Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-12-10

southwestern part of this country. notab bly,
in central Texas 1t is a parasite in the
vegetable kingdom. living upon anG
nourished by other members of the plan
world. and rewarding its hosts by leav-
ing them to crippled existence, or sc
draining their vitality to cause death
Mistletoe grows upon oak trees. elms
sasSafras, fruit trees and many other
kinds of trees. Mocking birds waXwings
and robins eat the berries of the mistle-
toe and thus the seeds are deposited
upon the branches of trees. where they
terminate in time causing deformity OF
death of the tree upon which it is para
site Mistletoe is sent to the northern
markets for the holidays by southern
florist supply firms or general merchants
Laurel leaves for making into wreaths
and ropes and branches of it to serve as
effective background for bright-col-
ored berries are also much in evidence In
eastern markets, most of the supply be-
ing gathered in Maryland and Virginia.
Bright-cOlored berries of all sorts are
brought in from the woods for the hol-
iday season. There is the dainty checker
berry, or partridge berry, of which the
colored women gather quantities in the
woods. 1t may be very effectively used
AS a decoration; its creeping. vinelike
stems with their small, roundish, ever
ss,een leaves. sometimes delicately pen
ciled with white veins. are very grace
full and with their bright red berries
make a charming "Christmasy" COM
binatiOn. Of late years florists have in
terested themselves in this pretty wood
land plant as a holiday attraction, plac-
ing it in moss in glass bowls. like gold
fish globes. in which it is said to keep
for some time. The checkerberry is com
mon in moist woods from Canada to
FLORIDA and west TO Texas and Mime
sofa, and is generally found creeping
about the bases of trees.
BittersWeet berries are offered on the
curbstone stands at Christmas time
either in punches or twined into wreaths
To give bit of color, its orange and
scarlet being rather effective for deco
rauve purposes. 1t is found in rich, damp
woods and thickets from Canada south to
North Carolina and New Mexico climb
ing over trees and shrubs, its orange
colored fruits or capsules opening in au-
tumn and persisttnS on the bush for
some time and showing the scarlet-cov-
cred seed. This is not used in CONNER
cial quantities. but Is brought 10 market
in small lots by the colored people.
is a popular article offered for sale on
the Christmas markets by the colored
women, and although the branches, desti
tute of leaves and showing only the red
berries. are rather stiff in appearance.
they nevertheless make very attractive
display when maSsed with laure leaves
or other greens, the berries clustered
around the stem being rather pretty in
their bright red shining covering. These
berries are sometimes difficult to obtain.
the shrub growing along the banks of
rivers in swamps or moist woods. and
the colored women frequently have to
make their way through cold boys and
SWamps in order to procure them.
Other southern Christmas decorations
are wild smilaX, which comes generally
from Alabama and Georgia; leucothoe
sprays, consisting of dark shining leaves
on arching stems, and the branches of the
-leaved pine which grows in dry,
sandy sol, mostly along the coast, from
southern Virginia to Florida. reaching
westward into Mississippi; these sent
north in considerable quantities for the
decorative effect of the foliage. the slen
der, dark green needles measuring from
ten TO sixteen inches in length.