Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-12-18
Where Decorations for the Holiday
Season Are Obtained.
an ARMY OF WORKPEOPLE EMPLOYED
Preparations That Are Always Be-
gun Early in the Fall.
II 0 LILY AND ETOE

| held. 1t was Christmas tree dealer in
| New York who spoke, and while he talked
! he was experimenting a number of man
! VINO were at work removing shapely young
| frs from the little coasting steamer AMI
| bling them along The pier. Few persons
| nave any idea OF the proportions to which
| the trade in Christmas greens has grown
in this country continued the dealer. ~
| has at least doubled within the past few
| years, and this season we expect to Ike ID
| up the increase. Most folks never think
| about the business end of the Christmas
| tree trade, l suppose beyond noticing
| that small-sized forest springs up in GER
| tain sections of the city every December
| and disappears as quickly as ii comes. But
| the dealer, who has TO compress his whole
| seasons business into few weeks, begins
us nusthng in the middle of the summer.
| Tie gathering of the stock begins in Sep
| TENDER and goes steadily on from that time
| rntll within week or two of December -.
| There's a good deal more competition
| now than there Was when | first started
| II the business dozen years ago. Then
| we could get about all the trees We wanted
| within a hundred miles Of New York, and
| 1t was the same in Boston, Philadelphia
! and all the eastern cities. Now a good
share of Christmas greenery comes
| from northern New England. and whereas
the farmer used to be delig hted to have us
clear off his ground for him. now he
| charges us from 81 to s. per hundred and
| insists upon our taking everything clean.
| instead of selecting the most perfect
| growth. as we once did. In bringing the
| bulky stuff from such a distance, too the
| cost OF transportation is considerable. Still,
| one can buy Christmas tree now for
| about the price it would have brought ten
years ago, and the growth in the volume
| of the trade makes our profits about the
same, too
| Center of the Trade.
The gathering and making" of Christ
| mas greens forms the chief occupation Of
| many a worker from Maine to Florida
| during the autumn ard early winter and
| triEgs Christmas money to many coun-
| try household where the resources are few
and the opportunities fer extra earnings
| far between. The chief center of the trade
| in Christmas greens, however. is. and has
| been for many years. in New Jersey in The
section of he state that lies between Key
| pert and Ja-nesburg, just south of the
| Raritan river Here the material that is
gathered from all along the Atlantic coast
| is worked up into wreaths and roping and
| decorative designs of every pattern. The
| Christmas trees themselves. of course 20
| directly to market from the place where
| they are cut. A few of them obtainal
| from this same section. but most of the m
| come from northern New York and New
| England.
| Among the Jersey pines the preparations
| for Christmas begin in late September
| when the balsam is gathered before it gets
too dry and stored in great stacks around
! the sheds and long low outhouses in which
| the work of making Christmas greens
| Is carried on. 1t is community industry
| carried on ny groups of families for The
| nest part. though some of the largest
! dealers employ help" from the towns for
| fifteen or twenty miles around. The work
| Is mostly carried on by women and young
| folks nd is eagerly welcomed by even the
| well-tO-do country families. not only on.
| account of the money it brings, hat because
| of its social side. for all the gossip of the
| &C countryside is gone over at these Their
| lrgs and the rooms in which the workers
| sit buzz with cOnN erSation like d meeting
! Of a New England sewing circle.
| Gathering the Material
| The gathering of material begins in earn
est with the coming of November and par
| ties of men are out all day cutting trim
| young balsams, pines and frs, gathering
| ground pine. cape flowers, holly. and, i'm
| fact. every kind of plant or shrub that is
| made available for use either by its rich
| isreenery or its bright colors. Other work
men are busy saving out and making into
forms the lath and light timber on which
! the greens are mounted. Half q million
| feet of lumber are used for this purpose
every season. by the time big supply of
these requisites is accumulated the ma
| terial which has TO be brought from a dis
| tance begins to arrive. Princess pine.
| which is used in immense quantities, us
| ually comes by boat from Maine and New
| hampshire: laurel and holly are shipped
| by train from the south.
With the arrival of these supplies the |
work Of making is ready to begin. The
| twigS and small branches which are used
| for the wreaths and similar decorations
| are stripped off and piled in heaps beside
each worker. On the other side are the
frames and by the deft of scissors.
| cord and wire the women turn out the
| finished pieces at an astonishing rate. They
| are paid by the piece, from seven to eight
cents per dozen being the usual rate for
| wreaths, while from 20 to - cents per
| dozen is paid for large pieces, such as an
| chorS, crosses, ships and other more elab-
crate designs. The fastest hands can make
| half a gross of the large pieces in day,
| or gross of plain wreaths, that the
| earnings range from a. cents to S1.50 The
very skllful workwomen, who make the
| most Elaborate designs and those requiring
an artistic combination of different ma
| terialS, paid at a still higher rate.
While wages good and the work is
| hard, there is plenty Of fun for the work
| erS. too On one or two nights of every
week the floor of the workshop is usually
cleared and an impromptu dance is held
at which all the young fishermen and boat
men of the neighborhood gather to make
merry.
Fifteen Thousand Yards.
While a good deal of material is used in |
Wreaths and stars and other designs, ever |
more is worked up into ropng, which has |
|