Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1912-12-27
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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 limits 1t 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 our own coun-
try and here it has become SO popular that the
supply of trees In the city markets Is never 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 2O0OO,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 use the trees in ac-
cordance with the old-fashioned 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 is 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
for the purpose and bring prices as high as $SD
Yet the East Side gets its due proportion, and SO
abundant is the supply that good shrubs may be
had for rs cents and 30 cents The little trees
grow quickly and the farmers are often glad to
have them cleared off their land. AS result the
people who count the pennies closely find the
Christmas greens 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 Adrondacks they come
In trainload lots. Northern Pennsylvania also
produces them without stint, and are all the
nearby cities guaranteed abundance All
through New England there is general use 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 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
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 self-same harvest for a generation
They have bought the trees as they stand In the
field, paying the farmer five cents each for them
The butt OF the tree is sawed off smoothly and
painted in order that the sap may be re-