The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1891-12-24
CHRISTMAS GREENS.
The Laurel, Holly and Mischievous
Mistletoe All Tend to Make
the Season Merry.

trees, and in another some OF the
broad-leaved laurel, bay, ivy and the
like. But for many years past in our
northern cities christmas green's" as
generally understood, refer to a singu-
lar little tree-like plant known as
ground pine. 1t is rarely found ex-
cept where pine trees grow. and lt
never gets more than a few inches
high. 1t is in reality of the humble
family of moses, belonging to the
lycoDodiums, which literally means
VOLTS foot. Others of the family are
called running fir, ground pine, stag's
horn moss and ground fir.
One hundred pounds of greens will
make from 200 to 800 yards OF wreath
ing, for which the maker is paid from
81 to 81. % per 100 yards for the labor.
All ordinary days work for women
and children is from 100 to $50 yards,
while an expert, at a dash, may go 300.
Many a family by it's work on the
green's provides for a merry Christ
mas"
BY the common people of England
the holly is called "Cnristmas, from
its use for SO long a period at that
holiday. 1t was known in ancient
times as holly, holm or h~ulder-bush.
The name holly is supposed to be a
corruption of the word holy, as it was
once called holy tree, and by the Ger
mans ''Christdorn," the Danes Chris
torn" and the Swedes "Christtorn,"
seeming to justify the supposition.
The use of holly in this city dates
back in very small quantities fifteen
or twenty years, until now it has risen
to several hundred cases. each case
equaling five barrels. The supplies
come from Delaware and Tennessee.
the latter, however, not being the best
variety. 1t used to be obtained from
southern New Jersey, but the long
continued cutting has shortened the
supply there.
American holly is classed by Gray
as an ilex-from a Latin word for the
holiyoak-rather than a true holly.
The specific name of the true Alnerl-
can holly is opaca, and it can be found
wild in moist woods from Maine to
PENNSYLVANIA, but is more plentiful
from Virginia southwark. 1t is a tree
from twenty to forty feet high, the
deep green foliage less glossy, the ber-
ries not SO bright red and the nutlets
not so veined as in the European
holly; the leaves are ova and Hat and
the wavy margins scattered with spinv
teeth.
The use of the mistletoe is supposed
to be of Druidish origin, probably by
way of Scandinavia. AT any rate, in
early Scandinavian mythology it is re-
lated that Mana, one of the goddesses,
took a shaft or stick of mistletoe to
collect tears On, and he who examines
will still find them Oh the fruitful
bush of the mistletoe in the form OF
little white berries. So much for SEN
timent, and much connected with this
peculiar plant is of a sentimental
character. Unlike the holly and other
decorative plants, it has not much to
recommend it. A few sprigs are all
that is called for, and the entire guam
tity demanded is not large Chicago
NeaCS.
Christmas Pies and Puddings.
Nearly every nation has a special
sort of cake to be prepared for Christ
mas time, In England and America
plum pudding and mince pies come
under this category. The p%rogenitor
of plum pudding, the pride and glory
of an English Christmas, was the
plum porridge or plum pottage which
in olden times was alway served with
the first course of a Christmas dinner,
Plum broth figures in Poor Robins
Almanack," for 1850, among the items
of Christmas fare; and Mrs. Frazer,
sole teacher of the art OF cookery in
Edinburg," who published a cookery
book i'll 1901, thought it necessary to
include plum pottage among her
soups. Rabisha gives a receipt, in his
whole Body of Cookery Dissected"
f1675(, for a pudding to be boiled in a
basin, which bears a great resemblance
TO our modern Christmas favorite.
The plum pudding shared honors
with the plum .porridge in Addison's
time.
Mince pies were popular under the
name of mutton pies" as early as
1896, later authorities all agreeing
in substantiating meats tongue in the
place of mutton, the remaining in
gradients being much the same as
those recommended in modern re-
ceipts. They were also know n as
shred and Christmas pies.
Without the door let sorrow lie,s
Aud if for cold it hap to lie.
WI II Jury IL III u I'll y mas PlCs
And ever more be merry.
According to some satirical writer's,
minced pyes' in Cromwelrs time
were considered as the test of schis-
MATES. The name of "Christmas
pien was obnoxious to Puritanical
ears, as the enjoying Of the dainty it.
self was offensive to Puritan taste.
All plums the prophets sons deny,
And SDica brOthS are too hQts O
Treason's in a December pie,
And death within the pot.
In aftertimes the Quakers took uI
the prejudice and inveighed against
''Christmas pie" as an invention OF
the Evil One and all his works,
Serv'd up in collins TO unholy men;
Detl'd with superstition, like the Gentiles
Or old, that worshiped onions. roots and lentiles
In German the preparation o.
Christmas and New Years cakes is
much more complicated business thar
in England. They have a sort OF plum
pudding there called ''schnizbrod,
composed of much the same ingredl
ents as the former, but the compound
is sent to the baker to be formed into
loaves. The real cakes for the festive
season are a kind of hardbake
pressed into molds, which are en-
graved with a great variety of objects
especially animals, figures, flowers
| etc, and known as Sylvester cakes
This very ancient custom had prob