The Savannah morning news., 1900-12-23
SPRUCE PINE FROM MAINE
1T Is THE REAL THING N CHRIST
MAS TREES.

It Il the Tree That Grows IN m.
black Forests OF Germany. wh-r.
the Custom and fts surroundin..
Legends Had Their OriGin-It 4.
Handsome Enough. with II,
curly, spicy Needles aud shap.i,
Form, 60 win From Old ssi,,
Nicholas an Approving smile ana
Induce an Extra cencrosity-rb.
Trees Come 90 savannah From a..
Woods of Maine, Near the Cam.
dian Border.
Tho real thing In the Christina ne.
line. the kind that fiourishos In tho la-a
where this manner OF Christmas oas,re.
anee originated. is for sale at half a Don.
en- places in Savannah this year. Il. IL
the spruce pine.
Away across che ocean. In the R,.b
Forest Of Germany. Christmas Legend,
are as plentiful as Christmas good cheer
il abundant There the spruce pine --1Es
ana thrives and the good woodsmeu ana
their wives erect them In their c3uag,
homes in the forest and leaves thes. 20.
merry old Saint Nicholas. to adorn sgd,
his presents. when he pays his rssaar
annual visit on Christmas eve.
The tree Is beautiful one. Perfectly
symmetrical In shape. a rises. cor colby.
from a broad. round base to a pointe4 10.
The needles are rs green and soft ari
fragrant as those that adorn the sa.,h.
ern pine. but instead OF being strl.gtt.
they twist and curl about The twie O..
the tree and about themselves IN a man.
ner altogether Christmss-uke. btIuu.
fuI and delightful. The curve. the sly.
r. the line OF beauty.
There Is scarce room 20 see betwerr tha
branches. They leave the trunk o. rag.
ular intervals and are covered with ths
silky, curly needles so closely tina. fhev
themselves are not perceptihle. A. 10
traveller through the city streets We. aes
one Of these trees and observes its adaqu-
biiiiy to its destined purpose. thinks
OF u lighted with candles and adorned VITA
hooks and games and toys. sees 30 sur.
rounded by merry crowd Of lnushuf
little men and women. he must be n bora.
hearted traveier indeed n something 2
the Christmas spirit does not nll ana .hrl
him and memory paint for him a Similar
scene from the good old times when b,
and the world were young together
The spruce pines that are 70 gladden. M,
heart OF the little ones OF Savannah +,
not come from the Black Forest of Ger.
many. but they travel quite a long DIS.
lance from the land where they are ho-n
before they reach their Journeys era
They come from the Maine woods aWav
up near the Canadian border. where ,h,
climate OF thf Black Forest Is very close.
" reproduced They are shipped from
the towns near which they grow 90 Ban.
gor and Portland and thence 90 New
YORK. New York b the point Of dis'rlh1.
ton. and from that port the trees go 01:
TO every section Of the country
Many % them have come 10 savanna
When they are shipped the limbs are ia
up around the trunk and two or three a-
four Of the trees tied together They make
q perfectly compact bundle but when ffa
strings are cut the elasticity OF the wood
asserts itself and IN a trice tho spruce
pine wears the shape It bore In the lanl
IN which u grew.
The native pines and cedars are ha41-
tlful. too and many Of them will be ussd
as Christmas trees IL Savannah this year.
But they lack both the symmetry ard ths
legendary appropriateness % tho spruce
pine and they cannot M its place Iust
now the city Il full or offerings 81 Christ
mas trees. and he who would aid one
OF them. with its accompanying gayetNs,
10 the Christmas celebration Al Bis hons
has a vide range Of selection They are
here In sufficient abundance 20 suit every
taste and every purse.
II IS evident every year that the fashion
OF hanging up the family hosiery Is giving
away In popularity % the Christmas tree,
with It's superior opportunities ana posse
bilities Of display and attuactiveness. %
is shrine al which the little ones clu
worship all Of Christmas day ami. be
long as % Is permitted 10 occupy its
place OF honor. and most 81 che other
places. in the room In which II has been
erected q Is to them a never-erolre
source Of interest. The trouble about ths
stockings is that they are too soon EMP
tied
So Il IS that the Maine farmers have
double reason for welcoming the apr roicl
OF the Christmas season. Five year ase.
when the business OF shipping Christmas
trees from that state was yet IN ts IN
fancy n was estimated that something
like 10000 trees were shipped by ral
alone from the forests in which the des'T-
"a and desirable varieties grow 10 other
sections OF the country. This did not con-
slider the very large number possipt
quite rs large which went to other states
hy water routes. while official ana rei.a'
BILE statistics are lacking. II Is quite rea-
sonable to suppose that the Maine Tar
mers have shipped half million trees
this year.