Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1895-12-18
n "Cinch" Business.

There is a very singular thing about
| the ChriStmaS-tree man. He works for
only two weeks in the year. His labor
begins now and ends on Christmas day.
During that time he bargains, lfickers,
works and sells. When his last tree
is gone he is done with work for another
year There is only one Christmas tree
man in the United States who works
dueing the year. This man is very
ambitious down Easterner who wants
to make money for a Big family. This
Woodworking man rests from Christ mas
day until July. Then BIZ goes to work
again. He buys up WatermelSnS 3nd
sells hheTm IN town. He is the go-between
for Watermelons in summer, just as he
is for Christmas trees in the winter.
The other Cfiristmas-tree men do ab-
soluteiF nothing for eleven and a half
months of the year but wear good clothes.
They dress in excellent TASTE cwn a
books, enjoy their horses and are gem
tlemen OF leisure. A little before Christ
mas they bestir themselves.
The absolute 'Hcinch'' of the Christ
mas-tree' man has not passed. unnoticed
by his fellows Every year new men
start in to be Christmas-tree men, and
every yeBB they fail. To be a christmas
/ tree man YOU have got to be born in
the business.
Said one of these men few days ago:
/. Nov, young Teller, suppose you are
buying Christmas trees, say down in
Maine. You go there and they tell you
the crop, is. short; that they are only 60
ing to cut 10000 trees this year; that
twenty men have been after those trees,
and that they want 40 cents a bunch
for them. You look around find Ysu
can't do amy better and your pay It,
When YOU get back to town the market
IS swamped with trees, and yoU are gfad
TO sell for enough to get your money
back.
fellers Welf. [ say to them: TIL give
you so much for them trees am you earn
take it OF you can let it alone They
take it,
A Million Trees.
One million trees come to New YosIz
city every year. This is tree for each
family, and some to spare. But each
/ family, Won say, does not have a tree.
This is. trae, but the churches and halls
l use up, enough TO make up! Last year
\ one church bought 1000 trees and cut
/ them off, using only the tips of the trees.
i For the poorer quarters of the city
7 the G1frlstmas-tree man provides small,
| scrubby trees The big feathery ones
| he saves for Fifth avenue. The little
!. trees, If very poor and sGrubbY, SELL for
/! nickel. The good ones average s.
: apiece.
There is no way of telling. whether it
! WIFI be good Christmas tree year OF
not. The times do not seem material
ly to- influence it. Two years ago, in
hard times" everybody bought little
tree to set off a cheap present In pros
porous years they may leave out the
tree and buy something too grand to
need it's clarifying influence.
| Fhe woodmen have an Influence upon
+hs. Some years they will combine and
| Cf1 GO III l.
the price slumps down to nothing Next
| year they get discouraged and will not
chop down trees for love or money
| The Christmas tree is as uncertain tC
| the Christlnas-tree man as Santa Claus
is to the small boy. He knows there
| will be something, but whether it will
be enough to keep him happy all the
| year he does not know until the morn
| of Christmas day itself.
Clarence S. Russell.