RED-FRUITED MULBERRY-TREE. 
Tn the Bartram botanic garden, at Kingsessing, near Philadelphia, there is a 
red mulberry-tree, forty feet in heigbt, with a trunk four feet in circumference. 
Propagation, fyc. The Moms rubra, like the white, and black-fruited speci< 
may be propagated from seeds, by cuttings and layers, or by grafting; and. in 
general, will thrive with similar treatment. Its growth, however, is more Blow, 
and it requires a richer soil, and succeeds best in sheltered valleys, at a considera- 
ble distance from the sea. 
Insects. It has frequently been asserted, and is generally believed, that tin; 
leaves of this species are not fed upon by any insect but the silkworm. In Smith 
and Abbott's work on the "Insects of Georgia," however, a specimen of the red 
mulberry is given, with the small ermine moth, (Phala3na punctatissima,) feed- 
ing on it. 
Properties and Uses. The perfect wood of the Morns rubra, which is fine- 
grained, and compact, though light, is of a yellowish hue, approaching to lemon- 
colour. It possesses strength and solidity; and, when properly seasoned, it is 
almost as durable as that of locust, to which, by many persons, it is esteemed 
equal. In the dock-yards at Philadelphia, Baltimore, and the more southern ports, 
it is employed in the construction of both the upper and lower frames of vessels, 
for knees, floor-timbers, &c ; and is prefeired to every other kind of wood for 
trenails, except that of the locust. In Charleston, South Carolina, it is sometine > 
selected for the ribs of large boats. It is also used in the parts of the country 
where it abounds, for the posts of rural fences, which, from their durability, are 
as much esteemed as those of the locust. As the leaves of this species are thick, 
rough, and hairy, while young, they are improper for the food of silkworms, 
which feed with advantage, in a cold climate, only on the Moms alba, or some 
of its varieties. The red mulberry is well deserving of cultivation, both from its 
thick and shady foliage, and the agreeable flavour of its daik-red fruit. 
