The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1912-12-13
EEnrH- no I III HUZZy/

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 it 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 II 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 De
displayed in American homes 100000 evergreen
trees. There are about 20OOO,OOO families In the
United States. and one in four Of these will make
the Christmas tree part OF the celebratlon thaI
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 &C.
cordance with the oldfashioned custom of sturdy
rural Germany
New York the metropolis Of the nation uses
far more Christmas trees than any other city III
the world Yet the city is SO admirably located
from the standpoint of available forests thae tne
supply is always abundant and prices low
quarter of million Christmas trees are each year
brought to New York and all OF them are soid
during the week before Christmas. over Oh
Riverside Drive, where are the homes Oh the
wealthy expensive trees are sold. 'Ihese are
deliberately prepared, often being specially grown
for the purpose and bring prices as hlgh as so"'
Vet the East side gets its due proportion, and so
abundant Is the supply that good shrubs may be
had for a5 cents and so cents. The little trees
GROW ouickly and the farmers are often glad 10
bova them cleared of their land AS result the
neople who count the pennies closely nnd the
christmas greens within their reach
Father Knickerbocker lives right IN rne miost
n the most productive Christmas tree Ssection'
The state OF New York yields them apundantiy'
strs,oht down from the Adirondacks they come
IN trainload lots. Northern PennsyiVahia ALSO
,roducas them without STINT and so are all the
naarhv 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 ZOE
the Youngsters who dwell In the towns anu cilies'
In tba smaller communities provided the region
produces the right sort OF trees the larhef n'n
self cnts them down and brings them to market
rJa coils these trees to market men, to grocers
- aor,sts and decorators. They are bought from
him nv the wagonload and cost little. Then they
arc nronerly prepared and set upon the sidewalk
Rnt preparation for the larger markets. are dii'
sarenf IN the hills around the greater cities
making ready for Christmas is begun TWO months
hafora the arrival of the day to be celebrated
In Maine, for instance, the men go out IN gangs
:, ,our They know their business for they have
gathered this self-same harvest for generation
They have bought the trees as they stand In the
field having the farmer FIVE cents each TOT tnem
The hutt az the tree Is sawed off smoothly and
painted over in order that the sap may De re-