212 LANDSCAPE GARDENING, 



suitableness of the foliage for feeding silkworms. Our 

 common mulberry, however, in free, open situations, forms 

 a large, wide-spreading, horizontally branched, and not 

 inelegant tree : the rough, heart-shaped leaves with which 

 it is thickly clothed, afford a deep shade ; and it groups well 

 with the lime, the catalpa, and many other round-headed 

 trees. We consider it, therefore, duly entitled to a place 

 in all extensive plantations ; while the pleasant flavor of 

 its slightly acid, dark red fruit, will recommend it to those 

 A'ho wish to add to the delicacies of the dessert. The 

 timber of our wild mulberry tree is of the very first quality ; 

 when fuHy seasoned, it takes a dull lemon-colored hue, and 

 is scarcely less durable than the locust or Live oak. Like 

 those trees, it is much valued by ship-builders ; and at 

 Philadelphia and Baltimore it commands a high price, for 

 the frame-work, knees, floor-timbers, and tree-nails of 

 vessels. The Red mulberry is much slower in its growth 

 than the locust ; but so far as we are aware it is not liable 

 to the attacks of any insect destructive to its timber ; and 

 it would probably be found profitable to cultivate it as a 

 timber tree. The locust, it will be remembered, grows 

 thriftily only on peculiar soils, loose, dry, and mellow ; the 

 Red mulberry prefers deep, moist, and rich situations. No 

 extensive experiments, so far as we can learn, have been 

 made in its culture ; but we would recommend it to the 

 particular attention of those who have facilities for planta- 

 tions of this kind. 



The Black mulberry of Europe {Morus nigra) is a low, 

 slow-growing tree, with rough leaves, somewhat resembling 

 those of our Red mulberry, but more coarsely serrated, and 

 often found divided into four or five lobes ; while the leaves, 

 »vhich are not heart-shaped on our nat've species, are gene- 



