MULBERRY— MULBERRY PESTS 



1371 



in the list of foods than most other edible 

 native fruits and berries. The quality of 

 the wild fruit is known to vary greatly, 

 some trees yielding berries of excellent 

 ilavor and appearance while others pro- 

 duce small and very inferior berries. The 

 fruit of cultivated and improved varie- 

 ties of mulberries is much superior to 

 the native fruit and has been long appre- 

 ciated though never common in the 

 United States. Old gardens in Eastern 

 and Southern states and New England 

 often contain a mulberry tree and the 

 fruit has been used in a limited way for 

 the table and for preserving. 



In flavor and appearance, mulberries, 

 particularly the dark varieties, resemble 

 blackberries more nearly than they do 

 any of the other common fruits. The 

 ilavor is sweet and rather aromatic, 

 though not as pronounced as that of the 

 blackberry, and to some palates it Is al- 

 ways accompanied by a suggestion of the 

 peculiar and elusive odor noticed when 

 mulberry leaves are crushed. 



The color of the dark-fruited varieties 

 is intense, and as the berries are soft 

 and easily crushed, they stain the fingers 

 or table linen very readily. 



According to analytical data reported 

 some years ago by a German investiga- 

 tor cultivated mulberries contain 84.7 

 per cent water, 0.4 per cent protein, 14.3 

 per cent carbohydrates and 0.6 per cent 

 ash. According to American analyses, 

 blackberries, on an average contain 86.3 

 per cent water, 1.3 per cent protein, 1 

 per cent ether extract, 10.9 per cent car- 

 bohydrates and 0.5 per cent ash, values 

 which in general are much like those 

 quoted for mulberries. In the case of 

 blackberries about 6 per cent of the total 

 carbohydrates has been found to be in- 

 vert sugar, and in the case of mulberries 

 about 9 per cent. Of course, the kind and 

 amount of sugar would be influenced very 

 greatly by the degree of ripeness. 



Mulberries can be used as a dessert 

 fruit and also for making pies, puddings, 

 jellies, jams, etc., in the same way as 

 m-ore common berries. The expressed 

 juice is bottled to some extent in Europe, 



like raspberry juice and other fruit juices, 

 and mulberry wine is also made. The 

 long fruiting season and the generous 

 yield are points in favor of the mulberry 

 for table use. 



MULBERRY PESTS 



Cottony Maple Scale. See Apple Pests. 



Ivy OB Oleander Scale. See Apple 

 Pests. 



Soft Brown Scale 

 Coccus hesperidum Linn. 



General Appearance 



Oval, flat, soft scale, varying from 

 straw to dark brown color; often with 

 distinct darker markings. The largest 

 attain one-fourth of an inch or over in 

 length and three-fourths as much in 

 width. 



Life History 



The young are born alive in great num- 

 bers. The male scales are many times 

 smaller than the females and much light- 

 er in color. All stages are bark and leaf 

 feeders. On citrus trees they crowd in 

 such numbers as to overlap on the young- 

 er limbs and the mid-ribs of the leaves. 

 The life cycle covers from three to five 

 months. 



Distribution 



A serious pest to many plants and very 

 troublesome in greenhouses. 



Food Plants 



Citrus, oleander, camelia, clematis, 

 m.orning-glory, holly, ivy, laurel, box el- 

 der, myrtle, jasmine, mulberry. 



Control 



Same as for black scale. See Olive. 



Natural Enemie.i 



Internal parasites contribute to hold 

 this pest in check but remedial measures 

 are nearly always necessary wherever it 

 appears. 



E. O. EssiG 



White Peach Scale. See Peach Pests. 

 Mulches, Effects of. See Soils. 



