Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1901-12-13
PREMIUM ON KISSES:
HIGH PRICE OF MIsTLETO

HIGH PRICE OF MISTLET0
Kissing under the mistletoe will be
luxury enjoyed by but few except
the daughters of the wealthy this
Christmas because the parasitic
shrub is now worth its weight in sill
yer. if not in gold. 1t is so scarce in
Chicago that the prices are almost
prohibitive, says the Chicago Chron-
icle.
Girls will need kisses pretty badly
before they pay the present price for
mistletoe. Holly is also scarce, so
scarce that il costs three times as
much as il did last year. But Christ
mas trees are plentiful and cheap
too.
In ancient days, when the mistletoe
was found on the oak tree, it was re-
garded with superstition because it
rarely grew on that kind of tree. If
civilization had not advanced several
centuries the people of Chicago would
regard mistletoe this year with sup
erstition if they saw il in the Chi
cago market. Still, it used to grow
on the oak i'm Europe apd il is in the
Chicago market. but il is precious.
There is plenty of il i'm California.
although il is not exactly like the
European mistletoe, but the freight
rates from the Pacific coast to Chi
cago are ruinous and the tracks are
so rough that the leaves would all he
Jared off before il reached it's desti-
nation.
MiStletoe at present is quoted on
South Water street at - cents a
q -, ff.i n
at that fancy price. 1t has been
dear for the past few years and the
old custom of hanging a sprig of it in
the hall has been abandoned by
many. The writer of Christmas
Jokes who uses the girl under the
mistletoe as the butt of his humor
will have To look for q new subject.
Holly wreaths will not he over
abundant in Chicago this year either.
The supply that has usually come
from the mountains of Kentucky and
Tennessee is almost cut off. Most of
the holly in the Chicago market
comes from the northern Adiron-
dack';. There are more berries on the
eastern holly. but il is more eNpen-
sive. Last year holly could be
bought for $3.50 n crate. This sea-
son it sells at from So to $3.25.
Chicago is entering a new field in
the Christmas tree line. Formerly
the trees used by the interior cities
of Illinois and adjoining states were
shipped directly to those places from
the Wisconsin and Michigan woods.
This year the whole supply is being
shipped TO the commission mer-
chants on South Water street and
they have substantial corner on
the market. The prices have not adj
vanced to local consumers. however.
Trees from six to eight feet high are
quoted at $I5 hundred. Large
trees. for use in churches, are on
sale for from 81 to So apiece.
Most of the trees for Chicago come
in freight cars. They are tied in
bundles of six trees and car will
carry from 1000 to 5000. Two
schooner loads are annually brought
TO Chicago on the lake and these
with the forty carloads imported
make total of some 100000 trees
for use in Chicago.
Bandow d Lange. III South Water
street. who import thousands of trees
annually. said: Chicago is taking
all the trees from the north tins year
and sending them out To the other
Illinois cities. This is something
new and yet there is no Christmas
tree trust. We sell as cheaply as we
did last year. The supply is some
what greater. but the trees are un-
usually good this year. Holly is very
scarce and mistletoc is almost un-
obtainable."