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Linnaeus has enumerated seven species of those which 

 were known in his day ; and among these there are 

 two species, the Tinctoria and Indica, which are not 

 used as the food of the silkworm. Those most esteemed 

 and known are the Morus Alba^ or white mulberry, the 

 Moms Multicaulis or Chinese mulberry and the Morus 

 Moretti. I will, then, describe only these three varie- 

 ties, as being the best. 



The nourishment which is contained in the mulberry 

 leaf is not completely developed till the leaf is fully 

 grown. According to the analysis of Count Dandolo, the 

 leaf contains : 1st, the fibrous substance ; 2d, the color- 

 ing matter ; 3d, water ; 4th, the saccharine substance ; 

 5th, the resinous substance. The saccharine substance 

 is that which nourishes the insect, augmenting its 

 growth and size ; the resinous, that which " separating 

 itself gradually from the leaf, and attracted by the ani- 

 mal organization, accumulates, cleans itself, and insensi- 

 bly fills the two reservoirs or silk vessels. " The propor- 

 tion of this nutriment depends upon the variety of the 

 mulberry, the age, the soil, and the moisture or dryness 

 of the season. Now, I will describe the three best 

 varieties of mulberry trees for silk raising. 



First, MORUS MULTICAULIS, or Chinese mulberry, 

 or also many-stalked mulberry. The tree grows 

 vigorous, upright, and beautiful ; the leaves, large, 

 soft, and tender, are petiolate, cordate, accuinissate, 

 serrated towards the summit, marked with nerves, 

 always entire. Their upper surface is convex or 

 curled, of a deep and beautiful shining green. The 



