TREATISE ON THE CULTURE, &c. lU 



Those commonly cultivated in this Coimtry are, 



1. The Common Black Mulberry-Tree, which is much 

 iesteemed for its delicate fruit. This is now common in most 

 parts of Europe, except where the winters are very severe. 

 There is a variety of this with jagged leaves, and smaller 

 fruit ; but Mr. Miller says, that it is a distinct species, a na- 

 tive of Sicily ; and that the fruit has no flavour ; consequently, 

 it is not worth cultivating. There were some of these trees 

 in Chelsea Gardens. 



2. The White Mulberry. This tree is raised in great 

 abundance in Italy, and other Southern countries, for the leaves, 

 to feed silk^worms* ; though it is said that the Persians gene- 

 rally use the Common Black Mulberry for that purpose ; and 

 this latter is the only sort raised for the sake of its fruit, which 

 is very wholesome. 



3. The Red or Virginian Mulberry-Tree, which grows to 

 a considerable height, and bears reddish berries. 



The two last are cultivated, in this country, only for the 

 sake X)f variety. 



Mulberries are raised from seed, or propagated from cut- 

 tings and layers. 



Those raised from seed have frequently male flowers, and 

 produce no fruit ; these, therefore, should never be made 

 choice of for fruit-bearing trees, unless they have been seen to 

 bear in the nursery. 



The best bearing branches of old trees are to be chosen 

 for cuttings and layers ; for some branches of these trees pro- 

 duce only katkins, and trees raised from them will never pro- 

 duce fruit. If they are to be raised from layers, they will ge- 

 nerally take root sufficiently the first year to bear separating 

 from the parent tree, and should then be planted in a nursery, 

 and trained up with single stems. In four years they v/ill be 

 fit to plant out where they are to remain. They should be plant- 

 ed at a proper distance to admit the sun and air, as the fruit, 

 when the trees are too close, is very apt to turn mouldy ; they 

 should also be sheltered from the East, North, and West 

 winds. 



But the best way of raising mulberries is from cuttings of 

 the former year's shoots, having one joint of the two years' 

 wood. Plant them out in autumn, if fine weather, or in the 

 month of March, in rows nine inches apart, and at the distance 



* This tree possesses the peculiar property of breeding no vermin, either 

 ■while growing or when cut down ; neither does it harbour any caterpillar, 

 the silk-worm excepted, Evelyn's Sylva, by Hunter, vol. 2. p. 40, 



