Gbe IDational IRurscr^snan. 
FOR GROWERS AND DEALERS IN NURSERY STOCK 
The National Nurseryman Publishing Co., Incorporated 
Vol. XXIX. 
HATBORO, PENNA., DECEMBER 1921 
No. 12 
Christmas Trade 
Unless the nurseryman runs a combined nursery and 
florist business, as many of them do especially near large 
cities, his business is at a standstill during the holidays, 
his principal job being keeping down overhead, figuring 
up his profits of the past season or worrying where he 
can borrow money to carry him through till payments 
begin to come in the following spring. 
The chief complaint against the nursery business is 
that it is such a seasonable one, there is not enough pro¬ 
fitable work to keep the help employed it is necessary to 
carry during the winter. 
The period of harvest is so short that any side issue 
that would help to keep down expenses in the off season 
would be of material help. 
The Christmas holidays are the period of harvest for 
so many lines of merchandise that it does seem as if 
the nurseryman had failed to take advantage to the same 
degree, as other trades, in catering to the buying spirit 
of this season. Doubtless there are some nurseries that 
it is out of the question to introduce the side line to 
handle at this period of the year without interfering 
seriously with their special line. There are others, how¬ 
ever, and many of them, and so situated that growing of 
certain lines for the Christmas trade could be done to an 
advantage without interfering with their regular lines. 
In analyzing possibilities along this line the first thing 
that comes to mind is Christmas trees. While it may not 
be possible to compete with the Balsam Fir shipped from 
the northern woods in such quantities there is always 
a demand for a little different supply along this line in 
the form of choicer types of Christmas trees growing in 
tubs. The demand is rather for small plants nicely pro¬ 
portioned, to set on a table. Other evergreens for interior 
and porch decorations are also in demand. 
Before Quarantine 37 went into effect a large business 
was done in berried English Holly in tubs, which brought 
very fancy prices around Christmas. Incidently it was 
as easy to get twenty dollars for a five-foot English Holly 
well berried before Christmas as it was to get five dol¬ 
lars for the same plant for setting out in the grounds in 
spring. There is no evidence that nurserymen have at¬ 
tempted to produce hollies on this side for the same pur¬ 
pose. Perhaps advocates of Quarantine 37 can tell us 
the reason. Among other items which are offered by the 
florist trade and which the nurseryman should be the 
producer are, boxwood sprays, of which there is an an¬ 
nual increasing demand. Laurel festooning suggests 
possibilities if handled on a large scale by nurserymen 
situated in the right localities for raising it, in spite ol 
the fact that such material comes from the woods. Cut 
American Holly is used in large quantities. While there 
seems to be a plentiful supply it goes without saying 
that in time such wholesale destruction as must now be 
going on to supply the Christmas demand, must ulti¬ 
mately exhaust it. Galax leaves, wild smilax and the 
leaves of Magnolia grandiflora come from the south and 
perhaps are hardly worth considering from the nursery¬ 
man’s point ot view. Dagger and fancy ferns suggest 
a possibility if the nurseryman has a suitable location. 
The thought has often come to the writer that there is 
room for a good hardy fern specialist who would build 
up a plant for the purpose of raising these plants in 
quantity from spores and growing them in quantity. 
Collected ferns from the woods which seem to he the 
only source of supply for planters is a poor one at the 
best. There seems to be possibilities of a tremendous 
trade that could be worked up and supply the Christmas 
trade with fronds of the evergreen kinds which would 
be no small part of the business. Another item among 
florists’ supplies is suggested by the dried grasses that 
are used for decorative purposes. 
When one sees advertisements offering special assort¬ 
ments of these items $25, $50 and $100, it shows that 
someone is furnishing them and why not the nursery¬ 
man. It certainly would he worth investigating to find 
out if they would not make a side line that would fit in 
and help him over his dull season. 
Hemlock branches are among the florists’ supplies and 
suggest other decorative evergreens which may be used 
for the same purpose. 
It is up to the nurseryman to think up suitable ma¬ 
terial for decorative purposes during the holidays, grow 
it and he able to supply it in quantity. There is little 
doubt but the enterprising florist decorators would soon 
develop a market for it. 
The many forms of English Ivy have possibilities along 
this line, the berried plants, especially those which hold 
their berries for any length of time after being cut. 
Celastrus scandens is one of these and has a fine dec¬ 
orative value. 
It would be interesting to know if it was a nurseryman 
or a florist that first saw the commercial possibilities of 
the pussy willow along this line, which is being used in 
increasing quantities at Easter. This suggests the Jas- 
minum nudiflorum being used in the same way. Cut 
branches can be brought into flower when brought into 
the warmth, almost any time during the winter. 
The Forsythias, Pyrus japonica, Lonicera fragrantis- 
sima are promising plants to experiment with, and right 
in line with the nurseryman’s work. 
The yellow and red-twigged dogwoods and some of 
the willows properly grown and handled might find 
favor with the decorators. Mahonia aquifolia has beauti- 
