THE MULBERRY. 127 



To procure the seed, the fruit should be put into a 

 vessel of water, bruised, and the water and pulp 

 should be carefully poured off. The seed that are 

 good will sink to the bottom, while those which are 

 unripe will float, and should be poured off with the 

 pulp. A sheet, or other large cloth, should be spread 

 under the tree, and the tree shaken gently, so as to 

 detach all that are ripe, without disturbing the unripe 

 berries. The berries should be washed as soon as 

 possible after being gathered ; for if kept several 

 days, fermentation takes place, and destroys the vege- 

 tating property. But when it becomes necessary to 

 keep the seed, they should be spread upon a board 

 and dried in the shade ; after which, they should be 

 put into a bottle and sealed hermetrically. 



When the time arrives for sowing, and theculturist 

 is under the necessity of buying seed, he should be 

 careful in the selection, as many cheats have been 

 practised by those who vend foreign seed. I would 

 recommend those of our own growth, in preference 

 to foreign seed ; as the silk growers and manufactur- 

 ers of Europe, look with a jealous eye on every at- 

 tempt at the silk culture in America. Several kinds 

 of seed, such as turnip, have been sold in this country 

 fot the genuine Morus Multicaulis. At first, this con- 

 duct would appear strange; but when we recollect 

 the fact, that if you touch a man's purse you touch 

 his soul, we need not be astonished. When the cot- 

 ton manufacture was in its infancy, swarms of spies 



