WHITE-FRUITED MULBERRY-TREE. 445 



12. M. A. coNSTANTiXOPOLiTANA. Constantinople White-fruited Mulberry ; Mo- 

 ms constantinopolitana, of London and otliers ; Murier de Constantinople, of the 

 French. This is a low-brancliing tree, seldom exceeding a lioiglu of ten or fif- 

 teen feet; a native of Greece, Turkey, and tiie Crete, and has long been culti- 

 vated in the Jardin des Plantes, at Paris, but which. was not introduced into 

 Britain before 1818. This variety or race, may readily be recognized by its 

 rough, furrowed, stunted trunk; its thick and short branches; its leaves, which 

 are always entire; and its solitary, and very white fruit. 



13. M. A. MULTiCAULis, Loudou. Manij-stallced Bluck-fruited White Mulberry ; 

 Murier mnllicaule, Murier a tiges nombrcuscs, Murier Perrottef. M trier des Phi- 

 lippines, of the French; Yiclstielig-er Maidbcerbfium, of ilie (jennaus; Morodelle 

 Filippiue, of the Italians; Morns niuUicaulis, Many-sUdked Mulljtrry. Chinese 

 Black Mulberry, Perrottet Mulberry, of the British and Anglo-Americans. This 

 variety, or race, is a small, many stemmed-tree, or rather gigantic shrub, of rapid 

 growth, with vigorous shoots, and large, pendulous leaves, which, even in poor, 

 dry soils, are. often six inches long, and eight or nine inches broad: and wliich, 

 in rich, humid soils, are often a foot in length, and fifteen or sixteen inches in 

 breadth. They are convex on the upper surface, cordate-rounded, beini: neither 

 oblique nor lobed, crenate, acute, somewhat rough, when very large, but thin, 

 and generally of a beautiful glossy-green. Its fruit is long, black, and of a fiavour 

 somewhat resembling that of the common black mulberry (Moms nigra.) This 

 variety of mulberry differs from all the others in throwing up suckers freely from 

 the crown of the roots, growing in clusters or bushes, like the lilac, the hazel, the 

 berberry, &c. ; h6nce the name multicaidis (many-stalked.) It also strikes root 

 more readily by cuttings, either of the young or old wood, than any other vari- 

 ety. It was introduced into France in 1821, by M. Perrottet, (agricultural bota- 

 nist and traveller of the marine and colonies of the French.) from Manilla, the 

 capital of the Philippine Islands; into which coimtry it had been brought some 

 years before from China, as an ornamental tree. It was introduced into the 

 United States by the late M. Andre Parmentier, of Brooklyn, Long Island, pre- 

 vious to 1828, when, in June of that year, it was brought into public notice by 

 the American Institute, at New York, at the suggestion of the late Dr. Felix Pas 

 calls. It has since been extensively propagated in France and Italy, wiiere it is 

 still considered one of the best varieties for cultivation, as food for the silkworm; 

 but in America, we regret to say, after all the eulogiinn and attention it has 

 received, it is generally regarded as illy adapted to the production of silk, and 

 the " Brousa," the "Chinese," and the "Alpine" varieties, are taking its place. 

 It still has its advocates, however, among whom is Mr. Gideon B. Smith, of Bal- 

 timore, who took special pains to bring this plant into public favour, through the 

 columns of the "American Farmer," in 1832, and who doubtless possesses more 

 practical knowledge of its nature and application than any other one in the coun- 

 try. He states that, "The Morns multicaulis is perfectly hardy, when grown on 

 its own peculiar and natural soil, which is light, dry, and not over rich. On 

 low, rich soils, the growth of the plants is protracted to so late a season, that tliey 

 do not ripen their wood, and of course they are killed to the ground in winter. 

 I have uniformly grown them on high, dry, rather sandy soil, and never lost a 

 branch or a bud; while others, who planted them on hnv, alluvial, rich soils, 

 have lost them every winter." " I estimate the comparative value of the Morns 

 multicaulis, and the best white or Italian variety, as one to two; that is, I con- 

 sider the Morns multicaulis worth one hundred per cent, more than the white 

 Italian. It saves nine-tenths of the labour in gathering the leaves, on account of 

 their being at least ten times the size of those of the white. ( >U(> pound of Morns 

 multicaulis leaves contains one third more nutritive matter than a pound of the 

 best white mulberry leaves; the reason of this being, there is very little woody 



