10 



Seedlings vary considerably from the parent tree, and many of the seedlings grown 

 will be found to have leaves of undesirable quality. Hence careful selection should 

 be practiced and many of the seedlings must be rejected. 



The Use of Cuttings. — For propagation by means of cuttings in the summer time, 

 selected seedlings which have made considerable growth may be used. Two or three 

 leaves clipped to half their length should be retained on the cutting (fig. 5, «. ) The 

 cuttings should be set sloping in beds of moist sand in a cool propagating house, or, 

 if such is not available, in a cold frame with northern exposure; if in the shade of 

 trees, so much the better. The sash should be kept closed to conserve the moisture 

 of the atmosphere until the cuttings have taken root. When considerable root 



growth has been made they should 

 be transferred to beds in the open, 

 being placed 6 inches apart each 

 way and well watered until estab- 

 lished. 



The supply of winter cuttings 

 should come from dormant wood 

 taken from the trees just after the 

 leaves have fallen. The cuttings 

 (fig. 5, b) should not be less than 

 one-fourth inch in diameter and 

 should be about 10 inches in 

 length, the top cut being made 

 about a half inch above a bud. 

 The cuttings should be tied in 

 bundles of 50, and these may be 

 buried in moderately moist sand 

 or ashes until spring, when they 

 can be put out in rows in well- 

 prepared soil. These nursery rows 

 should be well cultivated and kept 

 clear of weeds. 



Another method of propagation 

 from cuttings, and a very success- 

 ful one, consists in selecting me- 

 dium-sized shoots about the begin- 

 ning of November. These, before 

 being made into cuttings, are 

 sorted into bundles of different 

 lengths, tied, and heeled in ashes 

 or sand, or in a mixture of both, 

 and protected by a frame having a 

 Fig. 5. — Mulberry cuttings: a, a summer cutting; b, b, win- northern exposure. During the 

 ter cuttings. winter they are taken out and cut 



into lengths of about 5 inches. These are tied in bundles and buried in moifct sand 

 or moss. In early spring they are untied and put quite thickly in a propagating bed 

 having a mild bottom heat, where they will root rapidly. When such a bed is lack- 

 ing, wooden flats about 4 inches deep may be used, but they must have the protec- 

 tion of a frame covered with sash. If a little loamy soil is placed in the bottom of 

 the flats the cuttings will remain in good condition for a considerable time after root- 

 ing and until a favorable opportunity arrives for planting them out in nursery rows. 

 Planting. — The mulberry grows well in a great variety of well-drained soils. The 

 young trees should be transferred from the nursery to their permanent places either 



165 



