to the shortage caused by the discovery of the pine needle scale.

Residents wanting Christmas trees are being urged to place their orders early before the last shipment arrives next week.

Mello's Vegetable Stand on Woodlands Road and Lines Grocery, Ord Road, Warwick will receive two container loads of trees from Canada next Monday and only about 100 are still available for purchase.

Businessmen Gary Mello and Richard Powell are willing to get more but the public will have to place their orders by 6 p.m. tomorrow.

"The deadline for ordering an additional container is Tuesday evening,'' Mr.

Mello said yesterday. "They will have to be cut Tuesday night and trucked to New York from Canada to make the ship on Thursday.'' He added: "If they want their kids to have a live tree they have to act now.

This is not a joke. Many local families will not have real trees.'' Mr. Mello said the two containers are the last trees to hit the Island and said there will not be a repeat of the fracas that happened the last time there was a shortage.

"There will be Police and security,'' he said. "There will be no extras.

Every tree will be pre-ordered.'' The shortage has arisen after Government inspectors discovered the pine needle scale and fumigated the trees for a second time.

Bermuda General Agency Group president Ward Young said the second fogging had "wrecked'' his company's order of $150,000 worth of trees.