The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1900-05-03
RAISING EvERGREENS.
Holly and Mistietoe Ranch That IL
Run by Two Georgia Young
Women.

Blu OhlN llOllN anu lIClO6 IdTn III
the country, or in the world, for that
matter" The speaker, says the New
York Sun, was Miss Lucy Carteledge,
the elder of two Georgia young wom-
en- who three years ago began to raise
holly and mistletoe for market 1T all
started from my going to New York
to study art. My mother, who is my
only living parent, by many sacri-
| fees finally saved enough money for
me to make the venture. | did not
achieve much in the way of art, but l
learned what a big world of smart
people this is and how much l had to
improve before there was any chance
of setting it afire with my brilliancy.
Once convinced that | had little or
no artistic ability, | set about to
find some way to earn living. The
| high price paid for holly and mistle-
toe in New York city was one of
many revelations, and on inquiry L
| found that the prettiest pieces were
brought over from England. This gave
! me an idea, and / wrote home about it
to my sister, who is a very practical
| person.
"She began at once to go over our
500 acres and cleared away the under
brush around every holly tree and
holly bush. In some instances with
| those around the house she had gone
so far as to trim away all the dead
limbs and have the earth about the
roots enriched and spaded up For
| the preservation of the mistletoe she
cut off the muscadine and iessamine
vines climbing over every tree where
there was a sprig of it growing.
She also declared her intention of
trying to plant the seeds in the hol-
lows and forks of old oaks. where she
saw a chance of their taking root and
growing.
During the next summer we had
little to do besides sit and wait for
what the utumn would bring forth.
but this energetic sister of mine was
careful to see that no harm came to
the numerous little holly trees which
she discovered about the roots of the
large trees. She stated that she in
tended to transplant them in winter,
and for the first time we realized it
might not be such an easy matter to
| get a holly farm as we anticipated.
Negroes are so superstitious that it
| is almost impossible for a white per-
son to keep up with the numerous
queer things they believe. When our
| old onn1y hoo,,J 10
planting young holly she was horri-
| fed. and told us it was the worst kind
of luck, and that whoever did it, the
minute the bush grew and cast a
shadow large enough to cover their
grave they would die. We found the
superstition quite general among the
negroes, so. of course. we realized at
once that none of them could be de-
| pended on to plant our holly grove.
| According to their advice the only
way to obtain such trees was by plac-
| ing lot of berries on a stump near
where we wished the tree and allow
the wind to blow them. Only fancy
what a stupid idea! Still it was most
serious to us, as we were entirely de-
| pendent on them as laborers.
However. our first harvest came be.
fore transplanting time. AS soon as
the berries were sufficiently grown to
| judge of we sent specimens on to
several firms in Washington and New
| York. Almost by return mail we re-
ceived surprisingly large orders, but
! at different prices. The best came from
! the Washington firm which supplies
the white house. At Christmas we
found two distinct grades of holly
| Branches gathered from trees around
| the house, which had been trimmed
| and fortified, were more beautiful
| than the others. The foliage was
richer and the berries larger more
numerous and very much more bril-
| liant. Ny sister fancied the same i'm
| provement was to be observed in the
| mistletoe, but we finally decided that
the most beautiful specimens of this
were taken from post-oak trees. And
now, after three years experience, we
consider it a fact.
"Our profits for the first year were
| gratifying, and as soon as there was
sufficient cold to send the sap down
| into the roots of the trees we began
our transplanting. But do you know
my sister and | were compelled to do
| it with our own hands. The negroes
would dig the holes and put in the
| fertilizer. but when it came actually
to planting the little trees we had to
do that ourselves. We worked early
and late during the months of JAN
uary and February and managed to
set out ten acres of holly. This past
season we cut out every other one of
these young trees and sold them as
Christmas trees. They were well
shaped, had fine foliage, with large,
rich berries, so of course they
brought the very bes. prices. For our
mistletoe we select old oak trees.
preferably post-oaks. and insert we'll
ripened berries under the bark in
the fork hollow. where they will have
a chance to terminate and catch hold.
This last season we added to our
farm products by shipping quantities
of bamboo and Christmas berry
vines. In the north the bamboo is
known as the southern smi'ax, and
| l =