254 HISTORY OF FRUITS, 



that produced on standard trees, their time of maturity 

 much earlier, and that they afford an abundant succession 

 from the middle of July until October. They are pruned 

 twice a-year, leaving spurs of two inches long, which, at 

 the winter pruning, are shortened t about an inch in 

 length. It is both a common and a bad practice to make 

 grass-plats under mulberry-trees, by this means retarding 

 the ripening of the fruit by the coolness of the grass; 

 whereas the heat reflected from the earth would greatly 

 promote the ripening. 



The Alba, or white mulberry, is a native of China. 

 The Nigra, or black mulberry, is the tree of the largest 

 size, and the fruit is of a blackish red colour, and from it 

 a good wine is made : this variety is a native of Persia. 

 The Rubra, or red mulberry, is a native of Virginia. 

 The Japan mulberry-tree is called Pqpyrifera, from the 

 bark, of which a kind of paper is made. 



The fact that the mulberry-tree seldom produces fruit 

 until it has arrived at a considerable age, has been much 

 against its cultivation ; but it is now discovered, that by 

 grafting it from the aged trees, or, to use a common phrase, 

 putting an old head on young shoulders, it soon becomes 

 fruitful. 



It is said that these trees, as standards, never require 

 pruning ; but a friend who pruned his trees by the recom- 

 mendation of the author, according to the plan practised 

 at Holkham Hall, found that his mulberry-trees made 

 more wood, and greater progress the following year, than 

 they had done altogether in the six former years. 



