Evening star., 1952-12-22
Marketing Of Trees
Al Christmas Time
Is Big Business
By Jones BirchfieId

-
grandfather's day, and those who
60 to the woods and cut their own
decorations are rare indeed.
Supplying Christmas green's to
q city the size of Washington is a
big seasonal business. The Christ
mas tree, the holly and green's for
the Christmas wreath and the
mistletoe to hang above the door
way may come from widely separ-
ated areas.
While some Christmas trees are
cut locally by contractors and
hauled into the city to be haWked
from the sidewalks. most Of the
trees sold here come from the
New England States and from
Canada.
Spruce and Pine Popular.
Spruce and white pine make up
the majority of imported trees,
while locally produced ones are
mostly Virginia. or scrub. pine.
Some farmers in Maryland and
Virginia are beginning to estab-
lish Christmas tree farms. but
many of these are too young to
produce.
Virginia and the Carolinas pro-
duce most of the lockwood that is
used for holiday wreaths. Much of
the holly is imported from the
Western States.
A. B. Price whose warehouse is
located at 925 Virginia avenue
S.W.. is one of the larger jobbers
of Christmas greens. Mr.. Price,
with his son. A. C.. Price, purchase
holly. boXwood and other greens
from all over the Nation. supply
ing most of the florists and other
users in the East.
Mr.. Price said holly is shipped
here in carload lots from the West
He bought some of his lockwood
clippings this year in Loudoun
County. Va.
According to State foresters.
much of the Virginia pine that
finds its way to Washington is
contracted for from farmers, with
crews being sent into the woods
to cut the trees. The retailers
may pay the growers as much as
25 to 80 cents a tree.
Quick Crop in Virginia.
These Virginia pines, foresters
said, grow rapidly and in a matter
of three or four years, trees will
be ready for harvest.
DR.. Wilmer w. Steiner, director
of the Soil Conservation Service
nursery at Beltsville, Md, said
that "murderers" who go out and
strip the woods are making native
holly scarce in the Washington
area. He said some of the holly
sold here comes from scavanger
raids on nearby area woods.
Mr.. Steiner said the Soil Con-
servation Service has pushed a
program to get farmers interested
in holly orchards, but the pro-
gram has not been too successful.
Holly is slow-growing plant that
requires perhaps 10 years to come
into production.
One large holly orchard at Mill
vile, N. j., he said, has been a
profitable enterprise.
Nearby Orchard Started.
According to Harry Dengler, ex-
tension forester at the University
of Maryland, several farmers in
that State are growing Christmas
trees, and at least one nearby
farmer has planted a holly or
chard
Most Of these nearby paintings,
however, are too young to be in
production at this time. John
Cotton. who owns farms in How
ard and Hartford Counties, has
started Christmas tree and holly
planting at both farms.
While the Howard County plant
ing IS not large enough to mar
ket, Mr.. Cotton plans to sell trees
this year from his Hartford County
farm.
Mr.. Dengler said Jack Bentley
of Sandy Spring. a former base
ball player, recently started a
Christmas tree planting, but his
trees are too small to market.
In Fairfax County, Va, Rich
ard Gayhart. a All Club men,
Der of Fairfax Station. has de-
veloped a holiday business of
Christmas greens gathering.
Young Gayhart cuts holly and
other greens in the woods and
markets them to other dealers
and at retail at certain points
throughout the county.
Traditional Enterprise.
On Maryland's Eastern Shore
the making and selling of Christ
mas wreaths by farmers has be-
come traditional enterprise
Farmers and their families make
the Wreaths in spare time and
they are sold at auctions held
early in the Yuletide season.
These Eastern Shore wreaths
bring from 80 to IS cents each.
They go to retail markets in cities
throughout the Eastern Seaboard
The Eastern Shore holly mar
ket at Fruitland was once the
largest market of its kind in the
country. More than 350,000
wreaths once passed through it
each holiday season.
For those who still like to get
into the woods and fields and cut
their own trees and gather greens,
farmers in the Washington area
usually are glad to cooperate,
selling trees at small prices.
County agents, however, advise
Christmas greens seekers to get
permission from owners before en-
tering property.