m 



AND GARDENER'S JOURNAL. 



PUBUSHED BY GEORGE C. BARRETT, NO. 52, NORTH MARKET STREET, (Agricultural Warehouse.) — T. G. FESSENDEN, EDITOR. 



VOL. XIII. 



BOSTON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, M.\Y 27, 1835. 



NO. 46. 



BEE PASTURAGE. 



We have often tliouglit that there was not i:o 

 much attention paid to the providing pasturage, =1" 

 we may so call it, for liees as there ought to hi. 

 The jtrincipal trouble \s to get such vegetables iii 

 sufficient quantity around them as will blossom 

 «arly in the spring, and afford thent such food as 

 their wants require. The earliest blossom that we 

 have in this latitude is the commons wamp willow. 

 But very little thought or care is taken of I'lis 

 shrub. It is generally cut down and other shn lis 

 spared which do not blossom till late in the sea- 

 son, whereas it should be saved and increased. It 

 may very easily be multiplied by cutting off and 

 sticking down branches here and there, which v.'ill 

 take root and grow, and afford fine pasturage for 

 them. It is an object to plant them in wet and 

 waste places. The species of \villow most prev- 

 alent here is not so limber and tough as many ot' 

 the other species. Would it not be well to in- 

 troduce the other kinds, such as are used for 

 basket and wicker work? These might be suffer- 

 ed to grow, and part of the twigs be cut off .•;:i- 

 nually and sold for the purposes of basket making 

 and the others left to blossom for the bee. 



The next earliest blossom is probably the alder, 

 which does not yield quite so much food for bees 

 as the willow — but they use it however to good 

 advantage. Next the ehn and the maple and the 

 little fragrant creeping ground laurel or mayflowei, 

 (Epigea repens) and the birch and the hazel. 



They also need food late in the season, and 

 such autumnal plants as linger late should lie 

 spared for them. Buck wheat and hemp should 

 be sown, and the witch hazel which throws out its 

 blossoms late in October, and sometimes not till No- 

 vember, should be suffered to grow here and there, 

 that they may take a sip now and then when thej' 

 venture out during the gleamings of a November 

 sun. Many are apt to think these kind of shrubs 

 useless, because they do not yield some luscious 

 fruit or useful product directly into their hands, 

 wheB no doubt myriads of living beiags are de- 

 pendent upon them for existence, and ev -n the 

 lordly insect, man, may be indebted to thaj.i for 

 more of his comforts than he is aware of. — Maine 

 Farmer. 



CHINESE BITTLBERRY. . 



The first genuine seed of this plant WT.r had in 

 this country, was obtained by the Secieiary of 

 our Agricultural Society, through an American 

 Missionary resident at Canton. It was distributed 

 among individuals here and various experiments 

 have been made and others are now making in this 

 town, to test its adaption to our climate and supe- 

 riority over the common mulberry for the feeding 

 of silk worms. As the seedling plant is but little 

 known in this country except in this town and its 

 character is exciting much interest with silk 

 growers, we have tried, through Dr Stebbins, to 

 collect such facts about the nature and cultivation 

 of the plants. The Secretary says — 



" This seed was probably the first and only true 



seed ever imported. It was sowed in drills, and 

 where not planted too deep did well ; some was 

 sown as late as the month of August and did well. 

 The seed sliould be planted only about one fourth 

 of an inch in depth. The leaves attained a good 

 size, more than 10 inches by 9, and probably ^voidd 

 have grown to a greater size, had not the leaves 

 been killed by the early severe frost, which des- 

 stroyed many other of a much firmer wood; the 

 roots have, however, been well preserved and 

 will answer well for trasplanting this spruig — 

 those who have made engagements for them will 

 be siijjplied, and can have more if wanted and 

 applied for soon. 



There is one distinctive peculiarity between the 

 leaves of the seedling Chinese Mulberry of the last 

 year and the leaves of plants or trees which have 

 been long in the country, propagated from cuttings 

 or layers, while the leaves of the latter are pen- 

 dulous, having the appearance of debility — the 

 former from the seed give out a leaf of stout tex- 

 ture, of equal size, without any appearance of de- 

 liilily, equally soft, silky, and as congenial to the 

 constitution of the worm. For feeding womis 

 one (lound of the Chinese mulberry is said to be 

 equal to nearly double that quantity of white 

 mulberry, probably because young worms will not 

 or cannot eat the fibres and stems of the white 

 mulberry, while of the Chinese leaf the worms 

 eat stem and all, a great .saving in feed. It is 

 agreed among horticulturists, and a fact acknowl- 

 edged by mn-sery men, that trees propagated 

 liy cuttings or shoots, are not as long-lived as those 

 from seed. This circumstance is highly favora- 

 able to the culture of the Chinese seedling. 



Although the climate of New England may be 

 congenial to the growth and culture of the Chi- 

 nese mulberry, and that trees have withstood the 

 severity of several winters, even in open and ex- 

 posed situations, because these trees have not been 

 disturbed by frequent hoeing about the roots, in 

 the extensive cultivation of the Chinese nuilberry, 

 it may he prudent to accelerate the growth in the 

 early part of the season, by frequent hoeing and 

 Burring the earth about the plant — and by or be- 

 fore the middle of the month of August, it will 

 be necessary wholly to omit stirring the earth 

 about the roots, to impede the growth of the tree. 

 To use the leaves for feeding wonns, or for dry- 

 ing in a shade with a sprinkling of salt and pack- 

 ed away for early use the next spring. By this 

 method the tree may acquire a more firm tex- 

 ture or wood. On light soil the plant will soon- 

 est cease to grow, therefore our poor light laud 

 will best answer for the propagation of the Chi- 

 nese mulberry, and on such land be more likely 

 to acquire firm wood and the capability of with- 

 standing the severity of northern winters. But as 

 the plant may be multiplied by cuttings or layers, 

 to a great extent, should any person fear the se- 

 verity of winter, the plants may be easily secured 

 by laying down the plant and covering with earth, 

 or by drawing up the earth a few inches above 

 where the sprouts start from the foot stalk — or by 



taking u|it'ie roots and setting out in a cellar or 

 out housi:. These several methods have been 

 adopted with success, and have preserved the 

 roots in a healthy condition ; but the tender plants 

 v/Iiich were left in the field without any protection 

 have suffered severely, especially in conseiiuencc 

 of the early frost, which proved the death not only 

 of the Chj.iese mulbeiTy stock, hut also some of 

 our most hardy trees. The free circulation of the 

 sap being thus impeded, and retained in the body 

 of the tree, imtil the winter frost set in, froze the 

 saj) and In many instances opened large crevices 

 in tlie bark and wood of the grape, peach, cherry 

 and perhaps some other trees, some of which arc 

 apparently dead above the openings, and no plant 

 in its grceu state, could withstand such attacks 

 without some protection — where this has befen 

 attended to, the roots appear healthy. In setting 

 out this?; ling, if the staiks of the seedling had 

 not been killed the cultivator would have cut 

 away the stalk to about one or two inches above 

 the root before transplanting, tliat vigorous shoots 

 should put forth from the root to form layers. 

 The coming season, a leading stalk may be left for 

 a standard tree, the lower branches bent down for 

 layers, secured in place by forked sticks, covered 

 a few inches whh earth, every eye or bud would 

 give out a branch or tree equal to the original 

 stalk, and a corresponding root ; smd when want- 

 ed for re. 'laiv d -or transplanting can he separated 

 from die parent stock without injury. 



I have this nay examined a standard tree, M. 

 Mullieaulis, wliich was set in an exposed situa- 

 tion, and has stood the severity of the last three 

 winters, as uninjured as an dm, oak, or any of 

 the most hardy forest trees. It has attained about 

 its greatest height, 8 feet, and is iu full life to the 

 extremity of the to])inost shoot. The grass lias 

 grown about the roots, therefore, has not been 

 much disturbed by hoeing, and in consequence 

 acquired hard wood, the very result wimted by 

 the cultivator of the Chinese mulberry. From 

 the above experiment, may we not expect, that by 

 setting the Mortis Muhicaulis for standard trees, 

 and leave the earth about the roots undisturbed, 

 that this tree will be so acclimated as to withstand 

 our severest winters ? The experiment will un- 

 doubtedly be made and the writer would be much 

 obliged to have all and any facts which shall come 

 to the knowledge of his friends, respecting the 

 culture of the Morus Multicaulis, communicated 

 to him, that the public may have tlie benefit of the 

 information. 



Different forms of setting out the plants or 

 roots will probably be adopted by different culti- 

 vators, adapted to the several objects in view. If 

 the intention shall be only to nuiltiply the plant, 

 the rows may be 4 to 6 feet apart and the plants 

 three feet apart in the rows — the s[)ace between 

 the rows may be planted with potatoes without in- 

 jury to the plants and without much loss of ground. 



But if the intention should be to form standard 

 trees, for feeding worms ;md also for multiplying 

 layers, then it would be proper to have the plants 



