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Evergreen Is
Undisputed
Favorite
In Christmas trees, it’s the spirit that counts.
Almost anything can be — and is — a Christmas tree. In Minneapolis, Minn., they even made a tree out of water pipes, fastened like spokes to a telephone pole, and appropriately decorated.
In Wilmington, N. c., a live oak more than 300 years old is adorned at the Yuletide with colorful ornaments and electric lights. In Indianapolis, Ind., they decorate the 246i foot Soldiers and Sailors Monument with electric candles and stars. j The U.S. National Christmas | Tree, officially designated in 1926, is not an evergreen but
| a giant redwood, located in ! Kings Canyon Natibnal Park, \ Calif.
This unusual Christmas tree, ! tree, called the “General
j Grant,’’ is 3,500 years old.
| Many families prefer the
| “permanent” Christmas tree, often made of aluminum, j Despite all this, the timetested favorite tree is still the evergreen. Most people, if asked, would probably vote for the “fir tree."
Actually, there are nearly 40 species of the popular fir tree,” found in the mountainous regions of Central and Southern Europe, Asia north of the Himalayas and North America.
A frequently-seen Christmas tree variety is the “balsam fir,” also called “Canada balsam” or “Balm of Gilead,” according to the Encyclopedia Americana. This is one of the most common trees of eastern North America, extending from Virginia and West Virginia in the United States to Labrador and Newfoundland.
The balsam fir may grow to 40 or 50 feet tall. The southern fir is of about the same height and is found in the mountains of Virginia, North Carolina and Tennessee.
Other American firs are essentially Western. They include the Pacific silver fir, the white fir, the grand fir, the Alpine fir, the red fir, the Shasta red fir and the noble fir. These firs may attain 250 feet in height.
In Canada, the exporting of Christmas trees, including firs, pine and spruce, is important business. Seven provinces export trees, to countries as far away as Venezuela.
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