FOR VICTORIAN INDUSTRIAL CULTURE. 



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Beloochistan and Alfglianistan. Moms Tartarica (L.) re- 

 sembles M. alba. Its juicy fruit is insipid and small. The 

 leaves are not generally used for silkworms. 

 The results of Mr. Brady's experience on the varieties of the 

 Morus alba are as follows : — In the normal form the fruits 

 are white with a purplish tinge more or less deep, the bark is 

 pale, the leaf is also of a pale hue, not very early nor very 

 tender, nor very abundant. It may be grown on moist 

 ground as long as such is drained, or it will live even on 

 poor loose gravelly soil bordering on running water. The 

 Cevennes variety is a free grower, affords a large quantity of 

 leaves though of rather thick consistence ; all varieties of the 

 Morus Bombyx like these leaves at all stages of their age. 

 It is also called the rose-leaved variety. The silk which it 

 yields is substantial in quantity and also good in quality. It 

 does best on rich dry slopes. The bushy Indian variety has 

 a fine leaf of beautiful green, which though light in weight 

 is abundantly produced. It can be cut back to the stem 

 three or four times a year; the leaves are flat, long and 

 pointed, possess a fine aroma, and are relished by every 

 variety of the ordinary silk-insect, though not all thrive equally 

 well on it. The silk derived from this variety is excellent, 

 but not always so heavy in quantity as that produced from 

 the rosy variety. It prefers rich low-lying bottoms, is a 

 greedy feeder, but may thus be made to cover an extra- 

 ordinary breadth of alluvial or manured land in a marvellous 

 short space of time. At Sydney, Mr. Brady can provide 

 leaves from this Indian variety all through the year by the 

 removal of cuttings, which will strike their roots almost at 

 any season. It ripens also seeds readily, and should be kept 

 at bush size. It requires naturally less space than the other 

 kinds. A fourth variety comes from North China; it has 

 heart-shaped flat thickish leaves, which form very good food 

 for the silkworm. Mr. Brady, as well as Mr. Martelli, re- 

 commend very particularly the variety passing under the 

 name of Morus multicaulis for the worms in their earliest 

 stages. The former recommends the Cape variety also; the 

 latter wishes also the variety called Morus Morettiana to be 

 used on account of its succulent nutritious foliage, so well 

 adapted for the insect while yet very young, and also on 

 account of producing the largest amount of food within the 

 shortest time. The Manila variety, known as Morus multi- 

 caulis, comes several weeks earlier into bearing than most 

 other sorts, and should therefore be at hand for early hatched 

 worms. 



The Muscardine-disease is produced by Botrytis Bassiana, while 

 the still more terrible Pedrine-disease is caused by a minute 



