CHINESE MULBERRY. 33 



SECTION XIII. 

 MORETTIANA MULBERRY. 



THIS new and most valuable species of mulberry was 

 first discovered about the year 1815, by M. Moretti, 

 Professor in the University of Pavia, and from a single 

 young tree, he had in 1826, multiplied them to 120,000. 

 The leaf is ovate, sharp pointed, entire, cordate at the 

 base. It is thin, smooth on the under and especially 

 on the upper surface, which is of a beautiful and rather 

 deep shining green ; it is not near so thick as that of 

 the large white mulberry, called in France the Admirable, 

 and is thinner than those of the Spanish mulberry (Mo- 

 rtis nigra.) It is neither wrinkled nor plaited. It is 

 in general nearly eight inches wide, and ten inches 

 long. The fruit, which is at first violet, becomes at 

 maturity perfectly black, but is sometimes white. This 

 mulberry will be most profitably cultivated in the form 

 of a hedge, and from "the superior size of the leaf they 

 are gathered with the greatest facility. Its superior 

 quality has been proved by the experiments of M. Cera 

 and Count Dandolo, who assert that they produce silk 

 of a more beautiful gloss and finer quality than com- 

 mon silk. 



SECTION XIV. 



CHINESE MULBERRY. (Menus NIGRA SINEHSIS.) 

 Monus MULTICAULIS. (Many stalked Mulberry.} 



MORUS ClJLCALLATA. 



PERROTTET MULBERRY. 



FOR the first knowledge of the history of this plant, 

 the American public are indebted to the laborious and 



