1840.] SENATE— No, 36. 117 



those whose roots and branches were both covered, is in a 

 degree confirmed by a statement of Mr. Stebbins. " The last 

 winter," he says, " I left out about half an acre of Canton 

 roots, of some of which I covered the stumps with turf, grass 

 under ; others, with yard manure ; others, with earth ; others, 

 with a little grass, hay, or leaves ; and others had no covering ; 

 and these last were the best preserved ; and the next, those with 

 the slightest covering ; and those with the deepest covering 

 were most injured ; and some entirely destroyed by heat." 



The extraordinary and luxuriant growth of which these 

 trees are susceptible under favorable circumstances, is illus- 

 trated by a fact communicated from the missionaries at the 

 Sandwich islands in the Pacific ocean. " To show how fast 

 trees grow here," the writer of the letter, to whom some Can- 

 ton seed had been sent from this country, says, " a tree came 

 up in my garden on the 9th of April. At the end of four 

 months, measuring all the branches, it had grown 87 feet and 

 had 533 leaves. At the end of six months, it had grown 153 

 feet, and had 939 leaves. It has now (9 January) been grow- 

 ing 9 months and 21 days • and has grown 461 feet and is now 

 growing at the rate of two feet per day, which at the same 

 rate would give 601 feet of wood to the year ; has two main 

 stalks from the ground ; one is 53 inches in circumference ; 

 and the other 5^. The greatest height is now 15^1 feet." 



8. Share^e's VARiExy. — I will in this place speak of a variety 

 of the mulberry, which promises to afford what is much de- 

 sired in Massachusetts ; that is, a large leaf, suitable for the 

 feed of the worms, and which also will endure the rigors of 

 our winter. This is a tree which originated from seed im- 

 ported from Canton and planted in Belchertown, Mass., ten 

 years since. The original tree stood by the road side. The 

 extraordinary character of the tree attracted the notice of Elias 

 Sharpe, of Chaplin, Conn., who by budding and engrafting 

 has considerably multiplied its product ; and it is now desig- 

 nated as Sharpe's new variety. It produces a large and heavy 

 leaf, heart-shaped — at least those which I have seen — and 



