Subject: Bulletin cover economics, how-to of Christmas tree growing
From: [email-masked] (Sam Brungardt)
Date: 28 Jul 1994 19:39:41 -0000
Newsgroups: alt.sustainable.agriculture

MINNESOTA EXTENSION PUBLISHES COMPREHENSIVE XMAS TREE GROWING GUIDE

    If you have acres that aren't very good for growing traditional 
agricultural crops, why not consider Christmas trees to get some 
return from that land?

    As with any new venture, the amount of planning you do before you 
start growing Christmas trees determines how successful you'll be.  A 
Minnesota Extension Service bulletin, "Growing Christmas Trees: A 
Guide for Minnesota and the North Central States," can help you 
decide whether you want to get into the business.

    The 28-page bulletin focuses on the business side of growing 
Christmas trees.  It also explains consumer standards for trees, 
shows current growing techniques related to equipment and safety 
gear, and suggests when growers should seek professional advice.

    "If you want to learn management techniques that ensure more of 
your trees will survive to maturity and that more of your trees will 
meet the aesthetic standards of consumers," says Carl Vogt, "then 
you'll want to buy this book."  Vogt, one of the bulletin's authors, 
is a part-time instructor in the university's Department of Forest 
Resources as well as a commercial Christmas tree grower.  The other 
authors are Alvin Alm, professor emeritus in the Department of Forest 
Resources, and Carl Wegner, an extension educator in Grand Rapids, 
Minn.

    The publication features information on selecting and preparing a 
planting site, planting the trees, protecting the plantation, and 
harvesting the trees correctly.  It also includes sections on the 
economics of growing trees and species identification.

    To order "Growing Christmas Trees...," send a check or money 
payable to the University of Minnesota, for $5 (MN residents include 
6.5 percent sales tax; St. Paul residents, 7 percent) to MES 
Distribution Center, University of Minnesota, 1420 Eckles Ave., St. 
Paul, MN 55108-6069.  Request item BU-2022-EM1.  Call (612) 625-8173 
to charge your purchase to Mastercard, Discover or VISA.