The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-02-17

goods was handled in that city alone: and
summing up the information gathered be
found on hands holly lIIe5, opaca), amount
ing to 925 cases Of IS cubic feet each. This
was much short of the standing demand,
as holly has been so thinned cut in the re-
gions where it grows that it is now hard to
get. 1t sells at high figures. but all on the
market would go of promptly on the ap-
proach Of Christmas.
OF Christmas trees outside of holly he
found at least $1,000, but these would fall
far short of going round in Chicago More
than double that number could probably
be sold at good figures. He quotes from
the New York sun to show that more than
100000 Christmas trees had been contracted
for in that city to be used on the coming
Christmas Fir is the species of tree most
commonly sold. The trees range from five
to thirty feet in hight, but the greatest de-
mand is for those measuring between five
and eight feet. The bushiest and most sym
metrical tree brings the best price.
Firs are not easily procurable in Chicago,
hence the shortness of the supply of Christ
mas trees. White pine (Pinus .Strobus), is
more convenient. but the scraggling habit
in the young growth of this species does
not well fit it for Christmas trees. So
Chicago is anxious to find new source
from which to obtain her supplies of Christ
mas trees, and P"dLIie Farmer looks to the
south with hopefulness, and says a new ar
ticle has been received from that section for
the present past season-the 'loblolly
pine" We quote:
THE loblolly, or field pine, is a native of
the sandy hills of the south by the seaboard.
Its needles are very Tonga foot or so, and
droop down like an old mans beard. Their
hight will average four to six feet, and the
quantity in the market is 500 trees"
The hight referred to means that of the
young trees on the Chicago market. But it
is quite evident that our contemporary is
mistaken in his Identification of the species.
The loblolly pine (PiaUS tOedd) does not
grow on our sandy hills, but on our lower
valley lands, along streams. 1t attains to
the largest size of any of our pines, and it
has way of adapting itself to our thrown
out old fields, often completely covering
them with pine growth. Where occupying
such a position we most commonly know
it as ''old field pine" Its needles Straw are
short-frOm three TO five inches in length,
onIy-a disagreement with the foregoing
description sufficient to make it
plain that the trees shipped to Chicago were
of another species. They were, no doubt,
our long-leaf pine (PiRttS duStrdliS), which
exactly fills the bill in the description SO
far as relates to general appearance The
loblolly pine looks more like the northern
fir.
Either of these pines would make a very
fine Christmas tree. Tho long-leaf pine,
though not so bushy and branching in habit
as the short leaf Qoblolly) species, would be
more attractive, perhaps, on account of its
peculiarly long needles and broom-like
tufts. Both kinds grow so abundantly in
this country that the trouble and cost of
getting any supply needed would be COM
paratively small Young frs must be
bought in forest at a stumpage of from one
to FIVE cents each before cutting-no such
outlay would be necessary here for many
years to come, at least.
Now it must be plain to every thinking
southern man that this thing is well worth
looking into. If Chicago wants our pines
for Christmas trees there could be no good
reason for believing that st. Louis, Kansas
City, Louisville, Cincinnati, and many
other cities Of the north are not on the same
list. 1t is highly probable that fine trade
in goods of this line might be built up for
US. The way to get at it correctly would
be to address commission merchants on the
subject, and make engagements for given
number Of trees to be shipped by the car
load at certain time. And it is quite
likely that other southern growths might be
put upon the market with the pine trees,
and find a ready sale, as the great cones of
the longleaf pine, green magnolia boughs,
the huge leaves of the saw or the blue pal
metto also long moss. 1t may not be gen.
orally known at the north that leaves of the
magnolia never wilt, neither do those of
the palmettos-they simply dry out after {.
long time, retaining their original shape, the
same as do pine needles. With long-leaf
pine dressed off in its own cones, draped in
long moss and based with broad fan palm
leaves, and with magnolia boughs appro-
priately placed here and there, northerner
could decorate for Christmas in a way that
would make him so far forget the blizzard
outside as to feel that he was actually spend
ing day in the tropics