POPULAR GARDENING 



FOR TOWN AND COUNTRY. 



"ACCUSE NOT NATURE, SHE HATH DONE HER PART; DO THOU BUT r///A'jB."^MlLTON. 



Vol. 1, 



3Sd:.A.K,CI3:, 1886. 



No. 6. 



About Mulberries. 

 Within a few years, not a little spare, in 

 some nursery catalogues, has been given to 

 illustrations, descriptions, etc., of the liussian 

 Mulberry. The attention thus bestowed 

 quite suddenly on a Slulberry,* reminds one, 

 mildly, of the craze which was incited some 

 thirty odd years ago over the Chinese Mul- 



NEW AMERICAN MULBERRY. 



berry and silli culture with us, and which 

 now, so far as the tree is concerned, is rarely 

 heard of. We have no fear whatever, of a 

 Russian Midberry fever at the present time, 

 to be followed by serious results, but we 

 think it timely to make some general remarks 

 on Mulberries, for the benefit of our readers. 



Of the various species of ]\Iull)erries 

 known, the Black (Morus nigra), the Wliite 

 (M. alba), and the Red (M. rubra), but espec- 

 ially the two former, have long been promi- 

 nently before the world. All other culti- 

 vated sorts, of which there are many, are 

 mostly descendents of these. Of the genus 

 Mulberry or Mun/x, it may be said that it is 

 clcsely related to the Fig, the Osage Orange, 

 and more distantly to the Bread Fruit tree 

 and the Cow tree of the Tropics. 



Tlie Black (also called the English Mul- 

 berry) has been grown from the earliest times. 

 The berry is large, black, of a sugary and 

 rich flavor, and much esteemed wherever 

 known. In this country it is scarcely hardy 

 enough to thrive north of New York, except 

 in sheltered places. The tree has large, deep- 

 green heart-shaped leaves, and is valuable 

 as an ornamental tree aside from its fruit. 



The White Mulberry, the most famous 

 member of this genus, is so, because of its 

 furnishing in its leaves the best known food 

 of the silk worm. It is grown on an exten- 

 sive scale wherever silk culture is followed. 

 The fruit is yellowish white, and while 

 borne aliundantly, is insipid to the taste, 

 hence of little value. The tree is hardier 

 than is that of the Black .Mulberry. 



Having been much cultivated along with 

 silk raising, from time immemorial, the 

 White has become the parent of countless 

 varieties. Among these are the Russian 

 Mulberries, referred to above. The Cliine.se 



Mulberry also mentioned, is another variety. 

 As for the Russian sorts, the discription giv- 

 en of the parent, will apply in part. These 

 were introduced by the Ru.ssian Mennonites 

 quite largely into the West some years since. 



There is no distinct variety known as the 

 Russian jMulberry, for being raised as 

 these have been from seed, thej- vary much 

 in minor respects. The trees are good 

 enough to grow for silk or for timber, being 

 of rapid growth — hence very desirable in 

 treeless regions — but for fruit, they possess 

 no marked value, especially where other 

 good fruits abound. Let us add that these 

 are excellent trees to plant for shade in poul- 

 trj' runs, as the growth is quick, the shade 

 heavy, the fruit is much relished by the 

 fowls, and its time of ripening extends 

 through several months. It has been ob- 

 served too, as an excellent point in favor of 

 this class, that where planted, birds take of 

 the fruit in preference to garden fruits. 



The Everbearing or Downing Mulberry, 

 I is a vigorous and productive American seed- 

 ling, surpassed by none except the Black 

 English, while it is hardier, and possesses 

 the same rich sub-acid flavor; ripens grad- 

 ually, a long time in succession. 



The New American Mulberry, of which 

 an engraving is shown, is regarded ver_v 

 higlily by those who have grown it for fruit. 

 It« bearing season, extends through about 

 six weeks. The fruit is said to be jet black 

 when ripe, and of an agreeable flavor. 



The Red Mulberry is a native sjiecies of 

 more value as an ornamental tree than for 

 fruit, although this is not unpalatable. 



As ornamental trees, the JIulberries, for 

 the most part, have hand.some shining leaves, 

 that present a singularly fresh and luxuriant 

 appearance, even in drj' seasons. Were it 

 not for a fault of taking on with age an open 

 style of growth that is not consistent with 

 beauty, they might be ranked among orna- 

 mental trees of the first-class. As it is, they 

 must be consigned to the back-ground. 



Between the fruit and their other attrac- 

 tions, one or more Mulberries would be well 

 in place in every fair-sized garden. They do 

 the best in a deep, rich, well-drained loam. 



Notes From Lyndale. 

 BY A. H. E. 



What is a tree worth? I think the value of 

 established trees is not sufficiently ajjpreciated. 

 Last Saturday I was called upon by the owner 

 of grounds to he taken in by, a new street, to 

 testify as to the value of the trees on the place, 

 before a commission of appraisers. 



On the place I found 10^ trees, shmbs, and 

 vines, including 8(i Rasplxriy bushes, that 

 would be destroyed. They had mostly been 

 planted from three to seven years ago. After 

 a careful examination of these, and after i 

 mature and unbiased deliberation, I plated 

 my estimate of their worth at .?82T, feeling, 

 however, in my own mind, that if there was a 

 mistake, it was on the side of this being rather 

 low. The figures, accompanied by explana- 



tions, met with no opposition from the commis- 

 ' sion ; the owner was well satisfied. 



*** 



Now, a point I want to direct attention to in 

 these Notes, is, that the owner of the trees re- 

 ferred to had at first not thouglit they were 

 worth enough to say anything about. Then he 

 called to mind how he had, one sesusim after 

 the other, paid out a good deal of money for 

 the stock, and for careful jjlanting. The care 

 given them, in the meantime, was also worth 

 something, he well knew. Besides, the fruit 

 trees were beginning to bear handsome crops 

 of fruit, the cost of which in the markets, if 

 bought, would be considerable. Some Pear 

 [ trees last season bore three pecks of fruit each. 



Being a sensible business man, he concluded 

 to call in the services of one familiar with trees, 

 to estimate on their worth, with the result 

 noted. He will hereafter have greater respect 

 for the worth of trees. 



The estimates made, and accepted were as 

 follows: 13 Apple, .S to 11 feet high, S12 each; 

 IT Dwarf Pear, 7 to 13 fc^;t high (the soil 

 seemed remarkably well adapted to this tree), 

 $30 each; 1 Crab apple, 10 feet high, $30; 7 

 Plum, to 9 feet, $.5 each; 2 Cherry, 10 to 12 

 feet, $10 each; 4 (irape vines (last year jjlanted), 

 $2; 30 Raspberry, $1 each; 3 Horse-chestnut, 

 1.5 feet, $30 each; 2 Hard Maple (3 years plant- 

 ed), $4 each; 4 Silver Maple, 20 to 2.") feet, $1.5 

 each; 2 American Mountain Ash, 13 feet, $5 

 each; 1 European Mountain Ash (handsome), 

 $20; 1 Magnolia, .5 feet, $8; 1 Clematis, $4; 1 

 Lilac, $3; 1 Norway Spruce (not thrifty), $1; 6 

 Ampelopsis, $1.50 each. 



* * * 



While the owner of these trees felt that I 

 fully appreciated their worth, more so, in fact, 

 than he himself had done, yet I claim, as al- 

 ready intimated, that the figures were, if any- 

 thing, below rather than above the true worth. 



Take the Pears, for example, a number ot 

 them bore three pecks of magnificent fruit 

 each, last season. This would have cost, to 

 have bought it, no loss than $1,.50 per basket, or 

 say $2.25 per tree. And $3.25 is the interest, at 

 six per cent, ot about $37 for one year, which, 

 to make no allowance for care and garden 

 room, might be considered as representing the 

 worth of the tree. But I estimated these trees 

 at only $20 each, and they will go on continu- 

 ing to improve in bearing right along for years 

 to come. While by this kind of reckoning, the 

 price seems even too low, yet at this rate, 

 it made the planting of the trees years ago a 

 good investment indeed, just such in fact, as I 

 am satisfied usually attends judicious planting. 

 *** 



Much is from time to time printed in the 

 pajjers concerning tree agents and their ras- 

 calities. Of this, no doubt a great deal is well 

 merited, yet we must remember that not all 

 tree agents are rascals. While not a tree or a 

 shrub of the hundreds growing at Lyndale, was 

 bought ot an agent, because for myself, I never 

 deal with the class, yet after all I feel to i)at 

 them on the back — that is the honest ones, who 

 represent reputable nvusei-ies— and wish them 

 success in their work. In a sense they are mis- 

 sionaries of horticulture. By their enterprise 

 and persistency in inducing planting, they 

 have in cases without end, converted land own- 

 ers, who were not tree planters, to become 

 such, and in time to further become ardent 

 lovers of trees, and prosperous fruit gi-owers. 



