THE STRANGE RESULT 169 



true Downing is all but lost to cultivation, and the 

 false variety is gaining in reputation. It is an excel- 

 lent illustration of the operation of the struggle for 

 existence, and the better has survived ; but the wonder 

 is that such a striking transformation could take place 

 before our very eyes and we see it not ! 



The variety which, in the North, is sold as Down- 

 ing, is really the New American. This variety was 

 brought to notice about 1854, by N. H. Lindley, of 

 Bridgeport, Connecticut. No one knows its history, 

 but it is undoubtedly a chance seedling of one of the 

 old silk-worm mulberries. Two other varieties, the 

 Trovvbridge and Thorburn, are almost indistinguishable 

 from it, and of these the history is also unknown ; but 

 they are forms of Morus alba. The Russian mulberry 

 type has also given us large -fruited varieties within 

 recent years. Two of these which have received 

 names are Ramsey White and Victoria. A Japanese 

 mulberry, too (Morus Japonica), has been introduced, 

 but it has not yet given us important fruit -bearing 

 varieties. 



It will thus be seen that our cultivated mulberry 

 flora, although small, is yet delightfully confused ; but 

 the confusion, when once understood, is found to be 

 the result of a curious evolution, in the course of which 

 the old-time fruit -bearing mulberry has lost its promi- 

 nence, the native mulberry has come to the fore, the 

 epoch-making multicaulis, introduced for silk, came to 

 be grown for its fruit, and its best fruit -producing 

 variety has been driven out by a variety of another 

 species which has heretofore been grown only for 

 silk ; and the entire transformation has been wrought 

 by intelligent men who were ignorant of it ! 



