354: FRUITS : Chat. X. 



variety sprouts late in the spring, yet matures its fruit early ; othor 

 varieties (p. 362) have the fault of being too much excited by the 

 April sun, and in consequence suffer from frost. A Styrian variety 

 (p. 254) has brittle foot-stalks, so that the clusters of fruit are 

 often blown off; this variety is said to be particularly attractive to 

 wasps and bees. Other varieties have tough stalks, which resist 

 the wind. Many other variable characters could be given, but the 

 foregoing facts are sufficient to show in how many small structural 

 and constitutional details the vine varies. During the vine disease 

 in France certain old groups of varieties 8 have suffered far more 

 from mildew than others. Thus " the group of Chasselas, so rich 

 in varieties, did not afford a single fortunate exception ;" certain 

 other groups suffered much less ; the true old Burgundy, for instance, 

 was comparatively free from disease, and the Carminat likewise 

 resisted the attack. The American vines, which belong to a distinct 

 species, entirely escaped the diseise in France ; and we thus see 

 that those European varieties which best resist the disease must 

 have acquired in a slight degree the same constitutional peculiarities 

 as the American species. 



White Mulberry (Morus alba).— I mention this plant because it 

 has varied in certain characters, namely, in the texture and quality 

 of the leaves, fitting them to serve as food for the domesticated 

 silkworm, in a manner not observed with other plants ; but this 

 has arisen simply from such variations in the mulberry having been 

 attended to, selected, and rendered more or less constant. M. de 

 Quatrefages 9 briefly describes six kinds cultivated in one valley in 

 France : of these the amoumuso produces excellent leaves, but is 

 rapidly being abandoned because it produces much fruit mingled 

 with the leaves: the ardofino yields deeply cut leaves of the finest 

 quality, but not in great quantity : the claro is much sought for 

 because the leaves can be easily collected : lastly, the roso bears 

 strong hardy leaves, produced in large quantity, but with the one 

 inconvenience, that they are best adapted for the worms after their 

 fourth moult. MM. Jacquemet-Bonnefont, of Lyon, however, remark 

 in their catalogue (1862) that two sub- varieties have been confounded 

 under the name of the roso, one having leaves too thick for the 

 caterpillars, the other being valuable because the leaves can easily 

 be gathered, from the branches without the bark being torn. 



In India the mulberry has also given rise to many varieties. 

 The Indian form is thought by many botanists to be a distinct 

 species; but as Boyle remarks, 10 "so many varieties have been 

 produced by cultivation that it is difficult to ascertain whether they 



8 M. Bouchardat, in ' Comptes Ren- Annual Report on the Insects of 



dus,' Dec. 1st, 1851, quoted in ' Gar- Missouri,' 1872, p. 63, and ' Fifth Re- 



dener's Chron.,' 1852, p. 435. See port,' 1873, p. 66. 



also C. V. Riley on the manner in 9 ' Etudes sur les Maladies actuelles 



which some few of the varieties of du Ver a Soie,' 1859, p. 321. 



the American Labruscan Vine escape 10 ' Productive Resources of Ie iia, 



the attacks of the Phylloxera: 'Fourth p. 130. 



