DECIDUOUS ORNAMENTAL TREES. 
191 
gardens. It is remarkable for the great variety of forms ex- 
hibited in its foliage ; as upon young trees it is almost im- 
possible to find two exactly alike, though the prevailing out- 
lines are either heart-shaped, or more or less deeply cut or 
lobed. These leaves are considered valueless for feeding the 
silk worm ; but in the South Seas, the bark is woven into 
dresses worn by the females ; and in China and Japan, ex- 
tensive use is made of it in the manufacture of a paper, of the 
softest and most beautiful texture. This is fabricated from 
the inner bark of the young shoots, which is first boiled 
to a soft pulp, and then submitted to processes greatly simi- 
lar to those performed in our paper-mills. This tree blos- 
soms in spring, and ripens its fruit in the month of August. 
The latter is dark scarlet, and quite singular and ornamental, 
though of no value. The genus is dioecious ; and the rea- 
son why so few fruit-bearing trees are seen in the United 
States, is because we generally cultivate only one of the sexes, 
the female. M. Parmentier, however, who introduced the 
male plant from Europe, disseminated it in several parts of 
the country ; and the beauty of the tree has thereby been 
augmented by the increased interest which it possesses, 
when laden with its long, hairy berries. 
The value of the Paper mulberry, in ornamental planta- 
tions, arises from its exotic look, as compared with other 
trees, from the singular diversity [of its foliage, the beauty 
of its reddish berries, and from the rapidity of its growth. 
It is deficient in hardiness for a colder climate than that of 
New- York ; but farther south it is considerably esteemed as 
a shade-tree, for lining the side- walks in cities. In winter, 
its light fawn or ash-coloured bark, mottled with patches of 
a darker gray, contrasts agreeably with other trees. It has 
little picturesque beauty, and should never be planted in 
