STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 259 



other tropical fruits nourishing side by side, as they maj^, and in time 

 will, all along the foot-hills of the Sierra Nevada and coast ranges of 

 mountains, the whole length of the State, I am also anxious that our 

 vast river bottoms shall be cultivated 'with something that will not 

 require annual planting, and that will live and nourish and produce 

 remunerative crops, notwithstanding the winter and spring floods. If 

 there is any annual crop, or crop requiring to be planted every year, 

 better adapted to these low bottom lands than another, I am of the 

 opinion that crop is the sugar beet. This crop will grow and come to 

 sufficient maturity for sugar purposes after the water leaves the soil. 

 The production of sugar will, at no distant day, be one of the leading 

 industries of the State; and the farmer on the rivers will find that he 

 can very appi*opriately and handily cultivate the beet and mulberry 

 together; not on the same piece of land — but that he can conveniently 

 attend to a crop of each. He may also cultivate hops in connection with 

 both, selecting for the latter his highest bottom land, upon which the 

 water will remain the shortest time. 



THE MULBERRY TREE — ITS PROPAGATION AND TREATMENT. 



There are quite a number of varieties of the mulberry tree, but those 

 most commonly used in the production of silk are the morus multicaulis, 

 morus alba and morus moretti. The multicaulis is the most rapid 

 grower and produces the greatest quantity of leaves. It is the easiest 

 propagated from cuttings, and is most easily managed as a dwarf for 

 plantations. It is not so much used for feeding worms in European 

 countries a*s the alba and moretti, as its leaf absorbs -more water, and 

 it is believed, therefore, not to be so health}' in those wet climates for 

 the worm. It is very doubtful whether it is liable to this objection in 

 this climate. It is certainly preferable to feed worms on until they are 

 from ten days to two weeks old, as the leaves are more tender. Indeed, 

 worms fed entirely on the leaves of the multicaulis have done well in 

 this State and made most excellent cocoons. The alba and moretti are 

 very nearly alike in their habits and appearance, the greatest difference 

 being in the color of their berries — the former bearing white berries, and 

 the latter those of a purple color. The wood of these varieties is harder 

 and more compact than that of the multicaulis, having very much the 

 appearance and texture of the locust. The tree makes a most rapid and 

 beautiful growth, and forms one of the most beautiful and agreeable 

 ornamental or shade trees. Though not so easily propagated from cut- 

 tings as the multicaulis, yet they may be readily grown in this manner. 

 The cuttings should be taken from the tree, in this State, in December 

 or January, and immediately planted in the ground; though, if the 

 ground is not ready, they may, like the cuttings of multicaulis, be kept 

 until February or March, by burying in a sandy, dry soil, or placing 

 them in a cool cellar. For planting they should be cut up into pieces 

 containing from two to three eyes each, and placing them in an upright 

 position in the ground, should be covered so that the upper end will be 

 about an inch below the surface. Cuttings of the alba and moretti 

 varieties have been made to succeed well by lajung the cane full length 

 in a trench and covering it three or four inches. It is also thought by 

 some that for these varieties it is better to use the ends of the limbs for 

 cuttings altogether, and leave them, say a foot long, inserting nearly the 

 whole length in the ground. It is much harder to propagate these vari- 

 eties from cuttings than the multicaulis, and I would recommend exper- 



