The New York herald., 1878-12-20
CHRISTMAS MARKETS.
Interesting Statistics for the Careful
Housewife to Ponder On.
THE COST OF GOOD CHEER.
Comparison Of the Prices of This
Year and Last.

strange medley of the useful and the useless, of
the sensible and the absurd is presented by the
booths and stands which line the curbs and door
steps Of Vesey street and the borders of Washington
Market on any day of preparation for some notable
festival. More especially at the present season. just
before Christmas. is there wealth of contrasting
and incongruous objects the like of which would
not fancy the world contained without seeing with
his own eyes. Yesterday the mart may be said to
have fairly opened. Since Monday the number of
curbstone merchants has steadily multiplied all of
them eager to test in their small speculations the
grace Of the goddess Fortune at time when she is
confidently believed to smile upon every big and
little Turning the Of Broadway at the Astor
House and trudging toward the North River one can
not go further than Church street without being
greeted at the eye and with entertaining
novelties that would be quite absorbing if
he were to give himself up to them as is its first
toy house to the child Nearly all the nationalities
which have found an adopted home in this city were
crying up the wares in which they had invested
Strong determined looking women who seemed to
think that the world must yield them living pro-
vided they sought it in sufficiently aggressive
ner. shouted loudly their masculine neighbors
young girl of attractive features attended to her
trade with perfect assiduity, although she blushed
deeply whenever she secured customer Some of
the stands laden with hosiery of the warmest
colors. There was red which suggested the blazing
winter hearth, and blue, which recalled the mellow
zenith of the summer sky. Involuntarily the passer
by. with cold fingers and benumbed toes drew
nearer to these if they could irradiate
real glow like small patches of July in the
midst of December. On this side and that
heaps of gewgaws of all descrphons-charm
manufactured no one knows where. and hav-
ing virtues extensive ones imagination might
dish and m n chi
earthenware; coarse. but picturesque pottery: brave
batalions of wooden soldiers Santa Claus in great
fur coat fecked with snow and armed with spray
of hemlock spruce; pasteboard donkeys that
brayed mechanically. and over and around these were
long and seemingly interminable rows Of pendant
fowl game. meat. vegetables and fruit. The middle
fvesey street from Washington to West is occupied
by dealers in cvergreens, whose rustic paviions
pretty and picturesque. combining all the most
charming hues of the winter woods. Silver mosses,
scarlet holly berries dark green fir and the deli
cate mistletoe from Florida and the Carolinas
there for sale, combined in all the emblematic forms
so cherished in Christian custom.
THE STREET TRAFFIC.
Everything cheap here, sir; everything cheap!"
was the address Of rough visaged man in great
apron who presided over . collection of plucked
casses lately the complacent denizens of hundred
quiet farmyards piled up in pyramidal fashion in the
middle of the street. like holocaust ancient
altar. Turkeys for ten cents pound! All of the
outside and transient dealers seemed to be selling at
this price, but the stock which they offered such
they had been able to buy very cheaply account
of the length Of time that it had been the market
The weather has been fine, however. that they still
retained a very fair appearance
In the retailing portion Of Washington Market the
prices for nearly everything which contribute to
the charm of the table on Christmas Day found
be considerably lower than they last year
the year before. The dealers aud importers who
have kindly given this information have based it
upon their expectations Of the state of the
from the present time until noon next Wednesday.
They anticipate as rule very little if any advance
even on Tuesday morning. The weather. which has
thus far favorable to good prices, has also been
such to invite immense shipments Of poultry and
game and they both arrive in very good condition.
The only contingency which would be likely to
pei housekeepers to pay too dearly for their goody
cheer is the possibility of storm enough to
block the railroads. On the other hand the mer-
chants have pothng to fear unless the weather sud
denly grows warmer. The following table will ex
hibit the exact figures, and the interested housewife
NAV con them at her leisure before making her
momentous purchases for the festival dinner. 1t
will be observed that nothing has been omitted in
this list which gives distinctive character to the
.siae OF the day not even delicious ingredients
of the plum pudding and the mince pie:-
WASHINGTON MARKET PRICES.