Morus Mulberry. 101 



dark green, and contrasts finely with the colors of most 

 other trees in the vicinity. 



The red mulberry, M. rubra, is the only species indi- 

 genous to New England. It is a medium-sized tree with 

 large, rough, heart-shaped leaves, sometimes serrate and 

 sometimes lobed. The flowers are of a greenish-yellow 

 tint, small and numerous, followed by dark red fruit, sweet 

 to the taste and preferable to that of most other sorts. 

 The wood is hard, strong, and very durable, and is often 

 used in boat building, and for posts whenever it can be 

 obtained in sufficient quantities. Though not strictly a 

 first-class tree for ornamental planting or for purposes of 

 forestry, it is worthy of a place in every large collection. 



The black mulberry, M. nigra, was carried from 

 Persia to Europe in the i6th century, and thence brought 

 to America, where it has been cultivated to a limited extent 

 in gardens and private grounds. The foliage is much the 

 same as that of the preceding, and the fruit, in the form of 

 a spike composed of numerous calyces and carpels, is 

 succulent, and, to many people, of pleasant taste, but not 

 to all. It is said to be a very long-lived tree and to grow 

 well in most parts of the country. The white-fruited 

 mulberry, M. alba, is a well-known silkworm species, at 

 one time very popular, but now much neglected. It is a 

 medium-sized tree with succulent leaves growing in great 

 abundance. It is worth growing only as a curiosity. The 

 Spanish mulberry, M. hispanica, has large, smooth leaves, 

 and from the vigor of its growth and its rich purple fruit is 

 by many preferred to all others for garden planting. 



