Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1912-12-12

usage cannot be traced back farther than the six
teenth century 1t than existed only in the Rhine
valley, to which 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, Paris and England. German immigrants
had already brought the custom to coun-
try and here it has become SO popular that the
supply of trees in the city markets is equal
to the demand
Linking the present with the dim past of I'M
numbered centuries there will this Christmas be
displayed in American homes 100000 evergreen
trees There are about 20000,000 families in the
United States, and one in four of these will make
the Christmas tree 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 is still the stocking method of dispens
ing gifts. But In this great number of homes 1t
has become the custom to the trees In
cordance with the oldfashioned custom of sturdy.
rural Germany.
New York the metropolis Of the nation, uses
far Christmas trees than any other city in
the world. Yet the city Is admirably located
from the standpoint of available forests that the
supply Is always abundant and prices low.
quarter Of million Christmas trees each year
brought to New York. and all of them sold
during the week before Christmas. Over on
Riverside Drive, where are the homes of the
wealthy, expensive trees are sold These
deliberately prepared. often being specially grown
for the purpose and bring prices as high $50
Yet the East Side gets it's due proportion, and so
abundant is the supply that good shrubs may be
had for % cents and 30 cents The little trees
grow quickly and the farmers often glad to
have them cleared of their land. AS result the
people who count the pennies closely find the
Christmas green's within thei- reach.
Father Knickerbocke- Ifvet 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 are all the
nearby cities guaranteed abundance. All
through New Engtlnd there is general of
the Christmas tree.
For 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 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
ferent- 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 self1ame harvest for a generation.
They have bought the trees they stand In the
field, paying the farmer five cents each for them
The butt OF the tree is sawed on smoothly and
painted over IN order that the sap may DO ~