Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1892-12-14
CHRISTMAS TREES.
Their Annual Harvest is Quite
an Industry.
Nearly a Million Sold Every
Year in the Metropolis.

WI ~ WV NhS ~ oHS'iO'
NeIrly million trees are brought
TO New York city every winter from
Maine, NcwlIampshirc, Vermont, Mas
suchusrtts, aud II few from the north
ern part OF the State.
The ANNUAL harvest Of Christmas
trees begins about the lst of NUvom-
ber. In it there are about 5000 per-
sons engaged. There are ten firms
engaged in the business.
The chief harvesting fields are the
meadow and breezy uplamds of Maine,
in the vicinity of PcnpbscoL Bay. But
the locality sh'f'e ovorY vo~~, soe~.,--
Of the depletion of the trees. The
smallest trees are four feet in height
Those are punched together, there
icing from ten to nftcen in a bunch,
From four feet the trees gradually run
up to thirty-iiyc feet tall.
When cut the trees are cartcl TO the
nearest boat landing or railroad
station. a carload is 600 bunches, OF
about 1900 trees. II costs from SS0
TO $1,000 transport carload OF
Christmas trees from Maine to New
York City. The spectators prefer 10
transport the trees by rail, because
they are handled less, and consequcnt-
iy suffer less injury than if brought by
water.
An area Of thousands Of miles has
been covered by the various specu-
Iators during the past twenty years to
secure suitable trees N,w men are
hired every year to do the punching
and transporting to the railway sta
lions, which is done by the aid of
horses and oxen.
One reason why the specu!ator, pre-
fer TO bring their trees to market by
rail is because the close cars preserve
the odor, which is dissipatcd on the
deck of Il steamer. The odor adds
materially to the value of Il Christmas
tree, one being peculiarly strong in
this respect bringing a much higher
price.
When the trees arrive in New York
the large ones are placed against tall
racks III order 10 display their SYM
metry, while the small ones are pilel
in heaps, resembling tcrraced lawn.
Some Of these piles are twenty-five
feet high, and cover nearly half an
acre of wharfage. Business bcgins
as early as o'clock in the morning.
Market and grocery wagons crowd
around the piers awaiting their loads
of trees.
The prevalence Of dry wind, and
warm weather causes the trees to lose
much of their freshness. The dealer
in Christmas trees smiles when snow
falls and the weather is cold, for then
his stock is kept in excellent shape.
The dealers lose many trees during
the season by the lhcfts of the New
York small. boys, wbo loitor around
the docks in the shadows and grab q
bundle of trees when the watchmans
back is turned.
A Christmas tree IL feet tail can be
bought on the wharvcs for about 81,
while three or four times that amount
is charged by the commission dealer.
What trees are left over in case OF an
oycrstocked market are a dead loss to
the dealers, as they can be disposed of
for no other purpose.
As nearly as can be asc3rlaincd,
there are about 1000 persons who
earn fair living from furnishing the
New York market with Christmas
trees aud greens. 'fhc latter are
gathered in New Jersey, Pennsylvania
and New York. There is sort of
depot near Barnegat, y. D., where
those who gather the various green's
meet and arrange them for the market
nlo wrcaths and stars. But the bulk
of the greens are made into ropes,
which arc twisted into coils and sold
by The yard. These decorations are
gathered largely by children. As they
are perishabe material the greatest
care is necessary to prevent them from
spelling.