New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-12-25
nary are nearly perfected II Ne expected there VIII
be q very large attendance Of invited guests.
CHRISTMAS GREEN.
WHERE 1T COMES FROM AND HOW IT Is
BROUGHT HERE.

| CONCERNING CLUB MOSS AND SOME OTHER PRO
DUCTIoSs OF MONMOUTH COUNTY. n. j.
Twenty-seven years ago q jolly woodman
| named Marx Carr who was whistling away pappy
life on the TANKS Of the Catsks conceived tine luo
| that New.York needed some Christmas trees. Fun
| OF faith, he cut down couple or sieu ioao'
| OF thrifty young frs and spruces drew them uomn
| 70 the river with his oxen. and set out Tor the
metropolis on o brand new business adventure. ne SCI
I'D his stock OF holiday novelties on the corner vi
and Green and didn't allow hnseli u DO ~
couraped by tho fact that was compelle1 10 Phy
silver dollar for the privilege OF occupying sp VI %
| sidewalk with bis wares He quickly 'ou'u
buyers at remnnerative prices, and being con-
viyIaIly Inclined he treated himself 10 protraceo
season of enjoyment D the CITY, ana went nouns ho'
much richer with the proud CONSCIOUSNESS 'ha' ~"
genius had established industry on prosperous
basis The next year he brought more trees MS
neIgbors yentured by one to invest their
capital hopefully IN the enterprise Soon the trees De-
gan 10 come In from more distant regions as the amman
holiday demand increased. and to-day theGe
is dealer from Maine selling trees III
wholesale ono OF the Nor'n h'.i
piers who has paid 800 for the right to sell on ohr
old corner or late years the market here has taken
frees by the hundred thousand, and Maine mas
sent her oyergreens In great quantities as lar Soh
~ Philadelphia aud Baltimore For long umo
the industry could lind no footing III furi'"n
New-EngIund where Chr. stmas was considered sour
destroying device Of the Pope and the deVil; pu'
now Boston votes for Blu Ter, elects Democratic MAY or
and buys many Christmas trees In proportion 10 ner
Inhabitants as any OF her aniu sisters. Until Mt lie
Dnes National Forester is created and invested with
AM bOrlty to make an Official guess at The stdtsucs
will never 10 known how many hundred acres are
annually cut over throughout tie country 10 supply
parlors and Sunday schools aud sampe-rooms ana
butchershops with this Christmasiide necessity
tits ways difficult to AXE an accurate estimate OF
| haF
are liable to ind restimate the amount they nave Oh
band and almost Invariably prophecy tree anlue 10
the buyers who Imagining for low prices so that the
OF short supply OF trees mas come 10 Ne
as regular the annual failure of the peach crop But
after all IL is pain that tHis business, like oil
Others has been somewhat paralyzed by the
hard tines and capital invests Itself more cautiously
now in evergreen ventures tuan did IN the flush hoi-
DAYS gone by There nave been fewer trees III The mar
ka this wear and they have been smaller than tney
were last year, and they have brought 10"
prices About 200 cords have come rOm Maine
by rail. the companies Offering better r'ies
han the Portland shippers who formerly carried
them were Wiling TO give Four brothers from this
state have sold something ike 10000 trees. and per-
hans there have not been 10000 trees IN the ma ke
from state altogether. Hardly rs many more nave
been brought from Greene aud Ulster Counties OF tn 8
State, and these with few carloads from PENNSYLVANIA
and elsewhere, would make less than $4,000
81 "a bunch" wholesale; bunch being a
trine more elastic and unrestraned unit Of meas
ureneut than the silver dollar OF our fathers,
tie number Of trees In this unit varying from two
TO dozen. rs they from 10 feet IN Length To
feet. Larger trees sold sngly, and some choice
spocimens, II feet high, are worth from - to Sl2
The stock little it stands bat the expense Of
for the market makes these prices low
In the first place reputable dealers careful! IN their
selection, choosing only stOCky and symmetrical u ces'
vita short annua grOwth anda complete whOrl Ofmbsht
every Joint where the leader for tie year begins Tn"n
come cutting and strapping down OF the limbs and
collecting aud punching snd tying and carrying to freight
depo and the transportation to and across tho city to
the place preliminary trip TO the CITY Is also
necessary engage position the street or DOCK and
the rent Tor this varies from $40 to so. Then como
he night ana tips nt Is whispered tn har-
bernasters and poloesergcantS, so that dealer VINO
invests 81, 900 often realizes little for his labor.
through three solid months Spruce and hr
are the only varieties Of conifers uscd CDrsas trees
che Irish purchase boughs OF hemloek In con-
Quantities. and With reckless defiance OF the
of botany. Call them palm branches
It's greenery OF quite another qualify with which the
steamer Matteawsn. from Keyport. has been load"d
every morning for a fortnight. There Is tradition
that formerly the raw material for general church
trimming was alone available. In those days
young men and madens were found willing
| to neglect all secular matters and devote
days together TO the WORK OF fashionne
VIZ sths and traces OF tns pous zeal are
stI found and unworthy rural districts
But now 600 yards Of rope-stuf" ready made fol
| city consumption. can be found the deck OF the
| Matteawqn any day, with hearts and crosses and
crowns and wreaths and stars by the thousand dosen
These huge coils OF greenery made ree'
| Of ground pine tLpeopodium dendroidium) tied to
| rether or OF anoth-r kind OF club moss H.
| oonptana,anj which resembles q long trailing vine
The best quality OF tins rope has been selling for $50
thousand yards and much OF 10 for cent yard. The
| wreaths and other " designs" are made mostly Of
broad.Issyed eyorgrorus, like holly. rhodode ndron
kalmis aud lockwood. although tufts Of pine needles
hemlock and cedar twigs and muses.. and gray
are used while the shining green Is relieved by red Der
ries OF holly the aud orange pods Of bitter
| sweet (ceiastrus scandens) Small punches OF ever
| green's like rnododendron and holly. with tough and
persistent leaves. are also brought this boat In
immense quantities. IL Il only few years since a New
Jersey market woman picked "A sheet full Vt ground
pine. lied the corners together brought 1t with heI
truck to the city and sold u the market for 80
cents And thus WAS the beginning OF the very consider
able business which now employs hundreds OF people IN
NewJersey for several months In each year is worth
noting that the bulk VI this Manufactured supply
comes from Monmouth County, nolwithstand
ing the fact that the more important ever
greens used have been almost extrlninatod there
| During the Autumn months immense quantities oil
ground pine and running vine" are imported from
Pennsylvania, New gland, ana even from the Western
States by Jerseyuen. made up and sold And yet
this drawback, AID ~ spitr ut the 10
wresths and the Ike which once sold for from 10
dozen this trade "a the source OF large
| revenue to the county There Is some feeble
people have become sklful In manufacture and Ia
| miliar with the ways and wants OF the market that
IL decorated WITH In short t"f tS
business has como to be recognized 40 universally
With joel Parker and the battle AS one IN.
| permanent aud peculiar assets OF the county.