The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1912-12-13
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usage cannot be traced back farther than the six,
teenth century. 1t then existed only in the Rhine
valley, to which narrow limits It was restricted
for more than 200 years. At the opening Of the
nineteenth century 1t spread to the rest of Ger
many, and fifty years later had reached Bohemia,
Hungary, PtFis and England, German immigrants
had already brought the custom to our own coun.
try and here II has become so popular that the
supply Of treea In the city markets Is never equal
to the demand.
Linking the pr,asent with the dim past OF I'm.
numbered centuries, there will this Christmas be
displayed In American homes 5000, 900 evergreen
trees. There are ABOUT 10000, 900 families In the
United States, and one In four OF these will make
the Christmas tree a part of the celebration that
is at hand. This does not mean that only these
will participate in the festivities Of the season,
for there ia still the stocking method Of dispens-
Ing gifts, But In this great number of homes 1t
has become the custom to use the trees In &C.
cordRnce with the oldfashioned custom Of sturdy,
rural Germany.
New York, the metropolis Of the nation, uses
far more Christmas trees than any other city In
the world. Yet the city ia so admirably located
from the standpoint Of available forests that the
supply Is always abundant and prices low. A
quarter Of a million Christmas trees are each year
brought to New York, and all Of them are sold
during the week before Christmas, Over on
Riverside Drive. where are the homes Of the
wealthy, expensive trees are sold. These are
deliberately prepared, often being specially grown
for the purpose and bring prices az high as $50.
Yet the East side gets its due proportion, and so
abundant Is the supply that good shrubs may be
had for % cents and 10 cents. The little trees
grow quickly and the farmers are often glad to
have them cleared Of their land, As a result the
people who count the pennies closely find the
Christmas green's within their reach.
Father Knickerbocker lives right in the midst
Of the most productive Christmas tree section.
The state Of New York yields them abundantly.
Straight down from the Adirondacks they come
in trainlOad lots. Northern Pennsylvania also
produces them without stint, and so are all the
nearby cities guaranteed an abundance. All
through New England there Is a general use Of
the Christmas tree.
For a month past there have been hundreds Of
men preparing the Christmas tree harvest for
the youngsters who dwell in the towns and cities.
In the smaller communities, provided the region
produces the right sort OF trees, the farmer him.
self cuts them down and brings them to market.
He sells these trees to market men, to grocers,
to florists and decorators. They are bought from
him by the wagonload and cost little. Then they
are properly prepared and set upon the sidewalk.
But preparation for the larger markets are diff
fercnt In the hills around the greater cities
making ready for Christmas is begun two months
before the arrival OF the day to be celebrated.
In Maine, for instance, the men go out in gangs
OF four. They know their business, for they have
gathered this selfsame harvest for a generation.
they have bought the trees as they stand In the
Held, paying the farmer five cents each for them.
he butt Of the tree ia sawed of smoothly and
painted over In order that the sap may be re-