2070 



MORUS 



MORUS 



has little merit for its fruits unless one desires to feed 

 the birds. 



Varieties of mulberries are now readily worked on 

 seedlings of the Russian. One of the most successful 

 grafts is S. D. Willard's method, shown in Fig. 2395. 



2395. A method of grafting the mulberry, a, the cion; b, matrix 

 to receive cion; c, the graft tied; d, the graft waxed. 



The grafting is performed in spring when the bark will 

 slip, using cions which have been kept perfectly 

 dormant or on ice; a is the cion, the lower part being 

 cut thin so that it will enter readily between the bark 

 and wood of the stock; b is the stock, with an incision 

 made through the bark essentially as for shield-bud- 

 ding; c shows the graft bound with cord or raffia; d 

 shows the completed operation, the 

 work being covered with wax. 

 Morus multicaulis grows from cut- 

 tings in the South. These cuttings, 

 with the buds removed to prevent 

 sprouting, are often grafted before 

 they are planted with a long cion of 

 the desired variety (see Fig. 1691). 

 The cutting acts as a nurse, and 

 the cion takes root of itself if set 

 deep enough. 



There are many mulberries with 

 ornamental forms. Of these, the 

 most popular in America at present 

 is Teas' weeping, a chance seedling of the Russian mul- 

 berry tribe. When grafted several feet high on straight 

 Russian stock, it makes one of the best of small weep- 

 ing lawn trees (Fig. 2396). It originated on the grounds 

 of John C. Teas, Carthage, Missouri, about 1883. 

 Various cut-leaved forms, mostly of M . alba, are seen in 

 fine collections, of which the form known as M . venosa 

 (Fig. 2397) is one of the best. The foliage of mulberries 

 is interesting because so variable. Even on the same 

 tree there may be leaves of several forms, while differ- 

 ent trees of the same species may show strong individ- 

 ual traits. The most striking variations are in the lob- 

 ing of the leaves. 



A. Lvs. mostly bright and glabrous above, and usually glossy. 

 B. Style very short or practically none. 



alba, Linn. WHITE 

 MULBERRY. Figs. 2398, 

 2399 B. Lvs. light green, 

 rather small, smooth or 

 very nearly so above 

 and often shining, the 

 veins prominent beneath 

 and whitish, variously 

 lobed or divided, the 

 basal lobes unequal, the 

 teeth large and for the 

 most part rounded or 

 nearly obtuse, the 

 branches gray or gray- 

 ish yellow: fr. variable, 

 usually narrow, 1-2 in. 



2396. Teas' weeping mulberry. long, white or violet, 



very sweet. China. Morus alba has been cult, from 

 the earliest times, chiefly for feeding the silk- worm. 

 It is a frequent tree along roadsides and in the old 

 yards in the eastern states, where the trunk some- 

 times attains a diam. of 2 ft. This half-wild form usu- 

 ally has rather small rounded shining Ivs. with very 

 large rounded teeth, and bears small whitish or violet 

 frs. which are very sweet. Sometimes the frs. are an 

 inch long, but they are oftener only half that length, 

 and one sometimes finds trees on which the frs. are 

 barely J4 m - l n g- Now and then a tree bears fr. nearly 

 or quite black. Birds, poultry and hogs are fond of 

 these mulberries. The trees are usually very thick- 

 topped and bushy growers, but sometimes one is seen 

 which, when young, has branches as straight and trim 

 as a Northern Spy apple. These half-wild trees are 

 seedlings, and this accounts for their variability. Var. 

 pendula, Dipp. Branches slender, drooping. Var.pyram- 

 idalis, Ser. (var fastigidta, Schelle). Tree of pyramidal 

 form: Ivs. acute, usually lobed. Var. laciniata, Beissn. 

 (var. skeletoniana, Schneid.) SKELETON-LEAVED MUL- 

 BERRY. Lvs. regularly and deeply divided into narrow 

 lobes, the terminal lobe and usually two of the lateral 

 ones with very long points: a distinct and graceful form. 

 Var. tatarica, Loudon (M. tatdrica, Linn.). RUS- 

 SIAN MULBERRY. Fig. 2400. A hardy type of M. alba 

 which was intro. into our western states in 1875-77 by 

 the Russian Mennonites. It differs little from the type 

 of M . alba in botanical characters. As 

 commonly seen, it is a low-growing 

 very bushy -topped small tree with 

 small and much-lobed Ivs. The fr. is 



2397. The venosa mulberry. Morus alba 

 var. venosa. 



usually very small and insipid, and varies from creamy 

 white to violet, and almost black. 



Var. vendsa, Del. (var. nervdsa, Lodd. Var. fibrosa, 

 Ser. M.urticsefolia^ort.}. Fig. 2397. Lvs. contracted 

 and jagged, and very strongly marked with many white 

 veins. It bears fr. ^in. long. Among the horticul- 

 tural curiosities this tree should find a place, although 

 it is not grown by our nurserymen. Its ornamental 

 value is considerable, especially when striking effects 

 are desired. Rare in Amer. The history of this mul- 

 berry is obscure. Delile described it in a French report 

 as long ago as 1826; of horticultural origin. 



The variations of this species allow of many Latin 

 names to be applied. The following names, which 

 one may find in horticultural literature, are referable 

 to M. alba: byzantina, cedrona(f), colombassa, constan- 

 tinopolitana, Fegyvernekiana, globosa, intermedia, italica, 

 laciniata (of some), lucida, membranacea, macrophylla, 

 Morettii, Morettiana, romana, rosea. 



BB. Style evident or even prominent. 

 japonica, Audib. (M. alba var. stylosa, Bureau). 

 Lvs. usually large, dull, rather thin, long-pointed, the 

 rounded teeth very large and deep, or the margin even 

 almost jagged, the Ivs. upon the young growth usually 

 deeply lobed. China, Korea, Japan. This species has 

 been intro. into this country, but apparently is not 

 much known. It is tender in the N. when young. The 

 fr. is described as short-oblong and red. 



