158 [ THE WHITE MULBERRY 



propagate the white mulberry by budding or grafting on 

 pieces of the roots, but this method presents hardly any 

 advantage on propagation by seed. Propagation by 

 cuttings or by root-budding or root-grafting, if desired, 

 can be performed at the time when the buds are about to 

 move in February or early in March. 



The following are the best known varieties or forms 

 of the mulberry grown in these Islands. 



1. The COMMON MULBERRY. (Morus alba Lin. typ.) 

 Consists usually of unbudded seedlings. The fruit is 

 middling or small, and may be of any colour from white 

 and light pink to violet brown and nearly black. The 

 fruit is eatable but too small to be valuable. It is 

 generally shaken down the tree and fed to pigs, which 

 seem to fatten readily on this diet. The foliage is good 

 for the silkworm. 



2. The CULTIVATED WHITE MULBERRY is the large- 

 fruited, pure white form of the mulberry, usually propa- 

 ted by budding as a fruit tree. 



3. The CULTIVATED PINK OR DEEP ROSE MULBERRY, 



sometimes called the LARGE-FRUITED MULBERRY OF 

 LOMBARDY. The fruit is as large as that of the preceding 

 or larger, and is perhaps sweeter. It is propagated 

 as a fruit tree by budding. 



4. The MALE MULBERRY. The tree produces 

 only catkins of male flowers which drop off soon after 

 flowering, and therefore no fruit is produced. The tree 

 is much more vigorous than the fruit-bearing mulberries, 

 and as it gives a rich yield of foliage, may be propagated 

 by budding as a foliage tree for the silkworm industry. 

 It is also suitable for plantations along roads, both on 

 account of its vigour and because it produces no fruit to 

 entice children. Seedling male mulberries occur frequently 

 among batches of plants raised from seed. It is 

 noteworthy that the presence of a male mulberry near 

 the fruit-bearing trees is necessary to secure well- 



