SUMMAEY. 31 



THE COMMERCIAL IMPORTANCE OF MISTLETOE. 



Mistletoe is used in Christmas decorations more or less throughout 

 this country, but especially in northern cities. Within the range of 

 the plant it is employed more or less in this way, especially by those 

 to whom it is still a novelty. Countless packages of it are sent 

 through the mails and by express to friends in the North. There is, 

 however, a well-defined Christmas trade in mistletoe by which the 

 markets in the Xorth are supplied. The choicer and more expensive 

 grades are handled by southern florist supply firms. Only well- 

 berried shrubs are used in this trade, and these are crated with great 

 care to insure against shattering and freezing in transit. These 

 shipments reach the retail trade through the agency of northern 

 firms dealing in florists' supplies. Even larger quantities of mistle- 

 toe are retailed in the northern markets by grocers and market men. 

 These supplies are handled with less care and are cheaper than 

 florist-trade mistletoe. Some of these supplies come from southern 

 dealers in general merchandise, who add the handling of mistletoe 

 as a special holiday feature of their business. The mistletoe is 

 brought in by countrymen and its value taken in trade. It is then 

 packed in barrels or crates and shipped to northern commission houses, 

 and by them distributed to the retail grocery and market trade. 



Apparently this Christmas trade has drawn upon mistletoe sup- 

 plies only in relatively few localities. So far as the general supply 

 is concerned the market might be widely extended. Judging by 

 the appeal which this curious plant makes to the average person it 

 would appear to be possible to greatly multiply the purchases of it 

 throughout the Xorth in smaller cities and towns, as well as in the 

 larger, to which the market seems at present to be largely limited. 

 On the other hand, there is constant inquiry from districts in which 

 mistletoe is abundant for information as to the possibility of finding 

 a market for it. An increased demand for mistletoe for Christmas 

 purposes would constitute an important factor in the control of 

 mistletoe as a pest, but as a matter of fact it is unlikely that the 

 plant will ever be regarded very generally in that light. 



SUMMARY. 



(1) In general, the American mistletoe, like its European pro- 

 totype, is more cherished because of its biologic interest and historic 

 setting than feared for its harmfulness to trees. In some districts, 

 however, notably in central Texas, its destructiveness as a tree 

 parasite outweighs other considerations in its behalf. 



(2) The region in which mistletoe is most destructive coincides 

 with the transition from a humid climate favorable for forest growth 

 to a dry climate less favorable for trees, and where the effects upon 

 tree growth are such as to furnish the parasite more favorable light 



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