26 



may be continued every eight or ten years for several centuries, and 

 that the quality of the bark, instead of becoming deteriorated, im- 

 proves according to the age of the tree. 



Mr. Justin Browne read, as supplementary to some former publica- 

 tions by the Society on silk culture, the folloM'ing remarks on the 

 management of the mulberry tree in China and Japan : — " In China 

 mulberry trees grow on the hills in places unsuitable for ordinary 

 agricultural purposes. A temperate and cool climate produces the best 

 silks. The Morns alba contains in the greatest proportion both the 

 nutritive and silk forming substances. The Morus muUkaulis produces in 

 greater abundance a large leaf, which may be given to the worms in their 

 earlier stages, but, being watery, is not so nourishing as the smaller leaf of 

 the J/or».s' a^/^«, which has more resinous or silk-foiming quality. Mul- 

 berry trees grown in temperate or comparatively cold climates produce 

 more substantial leaves than those grown in tropical countries. A soil of 

 humid gravel and sand is best. The tree if planted in rows should be 

 two yards distant, and the rows four or five yards apart. Stripping 

 should be deferred till the tree is three years old ; it may then be thinned 

 and pruned to the extent of four-fifths of the leaves. Avoid tearing 

 off needlessly leaves and young branches, which bleed the tree. A 

 young tree will yield five or six pounds of leaves ; in eight or ten years 

 from thirty to forty pounds per tree. The value of young leaves is 4s. 

 per cwt.,and in their prime 10s. per cwt. In Japan mulberry trees 

 are planted along the borders of the fields, sometimes in rows across 

 them at such intervals from each other as not to interfere with the 

 other crops. In one district large fields are planted on ridges in lines at 

 a distance of over 2 feet from each other, the ridges being more than 3 

 feet apart ; as a rule the tree is kept in a dwarf state, the stumps 

 being only 10 to 18 inches above ground. Sometimes they are allowed 

 to attain a height of 4 or 5 feet, especially when grown in the middle of a 

 field, the few full-grown trees seen were in the vicinity of dwellings. 

 The Japanese state that dwarf trees produce leaves softer and better 

 adapted for feeding silk worms, they say also that trees raised from 

 suckers or layers are preferred, because they yield large leaves and a 

 small quantity of frviit, while trees raised from seed yield plentj^ of fruit 

 and small leaves. The Japanese manure their trees several times in each 

 year, and vise manure prepared from a liquor from the rice plants. " 



The usual votes of thanks to the authors of papers, and the donors of 

 piesentations having been passed, the meeting terminated. 



