Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-12-22
CHRISTMAS GREENS.
Where the Christmas Trees and Gar.
lands Of Evergreens Come From.

CHRISTMAS GREENS.
Where the Christmas Trees aud Gar.
lands OF Eyergreens Come From.
TALK WITH CURB-sToNE vENDER AT THE
MARKET-LoNG JOURNEYS NECESSARY TO Sc
CURE sToCK-THE WOODS ADJACENT TO THE
CITY ExHAUsTED-MISTLEToE BoUGHs FROM
THE EASTERN SHORE, &C.
christmas greens. boss?" This greeting came
from an honest-looking colored youth who stood
on the sidewalk on the south side of the WASH
ingtOn Market trying to capture little warmth
from the feeble rays of sun that lay chilled on
the frosty pavement, and offering for sale all
kinds of green things used to make Christmas
beautiful. Backed up against the curb was a
Jim Crow" cart, the wheels Of which leaned in
towards each other, as if seeking support for
their rickety frames.
The master of this establishment, whose
greeting had attracted THE STAR reporter. was
a tall, robust country negro of seventeen or
eighteen, with a round full face, over which
extended broad grin, set off with wonderful
collection of ivory. He was dressed In rough
homespun, with the proper assortment of differ
nt-colored patches, and was standing in the
midst OF his stock in trade. Huge piles of ''crow
foot" or running pine" Christmas trees, cedar
and pine, big and little wreaths, crowns. and
crosses OF laurel scraps of moss, sprays of holly
and strings of red berries, surrounded him in
| picturesque confusion.
where do all these green things come from?''
asked the reporter, picking up spray of GROW
| foot"
From the woods, sab. Ten cents, sah," re-
| piled the dusky trader, ready for a sale.
do yon live in the woods!"
| mo, sab"
"Where do you liye?"
| "In Virginia, sab. Want some greens sah?"
| "Where bouts in Virginia."
I'm Alexandria county, sab. You can't get
none of dem green's bout here, sab. There amt
none anywhere bout. They all grow way off.
You had better buy 'em. sab. 1t amt 10 use
| tryin to find 'em TO yourself. Better buy 'em.
Is selling out cheap, sab"
| WHERE THE 'WoODs" ARE
Being assured that the reporter had no lnten-
ton Of going on hunt tor evergreens,
| and encouraged by the prospect of
large sale at some other time, the
merchant became more communicative
| and expressed q willingness to answer any and
all questions. He said that he was in market
with load OF Christmas decorations every day,
from about two weeks before Christmas until
after the holidays. The whole family were en-
| gagged In the work, he said. There were six of
them-his mother, FIVE younger brothers and
himself. The woods" where the pretty greens
are to be found, he said, were up In the noun
tains of Virginia. twenty-five or thirty miles
from his home. He spoke of 1.-THE woods" as
something very vast. Thick, thick pines, he
said, stretching out in every direction. so thick
that in some places he could see only little blue
| patches of sky now and then between the heavy
pine boughs, and penetrated only by narrow
wagon ways made by the woodmen.
| "DOes any one live in these wOods!" asked
the reporter.
Yes, maybe, sometimes" he replied "There
| are here and there farms Of hundred or SO
acres that have been cleared out right in the
midst of the wood. Then all the rest is woods
| again."
There would be some danger of a stranger
| getting lost there. wouldn't there?" asked the
reporter I.Wt .,
| do to go too far from the wagon. Some times
we get to looking and looking for pretty greens
| and go too far before we know it, Then we
have to halloa and whistle until those at the
wagon answer us. Why, you can't see anything
| but woods"
why do you GO so far? Are not the woods
near by full of running pine and red berries?"
They used to be. but not now. Folks have
| gone over them too much. The stock is run
ming cut very fast 1t won't be long before
there won't be none anywhere"
GATHERING THE GREENS.
| He said that they started out at l o'clock In
the morning with their horse and wagon, and
| got to the woods a little after daybreak. Then
they gathered the ferns and running pines, lau-
rel and holly in the dense, damp parts Of the
woods until they got as much as their horse
could haul, when they would start for home
| All the holly branches with berries on them they
would make into small lunches and the plain
leaves they would use to mix with the laurel
| and 'crow-fOot" for wreathes and garlands, and
sometimes they would use the red berries for
| the same purpose. The ''crOw-foot" they used
chiefly In long garlands for festooning walls and
the like. They spent all their spare time. he
said, in twisting these garlands and making
| other designs for Christmas decorations.
all the family taking part in the work
After day in the woods. he said, he would
| start for town, reaching here about midnight,
SO as to be ready to catch the market people the
next day. He said The usually brought down
about two hundred yards Of "crow-fOot" gar
lands, which was worth about five cents yard; q
| dozen or more wreaths. worth from ten to fifteen
| cents each. and probably twenty sprays and
punches of berries worth five to ten cents each,
| besides two or three Christmas trees which sold
| for from twenty-five to fifty cents according to
the size and quality. 1t was pretty hard work,
| he said, but it was all there was to be done In
| the winter, and they depended largely upon
what they could make by the sale of these things
about Christmas times for their living during
| the rest OF the winter.
SMALL ARMY OF DEALERS
! This was only one of ahundred or more both
men and women, who were strung out In q line
against the market house wall, selling Christ
| mas decorations Some had added to the ma
| tural decorations punches Of paper flowers,
which they mixed with the green's. One wo-
man, and one only. had basket of mistletoe
boughs, and she said that she had to 60 about 40
miles down the eastern shore to find them. The
complaint Of all with whom the reporter spoke
was that evergreens were getting SO scarce that
| 1t was almost Impossible to find even spray of
| the favorite plants without going miles and
miles away. The woman with the mistletoe
wanted seventy-fiVe cents for one OF the largest
lunches. Though this plant is always associ-
ated with Christmas, many persons passing
through the market said that that was the first
they had every seen, and the reporter had to
make the same confession. 1t Is a gnarlly, un-
even growth-at least these specimens were So
Of very delicate, olive-green color, and In each
bunch Of tiny oval leaves is cluster of white
pearl-like berries. 1t is generally found grow.
ing in gum trees, and is possibly the most beau
tiful evergreen that grows. It is certainly
worthy OF the romantic associations attached to
it.
THE CHRISTMAS TURKEY.
| A Dealer Who Saw II In G.Otnv O.,t