MULBERRIES. 235 



Distribution. Native of central Asia. 



Propagation. By seeds, cuttings, layers or graftage. 



The seeds, if sown as soon as gathered, will make plants about 



one foot high the first season. 



J ^roperties of wood. Probably much the same as those of 



the Red Mulberry. 



Uses. The Russian Mulberry was introduced into the 

 western states by the Russian Mennonites, who esteem it very 

 highly for its many good qualities, among which is the ease 



with which it is propagated, its rapid growth, the value of the 

 leaves as food for silk worms, its fruit, ornamental appear- 

 ance and the durability of the wood in contact with the soil. 

 Jt is not perfectly hardy in this section but generally holds 



on well as far north as St. Paul, although it generally kills 

 back considerably for the first few years after planting. 

 While it can be grown in tree form it is much better adapted 

 to being grown in this section in the form of a windbreak. 

 It bears pruning well and makes a very pretty hedge but is 

 not adapted to turning cattle as it is unarmed. The fruit is 

 insipid and generally small, but in almost every large lot of 

 seedlings a few specimens will be found producing fruit of 

 good size and fair quality. While the fruit is not marketable 

 it is often used domestically and also furnishes a large amount 

 of food for birds just when strawberries and raspberries are 

 ripening and is preferred by them to the more acid berries, 

 hence affords some protection to these more important crops. 



Objections to its use in ornamental planting are its suscepti- 

 bility to injury by late spring frosts, which blacken the new 



.growth and the early falling of the leaves in autumn. While 

 its leaves are well adapted to feeding the silk- worm and have 

 been successfully used for this purpose in this section in a 

 small way, yet the industry has not become profitable. 



Varieties. A variety known as Teas Weeping Mulberry has 

 been partially tried at the Minnesota Experiment Station but 



lias not proved sufficiently hardy for this section. 



