The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-10-30
GONE after CHR1srMAs TREES.
Seven Soldiers to Cut Down 100, OoO-Maine
Glad to Have the Trees Go.

Seven Soldiers to Cut Down 100, O0O-Maino
Glad to Have tho Trees Go.
GREENBusH. Me-, Oct. 28.-Seven soldiers,
dressed In their. blue suits. Santiago hats and
tan legginRs. started Monday morning for the
woods around Great Pond and will spend the
next six weeks cutting Christmas trees for the
New York and Boston markets. They have
made contracts with John Colley OF Boston to
cut. trim. bundle and deliver to the railroad
station 100000 fir trees between now and Dec.
10. at an average price of 4 $40 cents for every
tree that meets the approval of the inspector.
In addition to four trainloads Of frs the men
have agreed TO gather and press into bales six
tons of club MOSES and to ship as many boxes
OF wild raisin shrubs with red berries attached
as they can find on the area where the chop
pings are made.
The work OF culling and cutting Christmas
trees in the Maine woods has begun fully two
weeks earlier than usual this year. partly be-
cause the days are longer pow than they will
be late in November. enabling the men to do
more work by daylight. and partly for the
more practical reason that there will probably
be an unprecedented demand for Maine Christ
year when Il Sun announced that /. 900. 900
Maine. frs would be shipped to Boston and
Hon. j. Sterling Morton. ex-Secretary Of
Agriculture and forestry expert. wrote sew
eral letters to the press OF the country con-
demning the practice as q wanton waste of
valuable young timber and calling for legisla-
ton to prevent such useless sacrifice. II Mr..
Morton had known. the utter worthlessness Of
the Maine fir tree he never would have come
to its defence.
It is a coarse-Rrained. scraggy tree at best.
When young it grows rapidly and when set in
rows or masses makes Q. serviceable shelter
for buildings or tender fruit trees. but no
becomes powder posted, when the great wood
pissmiresltake possession'and convert the whole
turn brown and fall Of. gray and green carl
bou moss gathers on the limbs, after which an
autumn gale blows the tree, down, where 1t
lies and rots, to form vegetable mould.
Owners OF timber lands in Maine read Mr..
Morton's letters with amusement. and when
approving headlines the landowners came
out and said that they would consider 1t a ia;
t ESs ar ii ft rees IN the %o STATE cut AZ an Best sa try AZ SwS %as al a
forest weed that crowded out better timber.
The result has been that the asking, price for
90 per cent. In the past year, and Ren who
owned pastures that were crowded, with fir
Baplings which they expected TO sell at high
prices are feeling sad because nobody makes
semi More out th rom = m milllSn b cthTistm1 no9 Hr anT Til LIB be
20. Owing to sharp competition among the
contractors and the drop in the rates Of stump
for some years. and while the retail price may
hold up to the AVERAGE the he, profits OF those en-
ffaN addition Ii nh to P Shrist@a s' trees es % IarSe q ISsGff:
ties Of lycopodium or ground pine and OF vari-
Gus shrubs laden with red berries will be
spirit OF patriotism awakened by the late war
some of the contractors are making up set
In red. white and blue. employing the scarlet
leaves OF the red maple or the crimson leaves
snowy flowers OF the everlasting, locally known
"a poverty weed, TO make the white, and the
purple bloom. OF the fall aster for the blue.
When properly massed this arrangement OF
tints has q very pleasing effect.