Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-12-20
Christmas Greens.

There are miles and miles Of evergreen gar
lands, small forests Of pine and palm trees and
a corresponding quantity Of MOSES in the mar
kets every day this week. Why everybody feels
1t Incumbent to invest in Christmas decorations
now, where two-thirds of the same number
never thought of such a thing five years back,
is one Of the curiosities of modern fashion.
Every market basket is topped off with bunch
OF evergreens, and the bit of sentiment in con-
junction with the daily provender seems q gen.
erai weakness. One of the leading dealers In
these supplies says that there are ten times as
many greens sold now as there were as many
years back. Then the countryrnen used to
orlng In as many bushes or limbs Of trees as
they could manage to carry along with their
other stuff, most of which were bought for
christmas trees or i'm decorating for public fes-
tlVals. There was little taste then displayed in
the made-up wreathing or designs To look
at the craZy-lOOking crosses and wreathes you
could not for the life of you forget that the
foundation was an
OLD BARREL sTAvE OR HOOP,
glimpses of which were not wanting here and
there. between the greens. But all that is re-
versed now. There is quite an amount of origi-
nal, bordering on artistic taste in the mingling
OF the various tnts of moses. berries and dried
howers with the pine. The wreathing of run
ming pine is the favorite decoration. Most of
this comes from Virginia, sixteen or eighteen
miles from this city, and this year looks par
ticularly green and full. It takes large
amount OF the single strands to make yard Of
, , garland, and is troublesome to gather
Men. women and children, mostly among the
coiored population, engage In this industry
ana nave to wade through bitches climb hills
ana cover good deal Of ground to secure it.
Inc price at which it is sold would hardly repay
the labor. The best double garland ONLY brings
ten cents yard. and the single about five. You
can get g00d-sZed market basket of the I'M
wound strands for ten cents. and these are
mostly preferred for household uses. The
STRANDS are wound round picture frames and
cords, doorways, windows, gas fixtures, and
everywhere else it can be applied. The rope
garland is bought for church and hall festoon-
ing. where heavier effects are needed great
quantity OF the running pine garlands has
punches of holly berries, dotting in here and
there. and making it a cent or 80 more expen-
siVe. Norway pines are generally cut for Christ
mas trees, and good sized tree costs all the
way from fifty cents to giant church-festiyal-
one at dollar. The belief exists
IN MANY JUVENILE MINDS
that this was the original use nature designed
Tor the trees their branches are so clean and
shapely, and the appearance even before being
dressed up with gifts, SO pretty and graceful.
Christmas trees in palms OF other evergreens
are cheaper. and late ON Saturday night they
Will go for song. Many of them are provided
with heavy block, in which they rest, and for
which luxury a trifie more is asked
Inc made-up designs embrace crosses wreaths
great ana SMALL anchors, stars, diamonds horse
shoes In an immense variety. cross about a
loot and half long, made Of either box or pine,
with bit of color in the way of bachelor but
tons, the flower Of the everlasting ETC.. sells
for 121a cents. Wreaths, twined with strands
Oh molly berries vary according to size from
eight to twelve cents. Buncnes of gray moss
mixed with the evergreens in these designs,
make very pleasing combination. Most of the
sellers are old cOlored women, and they manu-
Iacture their own work. One exceedingly TASTE
ful lot OF crosses noticed were made of running
pine, and Ornamented with q topping of white
everlasting flowers and
SCARLET BACHELOR BUTTON
here and there. These sold for eight cents
Bunches of fern leaves sell for five cents. and
you can get an armful of moss for ten cents
Every Christmas tree must have q banking I'D
OF moss, and about yard square will cost about
fifteen cents. HOrseshOes of different shades of
moss, ornamented with holly or bachelor but
tons, cost about five cents None of the wreaths
or crosses run up as high as twenty cents, and
small forest OF either laurel or palm branches
Will not cost over q quarter To add unusual
or particular suggestiveness to the pyramids of
greens, many Of the old darkeys use them for q
background for their displays Of red ears of
corn, and the two look right well together. One
In the evergreen line is their varying scale of
prices II they suspect you are buying for a
church festival, they sell to you cheap, moved by
a business idea of large sales and small profits:
but II your demands are modest there is where
they make up the deficit. A lady was bargain
ing for some bouquets of bachelor buttons with
an old colOred man this morning The price
was ten cents bunch.
isn't that pretty high for these little bunches9"
said the lady
Yes, madam, guess it is" he innocently
replied, but you know things Is pretty high
about Christmas" and then with a touch of
human guile, IF the old woman was here. who
runs the stand, she might give it to you
cheaper. but can't" and the old sinner kept
on iamenting how tired he was taking care of
IL 1Or fhe Old woman, who would not sell cheap.
when he looked as if he had not stirred from
behind that stand since he opened business this
morning.
The holly branches are unusually fnr Of
oerrieS. Dut the Leaves are not as shining green
as some winters. There is less of holly brought
in than any other green. Whether it is because
IL Is scarce OF not The STAR reporter knows
not All the northern cities get their supply
from down this way and further south and this
maybe Is what makes 1t comparatively scarce
long for five cents, and this contrasted with the
price asked for it in Boston, Hartford and vcin-
lty shows the luxury it is there A wreath
twined with holly berries would cost Is cents in
Hartford.
MISTLETOE B0UGHS
the most suggestive OF all the Christmas decora-
lions. are rarely used In prOflsion. and not in
general use at all. The florists will have SUD-
piles from the south, and it will bring fancy
figures. The mistletOe bough is the one piece
of decoration about which all the rest is mere
filing In or background. 1t is usually suspended
In some conspicuous place, and, in the Christ
mas feasting. she who passes beneath it, paws
the penalty Of q kiss to the first brave youth
who claims the privilege. 1t Is needless to saw
that look through the stock of all the marked
women revealed no signs of mstetoe houphs.
nor OF Florida moss another luxurious article
OF decoration, and in more common use. But
there Is enough left about the market houses
In the way of cleaning leaves. scarlet berries
and velvet MOSES to invest their often crimy
surroundings with all the elements of pictur-
esque woodland beauty.
The Orbit Of the Great Comet.
PERIOD OF NEARLY 500 YEARS.