Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-12-19
F|NESEE !: |! THE WORLD
4
1faE0
Washington's Markets Have
No Comparison.
~
ATTRACTIVE DISPLAY
HOLIDAY SEASON OCCASION FOR
PICTURESQUE SCENES.
Stands Loaded With the Best That
Earth Affords-Prices Good and
Demand Brisk.
ATTRACTIVE DISPLAY

| Washington, the nations capital, enjoys
the reputation of having the finest and best
| markets of the world. and trip through
any one of those institutions at this time
| Of the year will convince the most skeptic
| that the statement has been truthfuily
| made. With the rich truck farms of the
| surrounding counties of Maryland and Vir-
| ginia they are in position to command
| the best the country affords.
The markets of the city took on this
| morning the full aspect of Christmas. The
| long aisles of holly and Christmas greens,
| uncounted thousands of turkeys and DUCKS
| dressed and undressed. and florists STANDS
| hidden beneath wreaths OF scarlet ana
green. with a crowding, hurryfng throng'
presents a most picturesque scene. A view
| of any one of the markets Is a goodly sight
| certain to fill the heart of onloOkers with
| the spirit of the season. and tour VIII
| surely capture not only the heart, but the
purse well. There has rarely Deen SO
| fine display in a number Of years. and
! the Christmas supply Is practlcany uniim-
| tied.
No matter how humble the purse is an
| extra effort is made to have the CHRISTMAS
| dinner the big household event of the year.
King Turkey reigns supreme, and In
| greater splendor than he did on Thanks
| giving. Respondent in their dress of ever
| green and bright berries. the markets Of
| the city seen to their best advantage
during the holiday season. which is now on
| in earnest. They become. indeed the
| Mecca for the housewives In search for the
| substantial things in life.
| Crowds of Washingtonians visit the mar
| kets each day. this being especially notice
| able during the last few days. Outside the
| big markets country people from the ad-
! joining counties of Maryland and Virginia
| have pre-empted the public space. and side
| walks. usually bare and uninviting. are now
| bright and pretty with holly and pine. The
| COIOred ''SUuatterS. contribute
much to the pcturesqueness Of the marts.
| and who live in the suburbs, have enlarged
| their stands. and the small stock of herbs,
| mushrooms and other numerous things
| which they SELL has given way to wreaths
| of holly, embellished with red berries and
countless yards of running pine woven into
garlands
Christmas Boon to the Poor
| This. the Christmas season, Is waited
| for with eagerness by these poor people
| with more than common interest. The
receipts from the sale of evergreens which
the woods, nearby supply means much to
| them 1t means new dress, warm under
4 clothing or a pair of shoes. Weeks be-
| fore Christmas the entire family turns out
| from the grandfather and his wife down to
| the youngest fodder and strips the woods
| of the holly. and pine. The evenings are
| spent in making wreaths weaving the
| crow-foot pine into garlands. and by this
| time the stock is complete, and the homes
of the purchasers will not only be made
| brighter by tha evergreens they supply,
but the "sqpa1ttters' will be made happy
| At the Center Market it looks if some
| portion of the green woodland in this
vicinity had been been transported there.
| tletoe Git yo' gal meath it and 70 gifts
a kiss, and allffor the small sum of one
dime. 10 cents" from the colored folks.
Each little stand has it's stove, and in
deed the proprietor would be considered
poor If he could not afford stove al
| though they are stoves in name only and
not in reality. Old tin buckets and the
| apparatus, and it is a common thing to
| see thin cloud Of smoke finding a some
what difficult fiue through a cloud of black
faces.
Inside the market the hucksters have
| become victims of the evergreen fever. and
| they reflect the beauties of the outside in
| the tasty decorations of their stands Long
rows of turkeys, with black wings out
| stretched, with an OCCASIONAL eagle hover
ing over the whole brood. are to be seen.
| Mallard ducks make up boarder for one
| stand and quail and ducks alternate on
| tier after tier of another. Beautiful pleas
ants are SO displayed from the top piece
| Of a third as to decorate half the aisle
| with their brilliant tail feathers. Stuffed and
| dressed fowls of the edible variety are
| everywhere and in large quantities There
are possums by the score and occasionally.
! a muskrat appears dangling among the
| fowls and game Black bears are also to
be seen, but not in large numbers, swing
| ing round and round on the hooks anu III
| close proximity may be seen several deer
| which attract visitors eyes. Although
| YOU may not be a nimrOd you unconscious
ly draw near.
Prices Stiff and May Go Up.
| Although there Is a large supply OF
poultry on the market the prices are stih,
and the indications are that they Will ad-
| vance higher next week. The prices quoted
this morning for. turkeys were from 70
| nrn6
| dealers expressed themselves as being posi-
| tive that the price would increase several
| cents by the middle Of next week. Chick
| ems are on hand in large numbers and
| range in prices from l21S cents 10 ~ cents
| a pound.
| said to be that the large dealers would
ather send their wares to the larger cities.
| where they command higher prices than
| they do In this city. Wild turkeys are
scarce and are quoted at 30 cents per
| pound. Ducks are plentiful, and mallards
are purchasable at 81 apiece, while canvas
backs are sold at So and So pair.
| The Potomac river is noted the country
| over for it's excellent variety of fish, and
| those who are contemplating having fish
| Oh their Christmas day dinner menu will
| be able to satisfy their every wish by a
| visit to that section of the market occupied
| by the fish dealers. Because of the game
| laws in this vicinity there is no shad OBJ
| tainable but other species of the finny
| tribe are to be had. Spanish mackerel Is
| to be found on some of the stands, as are
| also plymouth bass from the Potomac.
| The former variety is selling from 12h
| cents to Is cents pound. and the bass is
| disposed of at 10 cents per pound
| The recent cold snap has caused rabbits
| to be in excellent condition, and they are
| to be seen in large numbers, with prices
| ranging from Is cents to 80 cents apiece
Rivalry Produces Attractive Exhibits.
| Fresh meat will be the principal item to
| grace the tables Of some families of the
District Friday next. they preferring 1t to
the national bird. and there is large sup
ply of that commodity on hand from which
| to make a selection. Each dealer has at
| tempted to Guido his rival. and as a result
| an attractive display is exhibited. From
| sight of any one of dozen stands an in
| genious housewife could make her refrig-
orator thing of wondrous beauty. On one
| stand hang successive tiers of legs of lamb,
legs of mutton and legs of veal, all touch
| ed with twig of holly here and there and
| as regular in formation as soldiers on pa
| rade But the harmony of color induced
| by decorating ordinary red and white
| meats with red and green holly branches.
| must be seen to be appreciated at all.
| Dealers in butter. cheese and eggs under
stand the value OF an attractive display
til, 9TH IL