours of operation. It's also a>good idea to visit a farm at least two wefeks before Christmas. i. • Here’s a brief description . of the most popular species found on New Jersey Christmas tree farms which should assist you fn choosing the type of tree best suited to your family:

SPRUCE .Colorado Blue Spruce — Needles are about one inch . long, four sided, green to silvery blue, stout, rigid, and short pointed. Good, needle retention.

Norway Spruce — Needles 1/2 to 3/4” long, dark green, branches are spreading and somewhat pendulous. Needle retention moderate. White Spruce — Short 1/2 to 3/4" green needles with silver tinge. Moderate needle retention. Early come producers, may have cones on a 6' tree.

PJNE s ' • Stotch Pine — In young trees, branches are regularly whorled. Needles occur in clusters of two and are ulually twisted 1 1/2 to 3” long, bluish or grayish green. Excellent needle retention. $

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BAND DIVISION SPONSORED BY MMYIUN NIVEN AND CIFE tUTO PINTS NORTH CIPE NIT

COMMERCIAL DIVISION SPONSORED BY . sirs cm, VESSELS 1 CREW WISHING ALL A MERRY CHRISTMAS r.

AND ,

. HAPPY NEW YEAP

RELIGIOUS DIVISION SPONSOPEDBY LEONARD R. VERITY JR., IRC. HANDAVE. CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE. N.J.

COMIC DIVISION SPONSORED BY Ilf SIDE VILUSE VILLAS. NEW JERSEY

AND

KINDLE FORI LIRCOLH, MERCURT WILDWOOD. N.J.

GOVERNOR’S TROPHY Awarded to the

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AS Divisions Sponsored by LOlgER TOWNSHIP ROTARY CLUB .

PARADE SUPPORTERS

FIRE AND ' RESCUE DIVISION SPONSORED BY cm MIT KIWIRIS AND CIPEMIY KIIWIHI

YOUTH GROUP DIVISION SPONSORED BY AXELSSGN ARB J0NRS0H IRC. CAPE MAY, N.J.

ANIMAL AND PET DIVISION , SPONSORED BY EMI'S RORTN CIFE HIT HIRKET AND FIRRELL REILTT NORTH CAPE MAY

MIXEb ' DIVISION sponsoMd by RITSRORE LOUHGE NORTH CAPE MAY AND OIK HIT R0TIRY CLbl

FIR . Douglas Fir — Needles are flat, short 3/4 to 1 1/4" and dark green to blue, green in color, graceful branching. Excellent needle retention. Concolor Fir — Needles flat 1 to 2” long, pale blue •green, irregularly arranged and curve upward and outward. Excellent needle retention. This species is not readily available. Frazer Fir — Needles 172 to 3/4”.long, dark green on upper side and light green underside. Excellent needle retention. Also not readily available. I » ACCORDING TO statistics from fib, New Jersey Christmas v Tree Growers’ Assn., which has conducted a marketing survey since 1966, tree choices and tastes seem to be changing. In 1966, the percentages of Christmas evergreen trees sold at farms were Spruce 66%, Pine 20%, Fir 14%. Last year’s survey showed that the popularity of Spruce had declined to 38% while the percentages of Pinfe andFir sold had increased to 35% and 27% respectively. In 1980, the

Douglas Fir proved to be the most popular followed by Norway Spruce, Scotch Pine, Colorado Blue Spruce and ,White Pine in that order. ; • BESIDES "Choose and Cut” trees, many of the New Jersey Christmas trees farpis also sell balled trees. There are live trees with their ropts imbedded in a ball of dirt and wrapped in burlap or put in q bushel basket. £fter Christmas, the tree can be planted in th£yard where it makes a beautiful ornamental specimen. A jgord of advise for the poteptial bdjrer — the hole for planting your balled Christmas tree after the Yule season should be prepared-well in advance of the freezing weather. ONCE .YOU have purchased dhd* brought your cut tree home, you -should undertake the following steps to ensure that it remains ih tiptop Shape throughput the holidays. Place the tree in a bucket of water outside or in a cool place until you are ready to decorate it. When it is time to bring the tree indoors for decorating, make a straight cut across the trunk about one inch above the original one. Keep the cut surface completely covered with water at all times. Trees can absorb up to a pint of water a day so check and water them frequently. Following these instructions will keep your tree moist and fragrant, reduce needle drop, and maintain tree color. Selecting a family Christmas tree can definitely be I an exciting and fun-filled event. But don’t wait. Plain a day with family, friends and •neighbors inlthe very near i • future to rokm the great' outdoors and .find that special tree. F.E. Johnston, Jr. is director of .the- N.J. Christmas Tree Growers' Assn, in Princeton.

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AUSKAFLAHHEL SHIRTS •Lm Cm* •■MtM Trafer'i Ml Wool S«o*t-n 111 WUIHNTN ST. WII, CAK MT

The Golden Eagle Inn. FOR CHRISTMAS GIVE A GIFT CCRTIFICATf FOR OUR jer ifSTiMUT ^Muinsn jjr mftsmf j|ruMui«m«R OCEANFRONTA PHILADELPHIA ^^CAPE MAY, NEW JERSEY •»* OVI I