The raccoon is a mammal from the Order:  Carnivora  Family:  Procyonidae  Genus:  Procyon  Species:  P. lotor. The raccoon is a mammal of medium size and is native to North America.

Their original preferred habitats  are mixed and deciduous forests, but, due to their adaptability  they have extended their range to coastal marshes, mountainous areas and even urban areas, where some home owners deem them to be pests.  Although this animal is from the order “Carnivora” suggesting that it may be a carnivore – the raccoon in fact is an omnivorous and nocturnal animal whose diet consists of 40% invertebrates, 33% plant foods and 27% vertebrates.

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Establishing a “You Cut Christmas Tree Farm” on your property is one way to make money from your home.  There are some principles for making a success of this venture.  Of course you need to have enough space to grow high quality trees and keep them healthy.  It is best if this space is relatively level ground and not littered with rocks or debris from other trees.

For these reasons, you will start the business with clearing the land.  Hardwood trees are nuisance weeds around young conifers and have to be cut out when they sprout.  They often come back, so cutting out the sprouts is an ongoing part of maintaining a Christmas tree lot.

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There is nothing quite like real maple syrup on a stack of pancakes for breakfast.  Tapping maple trees and making syrup from the sap is a traditional spring activity in the northeastern part of North America, but can be done in many other areas.  In fact, there are other trees that can be tapped, and the sap made into syrup.  The box elder is a notable example of this.  Maple trees, however, produce the sap with the highest concentration of sugar.

Tapping trees consists of drilling a hole in the trunk of the tree and inserting a specially designed spout.  A bucket is then hung on the spout, and the sap is collected in the bucket.  The tree you choose to tap should be at least 31 inches in circumference (or 10 inches in diameter.)  If the tree is over 63 inches in circumference, it should be able to support 2 taps.  Very large, old trees that are more than 25 inches in diameter, or 79 inches in circumference, can handle 3 taps, but you should never put more than three taps in any tree.  Measure the circumference at about arm level, or 4-1/2 feet above the ground.

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Maple syrup, that yummy brown nectar, is the product of collecting gallons of slightly sweet maple sap and boiling away the excess water so that only the sugary syrup remains.  Sugaring off is a popular activity in the early spring in areas where maple trees grow wild.  Any type of maple can be tapped, but the sugar maples have the sweetest sap.

The first step in making maple syrup is to collect the sap.  This is done when the daytime temperatures begin to reach 40 degrees.  Holes are drilled, taps inserted, and buckets hung on the taps to collect the sap that oozes out of the tree.  The most sap will drip out when there is a cold night followed by a warm day.  It takes about 10 gallons of sap to make a quart of syrup, so most maple syrup hobbyists tap several trees.  Also, a tree that is over 10 inches in diameter can support a second tap. 

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Land owners looking for extra sources of income are often interested in Christmas tree production, and with good reason.  Christmas trees are in great demand during the holiday season, and with some good planning and a little good fortune, a grower can make a good income.  It isn’t a foolproof occupation, however.  There are a number of things that can go wrong for a person getting into the Christmas tree market.  Read on for some basic principles of this exciting business.

First of all, on the plus side is the fact that you do not need extremely fertile ground for growing young conifers.  In fact, too good of ground is likely to grow weeds too well, which can be a real hindrance for young trees.  You need a level plot of ground, too, because a sloping lot will cause the trees to be shaped poorly, and they will also be hard to harvest.

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