The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1896-12-16
CHRISTMAS TREES.
An Industry Which Flourishes in
the Woods of Maine.
Dealers Who Supply the Big
Cities With the Pines.

supply the whole OF the United states
with Christmas trees. They buy and
sell them, and the Christmas tree in
dustry with them is as important and
almost MS lucrative rs the gold minc
to the African kings.
Christmas trees come principally
from Maine. Here there nre farmers
aud woodmcn who make q business OF
raising the pines. They have largo
woods filled with the trees. These
woods they keep clear OF nox'
ious weeds and thistles. They clear
paths through for walking, and they
visit them frequently during tho year
to be sure no blight has touched the
tree and that the sun is reaching down
to all alike.
The art in raising Christmas tree
is to make it grow evenly. A crooked
Christmas tree cannot be given away;
and the men who have forests of these
trees are obliged TO give each enough
space to let it grow properly. Trees
naturally look upward toward the
light. Therefore they must be packed
| together to keep their tops always
reaching mp, yet far enough apart not
| to be dwarled. This is the Christmas
tree art in a nut shell.
When the Christmas tree is grown
the Christmas tree nun visits tho
woods He looks at the trees, decides
how many carloads he will take of the
trees and orders them cut down for
him and tied in punches. The Christ
mas tree man pays about 25 cents
| bunch, and there are about five trees
in each bunch. Six hundred punches
make carload-three thousand trees.
After the farmer has chopped his
trees aud loaded them upon train he
has nothing more to do except count
his money. Christmas trees nre like
wheat. They bring in spot cash. The
Christmas-tree man receives the trees
at New York, unloads them and sells
them to the grocoryman. After that
they reach the port of Santa Claus by
more or less mysterious processes.
The Maine Christmas tree is much
more valuable than any other tree.
The farmers of Maine have raised the
trees for so many generations that they
know all about cutting them down.
They have method by which they
catch the tree ms it breaks off at the
root under the blows of the AK, and
when it lands upon the ground it is
supported so thet not limb is in
jured. The Adirondacks have good
trees now, and the state of Michigan
supplies many, but "down in Maine"
is where the best trees grow.
| Fashions change in Christmas trees
as in houses. Trees that were very
fashionable few years ago cannot be
sold now. The boys of 30 years ago
had little spruce tree on Christmas
morning. They thought it fine thing.
But the boys of today want the bal
sam. A Christmas tree man who
should undertake to supply Santa
CLAUS with spruce trees, or with ce-
dars, would go home with small
opinion of ST. Nick's generosity.
Nothing but the fragrant balsam now
sells.
There is always q preference in all
cities for trees that we're cut near by.
Nearly every one wants tree that
will keep green and fluffy until New
Years day. and only the trees near at
home will do this.
The average size of Christmas
tree is six feet. This sells for about
40 or 80 cents on good year. The
largest trees are about twenty-five feet
high, or up to the second story win.
dow. There is small demand for them,
and, owing to the trouble of bringing
them to the city, they sell for all OF
$25. Santa Claus is very extravaga-
giant when he buys such trees as this.
A Christmas tree takes five years to
grow. The woodman who raises them
can count upon going over the same
strip OF land once every fve years.
This year he takes his boy of five with
him. Five years from now no takes
tho boy again. q lad who can be help.
ful. Five years later the boy begins
to chop for himself in the same spot.
and still five years later he is begin
ming to count upon the proceeds OF
the Christmas trees from this piece of