814-Uncaster Fanning, Saturday, December 15,1984
BY SUZANNE KEENE
RAWLINSVILLE - No holiday
decorating scheme would be
complete without a towering
evergreen laden with glistening
lights and colorful ornaments. But
a lot of work goes on behind the
scenes before a Christmas tree is
ready for the living room.
Lancaster County Christmas
tree growers Hershey and Jean
Ressler say it takes about nine to
15 years to raise an evergreen,
depending on the height desired.
During those years, the trees need
sprayed and pruned to assure a
high quality product.
The Resslers have been growing
Christmas trees since 1966 when
they purchased 38 acres from a
neighbor. The Boy Scouts had
already planted about an acre of
evergreens on the land, but the
trees had never been trimmed
Hershey and Jean decided to trim
the trees and started harvesting
them about two years later.
They also started planting
seedlings in their own seed beds,
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The Resslers take pride in offering their customers only
fresh trees. This sign in their front yard urges customers to
check out their product.
Hershey helps customer H.C. Wesley Jr. load his tree into his car. Wesley says he
comes to Rawlinsville from Lancaster each year to get his tgree from the Resslers.
Holidays signal busy time for Christmas tree growers
until they hud 15 acres ol trees at
various stages of growth The
Resslers purchase seedlings about
the size of a pen and plant them in
prepared seed beds. After about
two or three years, they are ready
to be transplanted to the field.
When the trees are about five or
six years old, or tour or five feet
tall, they need to be trimmed or
sheared. Trimming is very im
portant in the shape of the tree,
Hershey explains
Hershey does most ol the
shearing himself with hedge
shears. He starts at the lop and
trims anv stray branches that
would ruin a tree s beauty in the
eyes of the prospi' um > Kistinas
tree buyei Its vu, lime con
suming, he says, noting that it is
also a tiring task.
The Resslers have learned a lot
about raising Christmas trees
since they first started "We learn
as we go,’ Jean said, adding
We re still learning."
Much of their knowledge has
come from experience, but they
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have also benefitted from mem
bership in the Christmas Tree
Grower's Association. Through
membership in the Association,
they have had the opportunity to
visit other tree farms and to learn
trom other growers who arc
w tiling to share their knowledge.
Knowledge about spraying is
also important to raising quality
trees, Hershey emphasizes ‘That
is a very important factor in
growing trees.
Three years ago, the Kesslers
had trouble with spider mites in
some of their trees At first they
thought the mites had affected only
about 30 trees, but on further in
vestigation, they discovered that
the mites had infiltrated many
other trees
They called on the extension loi
advice and by applying the propei
insecticide were able to salvage
the trees
Hershey has taken a short course
on spraying at 1 enn State, and he
lakes a refresher course every
three years to stay abreast ol
changes
Because the Hesslers have a
relatively small tree farm, they do
nearly all ol the labor themselves,
much ol it by hand Before
retiring, the Hesslers had to hire
people to help with the tree farm,
but now they do most of the work
themselves
Hershej and Jean work as a
team, splitting some ot the chores
and working together on others
Together the> hand plant each ol
Hershey and Jean are busy unloading Christmas trees transported from their fields
nearby. Working as a team is a way of life for the Resslers who say they split some jobs
and work together on others.
trees. Here they show some of this year's outstanding crop
the seedlings, carefullj packing
down the dirt around each one
They plant the trees in five teet
squares in a checkerboard pattern
to enable them to mow in eithei
direction They also fertilize their
trees once a year to achieve bettei
color and apply lime at the rate ot
live tons per acre.
Because they are so small and
can give the trees more individual
attention than larger growers, they
lose very few trees to disease or
insects. Out of 1,000 trees they lost
only about seven, Hershey said
Most of the trees we plant, grow,
Jean added.
The holiday season is the busiest
lime for the Hesslers. Even though
they are both retired now they still
have to hire a few people to help
with the additional work load
Hershey takes care ot the cutting,
while Jean handles the customers
Jean said they do not start
selling trees until the first week in
December, and don't harvest them
until a day or two before they will
be sold
Freshly cut trees is our biggest
asset,” Jean notes. People know
we don’t cut our trees early, she
continued. “They know they’re
getting a fresh tree
Customers come from
surrounding areas, including
city, to purchase the
Hessler s fresh trees They raise
and sell mostly Douglas and
Frazer firs, Scotcn pine and blue
spruce, but they do have a few
Concolors.
In the past they have allowed
customers to select their trees
before cutting, but so many people
changed their minds about which
tree they wanted and when they
wanted it, that the Hesslers have
discontinued that practice
Now in October they walk
through their trees, placing a red
tag on every tree that must be cut
and a white one on trees that can
be cut if they are needed.
trees are more popular
with their customers than small
ones, but people living in apart
ments or trailers often want a
smaller evergreen, Jean noted.
it's amazing the number ol
people who want large trees,
Jean said.
Because the big trees are more
in demand, the Kesslers harvest
more large trees. "We sell just
what we grow," Jean said, ex
plaining that they do not buy trees
from other growers even if they
run short themselves
The only other product the
Kesslers have to sell is a Christ
mas tree stand that features a pm
in the center. They bore holes in
the tree trunks for customers so
that the tree will be sure to stand
straight, even if it has a crooked
trunk.
Because she is so busy over the
holiday season, Jean puts her
Christmas tree up the third week in
November. To keep her tree fresh
as long as possible, Jean says she
makes sure it has plenty of water,
especially during the first two
weeks
And Jean will continue to be busy
from now until Christmas Eve,
helping families eager to find the
perfect centerpiece for then
holiday decorations.