WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 1953 THE MICHIGAN DAILY PAGE FIVE Tree Selection Confronts Buyers NOVEL SUGGESTIONS: Inventors Create Gadgets To Sell on Holiday Market Fir, Spruce, Pine Listed As Popu a r By JANET SMITH With the Christmas season fast approaching, questions such as what kind of Christmas tree is best, how should it be selected and should it be bought early or late are confronting would-be holiday decorators. Among the types of trees most popular in this part of the coun- try are the short-needled balsam fir and white spruce and the long- er-needled pines, Dr. F. E. Dick- inson, chairman of the Depart- ment of Wood Technology in the School of Natural Resources re- lated in an nterview. GENERALLY, the pines seem to hold their needles the best, but the firs may also be given a good gating on this point. Spruce, while often fuller and better shaped, tend to begin losing their needles as soon as brought into a warm place. Pines and balsam fir also stay green longer and give off a more fragrant and "woodsy" odor. After deciding on the type of tree desired, the next step is to choose the individual specimen. Points to consider are size, shape, regularity of spacing of branches and freshness. Fir and spruce are both slimmer and more compact than the long- needled pines. The needles grow near the trunk, as well as on the ends of the branches, and so the tree has a denser effect. * * * PINES, including white, red and scotch, have needles growing only at the ends of the branches and so are not as tapered. They are of.t- en quite round in appearance. Balsam fir branches are more supple and will often sag under the weight of too many decora- tions. Pines are .broader and stiffer, so that more decorations may be used on them. All the varieties of trees are available in any size, from the lit- tle table tree to the 30 foot speci- men used to decorate a ballroom.; However, the fir and spruce are; By MARY HELLTHALER Tinted cigarettes, doggy door- bells and automatic toothpaste dispensers are among the "unus- ual" gifts created by inventors and offered on this year's Christmas market. Some novel suggestions for pres- ents are to be seen nationally and locally advertised. A "football sak," a plastic-covered and flannel-lined sack which encases the body from the waist down and ties aroundI the 50 yard line, is a welcome ad- dition to any woman's wardrobe at cold of wet games. FOLDED UP, it doubles for a comfortable pillow. A perfume kit with base, bot- tles, labels, and several frag- rances to mix will tantalize the ingenuity. Another gift for the artistic taste, is a glitter pen set con- taining a pen which writes with adhesive instead of ink. Sparkling crystals sprinkled over the writ- ing adhere to it, and it makes un- usual Christmas cards. * ,* * FOR the smokers on Christmas lists, tinted king-size and queen- size cigarettes are offered. Also proposed is a combination cigar- ette case and cutter. The cutter, concealed in the case can halve up to 20 cigarettes at once, for those who have time for only a few puffs. Pipe smokers may be interest- ed to discover that a pipe with two bowls has been manufactur- ed. One bowl is for burning, and a second is filled with tobacco, but not burned, for filtering. There has finally been invented, probably for the seasonal Ann Ar- bor rainy weather, a safety um- brella with a clear plastic window in the front, to enable the wear- er to see what is ahead of him. A REALLY unusual gift has been offered-a surprise package that comes every month for an in- definite time from a different for- eign country. The package con- tains articles representative of the country, such as tourists might buy as souvenirs. Dog lovers will be happy to learn that doggy doorbells are now available. These are fast- ened paw high next to doors, and when the dog scratches on it to be let in, a clapper hits the bell and rings. There are no wires attached. Anyone who hates to bother rolling up his toothpaste tube may find a plastic wall dispenser handy. A tube is inserted in the dispenser, and the push of a but- ton furnishes a ribbon of paste for the toothbrush. Golfing fans will certainly en- joy some goofy golf tees. They will never again have to worry about 'sand traps. These tees are built to order, with sticks attached to push intohillsides, bunkers and traps, in all kinds of positions. 51 GAUGE 15 DEN IER DARK H EELS 60 GAUGE .. 15 DEN I ER DARK SEAM MANY COLORS ito $100 inc $ 15 DENIER BY THE BOX TREMENDOUS SAVINGS CRUBBER AND NYLON VAR IOUS STYLES .v:r in $395 $A95 9to $450 t $ 95 ino i Phone NO 8-7762 Vol WA -Daily-Chuck Kelsey INSPECTION-Carl Dalton, '54NR, inspects a tree for the qual- ities that will make it a good Christmas tree, Buyers are advised to choose a tree for freshness and durability as well as beauty. The short-needled balsam fir and white spruce and the longer- needled pines are among the types of trees most popular in this part of the country. better suited to be used as table trees than the pines, for they do not spread out over as wide an area. Most trees on the market today are "topped." That is, only the top portion of the tree is used., This is done because the base of the trees are often too scrubby. * * .* IN CHOOSING a tree, it is well to look for any brown spots or evi- dence of falling needles. This means that the tree is dry and will not last long when it is brought into a warm room. Since this year many trees were cut as early as the first part of October, it is particular- ly important to check for fresh- ness. Not only is a fresh tree prettier, it is also less of a fire hazard. In telling one type of tree from another, there are several points that will be of help. The distin- guishing factor between the fir- spruce group and the pines is the needle length. Pines have needles of two inches or more. The quickest way to tell a fir from a spruce is to close the hand around the end of a branch. If the points of the needles are sharp the tree is a spruce. If not, it is a fir. *' * * FIR NEEDLES are flat and have a notch in the tip, while the spruce has flat needles. Both varieties have single needles growing out from the side of the branches. Of the three types of pine on the market, the white pine can be distinguished by the fact that it always has five needles in each cluster. Both the red or Norway pine and the scotch or golden pine have two needles per cluster, but in the latter they tend to coil around each other. The red pine needles are longer and a deeper green. One of the most popular of the small seedlings grown in Michi- gan, the scotch pine has a reddish bark on the stem. Truly a "Michigan" Christmas Gift THE OFFICIAL "MICHIGAN" RING BURR PATTERSON & AULD "Official Jewelers for Men's and Women's Class Rigs" 1209 South University Bob Collins, Mgr. IL U READ AND USE DAILY CLASSIFIEDS I 1 , x<,.> . .Y} , . .. e°. .rte l 40 . " .;t < :; ; : :*;>. ' ..:: .'"; .. ,., :f. : I :x ~ ~ t * v- {cc C , MW DELICATE HAND-EMBROIDERED HAND-DETAILED GIFT BLOUSES A. THE PLUNGING COLLAR scalloped and edged with embroidery, opening on a delicate yoke of embroidered white flower sprays. Sizes 32 to 38. B. THE MOUSTACHE COLLAR a witty new shape for a blouse, with a fragile yoke panel embroid- ered in pink or white. Sizes 32 to 38. 11.95 ::;. ;::::,r.:;y r,:: ., .. r:; ' .tit ,$'. .: ; ,.' -' < .w , :w!lr A s } . . R a d . : a: . { / J . '::: h C. THE NOT embroidered flowers, repe between tiny Sizes 32 to-3 7.'95 CHED COLLAR with white or rose-pink eated down the yoke y double buttons. 8. TAB COLLAR retty frontis of tabs dered in white, with a ittle barrel buttons. 2 to 38. ............. . ............ .............. ............. .......... D. THE and a p embroid row of I Sizes 3 C. 9.9 ii' r X.X --:-:-x-:::X;, I ;;. :«>;.. Y .. % I mmm VET