RED-FUUITED MULEERRY-TREE. 459 



In the Bcirtram botanic garden, at Kingsessing, near Philadelphia, there is a 

 red mulberry-tree, forty feet in height, with a trunk four feet in circumference. 



Propagation, (S)'c. The Morus rubra, Hke tlie white, and black-fruited species, 

 may be propagated from seeds, by cuttings and layers, or by grafting; and, in 

 general, will thrive with similar treatment. Its growth, however, is more slow, 

 and it requires a richer soil, and succeeds best in sheltered valleys, at a considera- 

 ble distance from the sea. 



Insects. It has frequently been asserted, and is generally believed, that the 

 leaves of this species are not fed upon by any insect but the silkworm. In Smith 

 and Abbott's work on the " Insects of dJeorgia," however, a specimen of the red 

 mulberry is given, with the small ermine moth, (Phala3na punctatissima.) feed- 

 ing on it. 



Properties and Uses. The perfect wood of the Morus rubra, which is fine- 

 grained, and compact, though light, is of a yellowish hue, approaching to lemon- 

 colour. It possesses strength and solidity; and, when properly seasoned, it is 

 almost as durable as that of locust, to which, by many persons, it is esteemed 

 equal. In the dock-yards at Philadelphia, Baltimore, and the more southern ports, 

 it is employed in the construction of both the upper and lower frames of vessels, 

 for knees, tloor-timbers, &c. ; and is prefeired to every other kind of wood for 

 trenails, except that of the locust. In Charleston, South Carolina, it is sometimes 

 selected for the ribs of large boats. It is also used in the parts of the country 

 where it abounds, for the posts of rural fences, which, from their durability, are 

 as much esteemed as those of the locust. As the leaves of this species are thick, 

 rough, and hairy, while young, they are improper for the food of silkworms, 

 which feed with advantage, in a cold climate, only on the Morus alba, or some 

 of its varieties. The red mulberry is well deserving of cultivation, both from its 

 thick and shady foliage, and the agreeable flavour of its daik-red fruit. 



