84-Lancaster Fanning, Saturday, Decaniber 14,1985
Chrisfim toes
(Continued from Page B 2)
be all that is left after a busy
December that sees hundreds of
tree customers hiking the hillsides
in pursuit of the perfect evergreen.
Favoring the “choose and cut”
method of sales, Kilgore prefers
harvesting each tree fresh for the
buyer. Saturdays in December at
the farm are unbelievably hectic,
but other family members keep the
busiest sales day free for helping.
On the second Saturday of each
December, Kilgore brothers and
sisters, their families and some
friends, converge on the Delta
farm to help scout, cut and load
trees for buyers. Many of the
cutomers drive from the Baltimore
metropolitan area for the fresh
from-the-farm trees.
Kilgore has not found it
necessary to advertise, since
return customers and word-of
mouth recommendations pull in all
the business he can handle.
Some customers prefer live
specimens for their Christmas use.
Kilgore digs these by hand, slicing
around the root ball with a shovel,
then carefully digging from one
side to undermine the root system.
He says that such trees can
successfully be replanted outside
after the holidays, if preparations
are made ahead. Kilgore suggests
that a hole, plenty large enough for
the balled root system, be dug well
ahead of time, and the soil saved
inside where it will not freeze.
Trees up to five feet in height will
do the best. They should be moved
both into and back out of the
warmth of a home gradually, and
given time to adapt to temperature
changes.
While inside, live trees should
have the same treatment-perhaps
even more careful-that is given
cut specimens. That means
keeping the tree in the coolest spot
possible, since heat is a Christmas
tree’s worst enemy. Pleanty of
water should be available to a cut
tree, since the trunk butt of a cut
specimen will seal off if allowed to
dry out. Live specimen root
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systems must be kept moist and
should be planted just as soon as
possible after the holiday.
Given such care, holiday
evergreens should stay attractive
for several weeks. Spruces have
shorter indoor-life spans, and will
begin losing needles after three
weeks. Some pines will remain in
good condition for up to two
months, Kilgore says.
While Scotch pines continue to
rank tops in Christmas tree
popularity, Kilgore also grows
Douglas firs, white pines, some
spruces and the Fraser fir, a
relative newcomer to the tree
industry widely grown in the
Carolines. Fraser firs are gaining
followers as holiday decorations,
since their sturdy needles cling to
the tree with almost stubborn
determination.
A member of the Pennsylvania
Christmas Tree Growers
Association, Kilgore stays abreast
of industry developments by
reading and attending related
meetings and functions, including
the national convention every
other year. Through these
educational activities, he has had
the chance to visit a thousand-acre
Scotch pine plantation in
Michigan, large acreages of
Balsam firs in Canada and observe
the emergence of the Christmas
tree industry in the south,
especially in Georgia, Virginia and
the Carolinas.
As a side hobby interest, Kilgore
also grows hollies from seed,
planting the ripe, red berries in
raised nursery beds like those used
for the evergreen seedlings. He
also replants seedlings that sprout
from berries of the large holly
trees that dot the Kilgore farm.
While the hollies are not part of the
seasonal sales, their, colorful
presence near the pines com
plements the holiday feeling.
With rows of trees in shades of
green and bluish-greens lining the
hills, hollies adding a touch of
cherry red, and the fragrance of
pine hovering over it all, it’s ob
vious that Christmas-or at least a
little part of Christmas-lives on
this York County farm.
KJ -
Decorate Your Tree Safely
The Christinas tree is one of the
most beautiful of all holiday
decorations. But the tree can also
be dangerous.
If you have an artificial tree,
make sure it’s fire resistant. When
purchasing a natural tree, make
sure it’s fresh. A fresh tree should
have a deep green color and strong
pine scent. Needles should bend
without breaking and be firmly
attached to the twigs. If many
needles fall off when the tree is
shaken or bumped lightly on the
ground, the tree may be too dry.
A tree purchased too early will
dry out and become a fire hazard.
Even if you buy a tree at the last
minute, it may have been cut very
early and have dried out. Don’t be
misled by a nicely-shaped tree.
The best looking tree may not be
the safest.
Keep the tree outside ki a cool
area until you are ready to bring it
inside. Cut about two inches off the
trunk before you put it in a stand.
This new cut will draw in water
more easily than the original cut,
which has probably hardened and
dried up. Keep the stand filled with
water so the tree will not dry out as
fast. Place the tree away from heat
registers, radiators and fireplaces
that will dry out the tree much
faster.
By Doris Thomas
Lancaster Extension
Home Economist
Use light cords on your tree that
carry UL approval. Use only in
direct lighting on metal trees.
Purchase a new string of lights
instead of trying to get by one more
year with the old, worn out lights.
Before putting any lights on the
tree, check strings for loose or
broken sockets and cords with bare
wires showing.
Never use candles on or near the
tree. Avoid small items that might
look like food or candy to children
who might try to eat them.
Pets Can Be
Educational Gifts
There are hundreds of
educational toys that teach a child
to do things-read, draw or build.
But have you thought of the one gift
that can teach a child to be a better
person? That rare gift is a pet.
A puppy or kitten that a child
plays with and cares for gives his
smaU master daily lessons in
kindness, getting along with
others, responsibility and love.
From his furry, four-footed friend,
a child can also learn about
patience, sharing and how living
things grow.
Psychologists who have used
pets in therapy with children point
out that because a house pet must
be trained, this helps children
accept rules and regulations for
themselves.
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If a child' is old edbogh to help
with the pet’s training-a 10 year
old can even take his dog to
obedience school-he discovers
that praise and kindness get better
results than force.
A pet quickly shows a child the
necessity for being considerate of
the feelings of another living
creature. If the new puppy or
kitten isn’t handled gently, the new
friend won’t want to play with the
child. A child should be shown how
to lift an animal correctly-with
arms supporting both the chest and
the hind quarters-so the pet won’t
accidentally be injured.
Have you ever wished you could
convince your children that
speaking quietly gets better results
than yelling? A pet can help you do
it. Little screamers will observe
that loud voices make a dog retreat
under the sofa, and it takes a lot of
soft talk to coax him out again.
A child who finds it hard to make
friends will suddenly discover he’s
the neighborhood celebrity when
he shows a new pet.
A friendly animal that showers
love on every member of the
family gives an easy-to
understand demonstration of the
joys of shared pleasure. Seeing a
puppy or kitten grow from helpless
infancy to adulthood, gives a child
some insight into his own growing
up.
A pet can be a great teacher and
a great friend at the same tune-a
valuable gift you could give a child
at Christmas.