The Green Thumb

Magazine for Rocky Mountain Gardeners

NOV.-DEC., 1959
25 Cents

The Green Thumb

Colorado Forestry and Horticulture Association

Organized in 1884

“To preserve the natural beauty of Colorado; to protect the forests; to encourage proper maintenance and additional planting of trees, shrubs and gardens; to make available correct information regarding forestry, horticultural practices and plants best suited to the climate; and to coordinate the knowledge and experience of foresters, horticulturists and gardeners for their mutual benefit.”

NOV.-DEC.
Vol. 16
No. 10

EDITORIAL COMMITTEE

M. Walter Pesman, Chairman
Mrs. Alexander Barbour
Mrs. William Crisp
Herbert C. Gundell
Dr. A. C. Hildreth
Fred R. Johnson
Mrs. J. V. Peterson
Moras Shubert
Julia Jane Silverstein
Mrs. James P. Steele
Mrs. Ray Turnure
Mrs. Edmund Wallace
Stanley White
Mrs. Helen Marsh Zeiner
Patrick Gallavan, Editor
LaVica Bonar, Assistant Editor

Members

INDEX

TITLE PAGE

Calendar of Events 328

Operation Tree Salvage, by Pat Gallavan 329

Tax Deductions for Trees lost in Storms, The Shade Tree Digest 333

Handy Hints for Holiday Packaging, Dennison Mfg. Co. 334

The Extraordinary Apple Doll Lady, by Lilygayle Fleischer 335

Double Life of a Soap Sud, Cleanliness Bureau 339

Denver Botanic Gardens 342

Frankincense and Myrrh, Nature Bulletin Forest Preserve District of Cook County, Ill. 344

The Widening of Colorado Boulevard at City Park, by J. Harrison Belknap 345

Dig These Questions 347

Garden Club Briefs, by Mrs. Edmund Wallace 348

In Appreciation of Ray T. Miller, by M. Walter Pesman 351

Colorado Garden Show 352

Seasonal Suggestions, by Pat 353

1959 Index 355

In Our Library! 358

Published Monthly. Sent free to all members of the Association. Supporting membership, $3.00; Active, $5.00; Contributing, $10.00; Patron, $25.00; Donor, $100.00. Copyright 1959 by:

The Colorado Forestry and Horticulture Association

A non-profit, privately financed Association

EA 2-9656
909 YORK ST. DENVER 6, COLORADO

MEMO

The Green Thumb Program—Every Saturday morning on KLZ at 10: 15 a.m.

Floral Art Course: Opportunity School. Every Thursday 9 a.m.-11:30 a.m., 1 p.m.-3:30 p.m., 6:30 p.m.-9:15 p.m. There is no charge except for materials.

BOTANIC GARDENS’ HOUSE MEETINGS
909 York Street

December 9—Organic Gardeners, 8 p.m.

December 11—Colorado Forestry and Horticulture Finance Committee, 10:30 a.m. Colorado Forestry and Horticulture Board Luncheon, 11:30 a.m. Colorado Cactophiles, 8 p.m.

December 24—Civic Garden Club, 1 p.m.

January 5—Mountain View Garden Club, 1 p.m.

January 6—Botany Club, 7:30 p.m.

January 8—Colorado Forestry and Horticulture Finance Committee, 10:30 a.m. Colorado Forestry and Horticulture Board Luncheon, 11:30 am.

January 11—Judges Council, 10 a.m.

January 12—Evergreen Garden Club, 7:30 p.m.

January 13—Organic Gardeners, 8 p.m.

January 14—Denver Rose Society, 7 p.m.

“Fun With Flowers”—A lecture and demonstration is followed by the making of arrangements. Each person brings containers, mechanics, and material. The workshops are open to everyone. Due to popular demand the workshops will be held each month at the following times and places:

Workshop No. 1—Botanic Gardens House, 909 York St., Denver. Third Wednesday of each month, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Workshop No. 2—Lakeside Denver Dry Goods, 44th and Harlan, Denver. First Friday of each month, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Workshop No. 3—Arapahoe County Fair Grounds, W. Belleview and Windemere, Littleton. Third Tuesday of each month, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

REMEMBER THE SALVATION ARMY

Operation Tree Salvage

By Pat Gallavan

Chances are that the effect of the tranquilizer bulletin in the last Green Thumb has worn off. We can now carefully appraise the damage done to our trees. On streets where brush removal has been completed, it is easy to see that many trees, though battered and misshapen, are not a total loss. Now that the leaves have fallen, split crotches and stubs left in emergency removals are much in evidence. Our previous bulletin mentioned that there was no rush in doing this type of repair work, as long as it is completed by the time growth starts in the spring.

This final repair work, for the most part, should be done by a professional tree surgeon. Sawing off a limb isn’t quite as easy as falling off a log. First of all, in large trees the danger of falling is a major hazard for the amateur. Secondly, improper pruning can be quite detrimental to the future growth of the tree.

Under normal conditions we have enough good tree men to adequately take care of our trees. This storm, however, has put a great burden on the existing tree companies and has opened a tempting field to a lot of unqualified and unscrupulous people. These persons, armed with a pick-up, a ladder and a saw, can ruin a good tree in an hour’s time. Don’t be afraid to ask for credentials; a legitimate operator will gladly produce them, and recommendations if necessary. Above all, if you are not sure of his qualifications, watch his work for the mistakes explained and illustrated in this article.

To know a good pruning job from a bad one it is necessary to understand a few principles of tree growth. First of all, a tree, like all plants, is a living organism. We know that it manufactures its own food in the leaves. Raw materials, water and minerals, taken in by the roots are transported up to the leaves and there, in the presence of sunlight and chlorophyll (green matter), are converted to simple food. These in turn flow back through the tree, nourishing growing cells throughout the plant. This intricate transportation system and a layer of active growth cells lie just beneath the bark. There are a number of theories on the forces that put this system into motion. However, for our purposes it is evident that the foliage of the tree is essential to this process. It stands to reason then that we can’t just lop off all the major branches of a large tree and expect it to survive.

Dead stub cannot heal.

Rotten section inside tree

Decay enters stub and continues into heart of living tree.

Decay enters thru stub

Rotten interior weakens limb

Living tissue

Cut made flush will heal over. Decay is thus prevented.

Cut made flush to sap flow line can heal over

Live tissues

Living wound callous rapidly covers exposed wood thus preventing decay

Tree sound no rot

Living wound callous rapidly covers exposed cut protecting it from decay

Tree sound no rot

TRIANGULAR CABLING & BRACING SYSTEMS AS INSTALLED BY SWINGLE TREE SURGEONS USED & APPROVED BY NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

STRONG U CROTCH

CABLES HIGH ENOUGH FOR LEVERAGE AND NOT CONSPICUOUS

THIMBLE

DANGEROUS V CROTCH

PARALLEL BRACE RODS

LAG HOOK

CADMIUM STEEL BRACE ROD ½″ TO 1″

S.T.S-CO. 12-31-47

Granted that in some cases pruning will have to be severe, but if it is done properly the tree will have a chance to live. When a large branch is cut off and a stub is left, the growth processes stop in the projected stub, but continue their natural course of flow at its base in the parent branch. Each year as the tree grows it builds up a new growth ring around the stub. This is noted as a swelling, and will continue to grow in size each succeeding year. In the meantime, the dead stub is exposed to the elements and begins to rot away. In time it will decay back to the stem or trunk and be sloughed off and the original wound may close over with new growth rings. Usually before this happens, the organisms causing decay of the stub enter the main stem and begin their slow but deadly work there, so that in time the entire tree may become decadent.

If, on the other hand, the limb is cut back flush to the parent limb or stem, we find that the sap flow and growth ring still occur around the wound, but that each succeeding year the ring occurs inside the cut area. In time this growth will completely enclose the wound. On a small wound of an inch diameter this sealing may take place in several years’ time. Larger cuts will, of course, take more time and to prevent decay while they are healing a good tree paint should be applied to seal the wound until natural growth heals it over.

In addition to eliminating the stubs, other repairs might have to be made. In some cases the branches broke at their point of attachment on the parent limb and have peeled back the bark, leaving a jagged and irregular shaped wound. As indicated above, the new growth follows the easiest and smoothest path so that in such cases the wound needs to be shaped to allow for the quickest possible healing. From experience it has been found that a vertical elongated oval is the quickest to heal over, as it follows, as close as possible, the natural flow of material in a plant. This method is illustrated in the accompanying sketches.

Another repair that may be necessary is the cabling and bolting of split or weakened crotches. This is based on engineering principles and should be attempted only by an experienced arborist. The sketch on page 331 shows one application of this method.

As mentioned in our tranquilizer bulletin, our trees have had a good growing year, and with proper care this winter, can come back quickly in the spring.

Tax Deduction for Trees Lost in Storms

From The Shade Tree Digest

Were any of your fine shade trees wrecked by the September snowstorm? If so, a bit of foresight and effort on your part now may result in considerable savings to you when the time comes to pay your 1959 Federal income tax. For, usually, residential property is more valuable with trees than without, and if the value of that property is lessened as a result of storms the amount of the tangible loss is deductible in computing income tax returns.

Any loss claimed must be based upon material value. A tree may become “almost like a member of the family” in your esteem—but don’t use that approach if you have occasion to evaluate it as “deductible loss!” However much Government tax officials might agree with you in sentiment, they are permitted to measure the worth of a tree only by its effect upon the market price of the “real estate”—including land, buildings and other trees—of which it is an integral part.

Relative to computing the amount of deductible loss, the Bureau of Internal Revenue advises as follows: (1) The “apparent loss” of property is the difference between the fair market values of the property immediately before and immediately after the casualty. (2) Compare the “apparent loss” with the adjusted basis of the property. (3) The “loss sustained” is the apparent loss, or the adjusted basis, whichever is the lesser. (4) From the loss sustained subtract the amount, if any, of insurance or other recovery. (5) The balance remaining is the “loss recognized” for income tax purposes.

Thus, computing the amount of the “loss” hinges upon determination of “fair market values,” and, unfortunately, there is no exact mathematical formula by which this can be ascertained. Clearly, any “loss” claims should be supported by positive evidence. Such evidence might include photographs, and certainly reports from experts in the particular fields involved in the loss.

Shade trees certainly add to the value of a property. If one is destroyed by a storm, measuring the extent of loss to the property is a matter requiring technical knowledge and good judgment. The value of a tree is affected by species, age, condition, location and other factors, and to arrive at an estimate which will survive close scrutiny by tax officials all pertinent factors must be considered. Data intended for use in support of a loss claim should be gathered, of course, as soon as possible after the casualty.

Further tree damage can be expected from ice storms in the months ahead. If any of your trees have been, or are, lost from such “natural physical forces” it will pay you to remember that their value—at least, for tax purposes—can be measured in dollars-and-cents.

HANDY HINTS FOR HOLIDAY PACKAGING

1. Shop early enough so that you’ll be able to choose a variety of both traditional and brightly colored foil and printed foil wraps. Don’t neglect to select some of the convenient cutter box papers and the king size fold holiday papers that make wrapping a large gift so simple.

2. Give each package a character of its own by selecting a paper to suit its size or to complement the personality of the recipient.

3. Select ribbon or additional package decorations to complement your package. Small boxes require a more subtle patterned paper than a larger size package.

4. To make the job a little more organized keep all wrapping supplies including scissors and cellophane tape together in a large box. After these preliminary preparations select a large enough work area, assemble your materials and start wrapping.

The Extraordinary Apple Doll Lady

By Lilygayle Fleischer

Shiny red apples on the grocer’s shelves beam their way into the shopper’s basket as a focal point in an autumn table arrangement before they become the ingredients of a festive mealtime table delicacy, or so I thought until I met the “apple doll lady” at the recent Colorado State Fair.

Standing beneath the traditional emblem of the Red Cross, and clad in the costume of a Gray Lady, Mrs. Attie (Nick) Provinzano, radiated good cheer as she greeted the visitors that paused to view her display of curio-oddities within the glass showcase.

She extended her hand in welcome as I approached and we were soon oblivious to those about us as we renewed and reviewed old acquaintanceship and activities.

I remembered her as a Corona Park Garden Club member, when we returned to Pueblo during the depression days, for I had been fascinated by her verve and stamina. Though mother of five children, she was an active P.T.A. worker (for 19 years) and the dynamo that sparked the enthusiasm of her chosen garden club, organizing and directing a Hill Billy Band with great gusto. They presented programs in the city and surrounding areas, and derived greatest pleasure from entertaining shut-ins.

Unable to read a musical note she developed her own system of teaching others to play the harmonica (she played in the band) and the accordion; thus revealing the rugged individualism, natural instincts, quick thinking, determination and consideration for others that was so pronounced in both Kit Carson and Tom Tobin, her great-grandfathers.

These intervening years hadn’t dimmed her enthusiasm for meeting and helping people, it seemed, and I listened intently as she shared her knowledge of fashioning doll heads from various fruits; apples, peaches or pears.

“What started you on this hobby?” I asked.

“My grandmother in Germany sent me an 100 year old apple doll and I planned to keep it clean, so I placed a glass jar over it. It soon disintegrated and I was heartsick about it.”

“How old were you then?”

“Oh, about 10. My mother dried my tears when she suggested we go into the orchard to find an apple and thought I might be able to reproduce another.”

“How do you begin?”

“By peeling the apple and setting it aside to dry, but pinching the features in during this drying process.”

“What do you use for teeth?” a bystander asked.

Mrs. Provinzano smiled as she said, “Lima beans, and see what I make of the skins of the lima beans, small artificial rose buds.”

The conversation became more animated as others questioned her. She explained that apples shrink to one half or one third their original size during the drying period and this gives the appearance of wrinkled skin. She devised a scheme to overcome the wrinkles and gently massaged cold cream into the apple doll. “It takes three weeks for it to dry into wrinkled features and it takes three weeks to massage those wrinkles out, for all time.” The apple heads retain the soft texture indefinitely, for they pick up enough moisture from the air to retain the texture, but not enough to rot. These heads are mounted on sticks, i.e., clothespins, and inserted into bottles. These are draped with a dress or tunic suitable for the subject, thus eliminating the need for making a body or wire base.

A mask fashioned from half a grapefruit and one of an orange were pointed out. She cautioned would-be hobbyists against using a knife to define the features, as the acid in the fruit rots the knife (metal) incisions. Toothpicks should be used for this procedure. Wall paper cleaner is used for the clay to fill the scooped out citrus fruit, pinching in the nose, punching out the eyes and mouth with toothpicks.

“What about this Nun doll’s head? It’s very pale compared to the apple doll’s head.”

“Oh, they’re fashioned of hard and dry marshmallows.”

“But how do you fashion the features?”

“I use an emery board to hollow out the depressions. I save all the powder that falls during this process and mix it with rouge and gently rub it into the cheeks for a bit of color.”

“Do they need a protective coating to keep them?”

“Yes, I learned by trial and error, for one doll was sent to India and the ants got at it, so I instructed them to send the head back to me and I’d make up another in exchange. The coating of shellac preserved it, even from the ants.”

“What’s this jewelry made of?”

“Some of it’s made of bubble gum. I neglected to coat it with a preservative when I first learned to fashion flowers from it, and one day in summer I could feel the earring lengthen, so I removed it to experiment with a coating of shellac, and it worked.”

“This Indian head looks like a wall plaque.”

“Yes, and it’s made of old bread.”

“Old bread? I usually feed mine to the birds.”

“Heavens, at my house everything is used to fashion some sort of plaque, or doll head or picture. I soak the old bread in a very little water then squeeze it dry, and add about ¼ cup salt to 1 cup of the bread dough and knead it. It will rise after salt has been added, but it will eventually stop rising and you will have a good clay to fashion your figurines with. Take this cowboy plaque. The plaque itself is papier-mache, the figure of the horseman of various materials; the upper body of gum, the chaps of dried banana peelings that are fashioned over rolls of clay, the seams laced with thread, and they dry resembling leather.”

“And this picture of apple blossoms?”

“Oh, that’s made of wall paper cleaner. I dye portions of it and use it for earrings and children’s dishes as well as for wall plaques or framed pictures. I dilute the mixture used as background.”

“Dilute it? With what?”

“Water, but only to the consistency of cream, then I cover the backing, usually a piece of cardboard. When that is dry I use a thicker mixture and press a bit, about the size of my thumb, on the prepared surface and add more petals until I have the desired picture. That one was made up so that you could hang it from any side and it would show flowering branches.”

Her most famous doll is the Kit Carson doll, patented and registered with the Doll Guild of America. The buckskin suits are made from old leather jackets. She carves the wooden guns and uses the spurs from chicken legs for the powder horns. A coon-skin cap and a cowboy hat complete each outfit. Although they sell for twelve dollars, these dolls are in great demand and there is a great backlog of orders.

She believes that everyone should have two hobbies, because a single hobby can become monotonous. As one alternate, she exhibits Indian belts made from pounded out soda pop bottle tops laced with colored yarn. She also works down gnarled tree roots for use as lamp stands.

Mrs. Provinzano has traveled thru-out the west exhibiting her dolls, which range from pioneer scouts to Indians and Mexicans, at various fairs. At the International Hobby Show in California, some years ago, she won a first place ribbon for “Ingenuity”.

She possesses the abiding faith in Divine guidance and protection that was her grandfather’s, believing that she is on this earth to help others. She believes sharing brings its rewards, for often a remark dropped by another will open up a door to new achievements, and she has an illustrious record of achievements to her credit.

Records reveal that she taught swimming for the Young Women’s Christian Association, hobbies and handcrafts for the Steel Works Young Men’s Christian Association and devoted many years to showing crippled children at the St. Mary’s Hospital pediatric ward how to generate their own sunshine by making things with their hands, often deformed hands that responded slowly to determined little minds. She also taught harmonica and handicraft at Sacred Heart Orphanage.

The Provinzano home is called the Kit Carson Rancho, part dream and part reality, because Attie hoped some day to acquire a mountain ranch, destined to become a summer camp for boys, that they may know some of the wonders of nature, and the pleasure of living under the stars among the pines.

Whether this dream becomes a reality remains to be seen. Though she conquered serious injuries, she is familiar with the shadow of bereavement; a daughter, some years back, and most recently, last March, the husband who had planned to work beside her to enjoy her worthwhile hobbies that she now teaches to boys at Fort Carson.

As for me, and her close friends, the sight of polished apples and citrus fruits will always be a bright reminder of the vivacious, courageous sunshine lady who now operates a Hobby Shop at Beulah, Colorado.

DOUBLE LIFE OF A SOAP SUD

It’s Christmas ... visions of sugar plums dance in children’s heads, What do you see—too much to do in a short time?

Those last-minute decorative chores, for example. Will they send you scurrying? You can end such anxieties—swiftly, and easily—with soapsuds.

That’s right—soapsuds! It’s a novel way to complete holiday projects; glistening suds whipped up like snow will decorate your Christmas tree and gift boxes ... adorn your creche ... bring three-dimensional artwork to your mirrors and windows ... provide an effective safety valve for your youngsters’ excitement.

“Suds-snow” not only works like magic, it’s as simple to produce as rubbing Aladdin’s lamp. All you do is pour several cups of packaged soap (or detergent) and a minimum of water into a bowl. Beat with an electric or hand mixer until suds have the consistency of whipped cream—and you’re ready to decorate!

Start with your Christmas tree. Realistic suds-snow will bring that white Christmas to your evergreen—no matter what the weather outside. Using a spoon, drift some “snow” artistically on the boughs of your tree.

If the tree is white, add vegetable coloring while mixing your suds to achieve a beautiful color contrast. (A similar “snowfall” provides just the right decor for the roof of your creche and on holly and evergreen sprigs that surround it.)

After “frosting” your tree, complete your decoration with distinctive ornaments made from the same basic soap—but mixed to a stiff, dough-like consistency. For example, fill a cookie press with these thick suds. Then press snowflake circles or diamonds—with holes in the middle—onto a cookie sheet, and add glitter for a sparkling touch. Let them dry for 24 hours and they’re ready to be tied to the boughs of your tree with colorful ribbons or strings. You can also glue them to any flat surface.

Versatile suds-snow comes in handy for decorating gift packages, too. Just wrap your presents with attractive paper ... fill a pastry tube with medium dense suds ... and you’re ready to “draw” any appropriate design for the occasion—initials, messages, snowflakes, candy cane, or what have you. Place these on the broadest surface of your box and accent them with holly sprigs or miniature balls. You’ll find you’ve created the most distinctive packages under your tree!

There’s one more happy side to the advent of snow-suds for the Yule season. They provide a constructive medium for your children—a happy outlet during your flurry of Yuletide activity. Let them have fun decorating the mirrors and windows of their rooms with Christmas pictures. Armed with no more than paint brushes and a bowlful of thick suds, they can create striking 3-D effects—that wash off after the holidays easily as any soap does, leaving your mirrors and windows cleaner than ever!

Youngsters can also make Christmas gifts from suds! One idea: a pencil holder made from an empty frozen juice can. First, the top has to be removed. Then your child colors the can, using a mixture of one teaspoon of soap or detergent to two or three teaspoons of tempera. This is an important recipe because tempera paints adhere to shiny, waxed, or metal surfaces only when soap or detergent is added.

After the paint dries, Junior or Sis can design a suds-snow picture over it to provide an eye-catching decoration—and an attractive gift for any member of the family.

No matter which of these refreshing soap-suds decorations you use, remember to let it dry for 24 hours. It will remain bright as frost in the moonlight for a Christmas-through-New Year’s decoration that brings cheer to your holiday guests.

DENVER BOTANIC GARDENS

Photos by Jack Fason

FRANKINCENSE AND MYRRH

The Bible says that when Jesus was born in Bethlehem, “behold, there came wise men from the east”. It does not say how many but tradition has it that they were three magi or, perhaps, three kings. “And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary its mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto Him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.”

At the end of His life on earth, after the crucifixion, we are told that Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, “about an hundred pound weight”, which they placed in the linen shroud, “as the manner of the Jews is to bury.”

Throughout the Bible, including the 37th chapter of Genesis and the 18th of Revelations, those two exotic spices—frankincense and myrrh—are mentioned again and again. When Jehovah spake unto Moses on Mount Sinai, specifying how the tabernacle, the ark and the altar must be built, He also commanded that the holy ointment should contain prescribed quantities of pure myrrh and three other spices mixed with olive oil; further, the sacred perfume or incense should contain equal quantities of pure frankincense and three “sweet spices”.

These and other ordinances in the Mosaic Law were probably influenced by customs and observances in Egypt where the Children of Israel had lived for 430 years and Moses had grown up as a prince in Pharaoh’s court. For thousands of years, spices had been brought to Egypt by camel caravans from India, Arabia and eastern Africa. From them, by secret formulas, the priests prepared several perfumes and ointments for religious rites and domestic use. At the feast of Isis the burnt offering was an ox, its body filled with frankincense and myrrh. When embalming their dead, the body was filled with myrrh, cassia and other fragrant materials, dried, wrapped in fine linen, and placed in a painted wooden case.

Frankincense is a fragrant gum resin obtained from three or more of five species of trees—the Boswellias—that grow in Abyssinia and Somaliland in Africa, southern Arabia, India and the East Indies. Usually of small or medium size, they are related to the terebinth or turpentine tree and their compound leaves, with 7 to 9 glossy leaflets, are similar to those of a mountain ash.

The gum, obtained by making deep gashes in the trunk and branches, and peeling back a few inches of bark below each cut, oozes in large white or amber “tears”. After 3 or 4 months exposure they become hard and brittle, and are collected. During handling and shipping they become covered with white dust from rubbing against one another. They ignite readily, burn with a clear white flame, and give off a fragrant balsam-like odor because, in addition to resin and gum, they contain a volatile inflammable oil. The incense burned in a censer or thurible during rituals of Roman and Greek Catholic churches is a mixture of frankincense imported from India, Egypt and Somalia.

Myrrh, also a fragrant gum resin, is obtained by similar methods from two species of shrubs or small trees that grow on rocky places in Abyssinia, Somaliland and Arabia. Their bark and wood have a strong fragrance. The gum, as it oozes from the stems and branches naturally or from the incisions made, is at first a soft sticky, somewhat oily, white or yellowish brown resin very bitter to the taste. It soon hardens into reddish-brown beads.

—From Nature Bulletin Forest Preserve District of Cook County, Ill.