Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1886-12-23
CHRISTMAS MARKETS.
What tho Busy Housewives Can
Hny-Fhe supply OF Poultry.
From Everv Evapinn ne iraatardax

from Every Evening OF yesterday.
Christmas, the most sacred and most gem
orally observed Of all the Christian holi.
days, ls but three days removed, and
already the busy housewives afo preparing
for this important event by providing the
| means Of good cheer and physical comfort.
| The most modest and gentle OF mothers
at home, become critical aud fault finding
In the msrket, because there Is natural
war between the buyer and seller in the
| street markets, the housewife always re-.
garding the farmer or dealer as trying TO
| fleece her, and desiring and expecting to
have his prices assailed.
King street this morning presented an
animated appearance, and was crowded
| with buyers who were procuring the Christ.
mas supply of creature comforts, which are
| displayed In great variety and abundance.
Poultry is as plentiful Us at Thanksgiving,
and there Ia scarcely a wagon but displays
some specimen OF the feathery tlihe from
the poor thin little chickens which, look AS
though they died of starvation, to the big,
fat turkey, sufficient to feed large family
| for a week. II would not be far from tie
mark to say that $4,000 pounds Of dressed
poultry have found their way to Whining.
ton within the past few days and will fur
Their grace the dinner table on Christmas-
day.
W. W. Doughty, one Of the leading
Third street market, but expects ton or
more OF poultry te-morIow and Friday. p.
Taggart bad about one ton Of poultry OF
all kinds In Third street market and ON
King street In front Of the market house
He also displays his prize turkeys which he
claims are the largest and the smallest In
the market. Side by side hangs an i'm
mense gobbler weighing 80 pounds aud an
insignificant specimen OF the same family
weighing only three pounds. MIR. Appleton
OF the same market, and Messrs. Irelan,
Otley Vernon, Beste and Hudson OF Second
street market and Mr.. Moreland on King
street above Fourth, make large displays OF
poultry.
Thsre were at least 200 poultry dealers
by actual count In King street market to-
day, and the poultry display varied from
single pair Of chickens OF the poor farmer
to the dealer with 1000 pounds ok the
feathery creatures. The farmers mostly
display fowls OF their own raising, but there
Is large supply OF old or stale turkeys
which bring but IA and 10 cents per pound.
Choice turkeys, however, sell for 10 and 20
cents chickens bring 10 and ID cent ducks
and geese u and ID cents per pound, and a
few guineas bring 65 to rs cents per pair.
The supply Of cranberries, which almost
invariably accompanies the turkey, Is small
on account Of the failure OF the crop in
the west which Is, therefore, getting its sup
ply from Cape Cod and New Jersey. The
price has doubled itself in the past
few weeks, and the New Jersey berry
readily brings 10 cents per quart, while the
Cape Cod variety sells at from IL to Is cents.
The supply OF oranges equals the demand.
Floridas and the juicy Jamaicas Soil at 25
and So cents while the small Valencias bring
but is and 20 cents. Lemons sell slowly at
from 10 to 20 cents. Malaga or white grapes
lind ready sale at 10 and 40 cents per
pound, according to condition, while the
native Catawbas only bring 10 cents and
sell slowly. Bananas bring from is to rs
cents per dozen, dates 10 to IL csnts per
pound, figs In layers, 20 cents per pound.
Last, but not least, In the market display
of Christmas things are the Christmas trees
and evergreens. It would not seem like
anything without the prettily decorated
trees. There has evidently been reaction
against the elaborate Christmas decorations
OF previous years and this year promises to
bring back the custom to plain but tasteful
decorations, while some people will oven
go back to the primitive method of filling
their trees with candy and nuts, which the
children can pluck and cut. The
number Of Christmas trees on Fourth
street to-day is unusually small, psJbably
the effect of the large oversupply uf last
year, when many OF the farmers ta,i
haul their trees home again Peters Nursery
Company, as usual, has the finest ction
OF trees, consisting OF small and iii "a tr D.,
of the Norway spruce variety. Il Y ar
cultivated and bring from 90 cents to aS
apiece. Others inferior In size and appear
ance sell at from 20 to so cents, while Il lew
unattractlve.lo looking cedars, OF natural
growth sold very slowly at about the same
price. Pretty wreaths OF holly with bright
red berries sold at 10 cents wreath, ever.
greens at s, and cents per yard but
moss, on account of the snow, was scarce
and brought and 10 cents piece.