December 7, 1907. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
VII. 
Fruit Growing 
10.—THE MULBERRY. FOR Amateurs. 
Although the Mulberry has been grown 
in this country during the past four cen¬ 
turies, there are few gardens in which 
more than one or two trees are to be 
.found. But it is a fruit which deserves to 
be more extensively grown, and it may be 
successfully cultivated by amateurs both 
in the open garden and forced in pots 
under glass. Birds are very fond of the 
fruit and devour it before maturity is 
reached unless nets are jilaced over the 
trees. I have often seen line old speci¬ 
mens growing in old gardens with a 
framework of wood erected quite enclos¬ 
ing the tree so that nets may be put on to 
protect the ripening berries from the at¬ 
tacks of birds. This care shows that 
where the Mulberry is grown its fruit is 
appreciated. 
Modes of Growing. 
The trees may be grown as standards, 
bushes, or trained against walls. Large 
standards are very effective in a garden, 
but on account of the difficulty of ade¬ 
quately protecting the ripe fruit on such 
specimens, I favour low bushes and wall 
trees which are easily covered with nets. 
The leaves are large, very numerous on 
healthy trees, and handsome in appear¬ 
ance, being much used for placing on 
dishes for dessert of various kinds, as they 
are as useful as vine leaves for this pur¬ 
pose. 
Propagation. 
There are four ways of propagation, 
namely, by sowing seeds, layering shoots, 
ordinary grafting, and inarching. Layer¬ 
ing and inarching are the best modes of 
increasing the stock. 
Sowing Seeds. --Directly the fruit is 
ripe select the finest berries and break 
them up in a fine-meshed sieve, wash 
away the pulp, using sand and water for 
this purpose. Then dry the seeds and 
store them in dry sand in boxes through 
the winter. In February or early in 
March sow the seeds in boxes 6 inches 
deep, filled with good loam, leaf mould, 
and sand. If a slight hotbed is available 
place the seed box on it and cover the top 
of the latter- with a.square of glass and 
some brown paper. Keep the soil in the 
box in a medium state of moisture, and 
remove the paper first, then the glass 
-directly the seedlings appear, but shade 
them from strong sunshine until they are 
fairly strong. If the seedlings are raised 
under quite cool conditions, less moisture 
will be required. Transplant the seed¬ 
lings. 
GRAFTING. — The same mode should 
here be followed as in the case of grafting 
-Apples and Pears, but older scions may 
be used than is general in the case with 
Apples and Pears. 
Layering.—W here the lower branches 
-of a tree touch or nearly touch the 
ground, it will be a very easy matter to 
•effect layering of shoots. But where the 
lower branches are several feet from the 
;ground level a large box or several large 
pots placed in an empty box should be 
utilised. The box or pots containing the 
soil must be elevated on a table or an¬ 
other large box so that the branches to 
/ 
Shows how to layer a branch on level 
ground.; A, branch; B, a -portion of bark 
and wood cut off. The branch is pegged 
down. 
be layered can be easily depressed and 
made secure in the soil. But to make 
quite sure that the layered stems are not 
3- 
Shows how to layer a high placed branch; 
A, layer; B, prepared layer in soil in box; 
D, empty box; E, stoiit stake to support 
branch and hold it firmly. 
displaced by strong winds, drive in a 
couple of stout stakes and make the main 
branch secure to them. Even when 
b. 
Shows inarching; D, the stock; C, branch; 
A, junction of branch and stock; B, graft¬ 
ing wax; E, point where branch must be 
severed -when necessary to do this. 
layering is done on the ground level the 
mam branch must be made secure in this 
way. (See figures 1 and 2.) Cut away a 
small portion of the bark and wood from 
the lower side of the branch to be lavered, 
inserting that part in the soil, and forth¬ 
with make it firm by pegging down. 
Cover the stem with quite 3 inches of soil. 
Layer in autumn. 
Inarching. — This means the joining of 
a growing branch to a young stock grow¬ 
ing in the ground near to it, or in a pot. 
The pot should be plunged to the rim in 
the soil and the branch inarched on to 
the young stock made fast to a stake to 
prevent movement, too. A young branch 
is the best to select for inarching, as the 
junction will be complete in a compara¬ 
tively short time. But if a small bearing 
specimen is needed in a short time, select 
a fruiting branch and inarch it; more care 
is necessary in this case, as the wood is 
much harder and requires a longer period 
to form a complete junction. Cut away 
a strip of bark and hard wood from the 
branch about 4 inches long and a similar 
piece from the stock on which it is to be 
inarched, and be quite sure that the barks 
of both stock and branch join at least on 
one side. Then make them secure by 
wrapping around them a piece of soft 
matting. Enclose the joined portions in 
grafting wax or a mixture of clay and 
chaff or withered grass, and finallv put 
on some green moss. When the branch is 
growing to the stock sever it from the 
tree and remove the stock to a cool, shady 
position. Throughout the whole time 
every care must be taken to keep the soil 
r the pot moist. (See figure 3. 
iTo be continued.) 
- +++ - 
County Technical Laboratories, Chelmsford. 
The Winter School of Agriculture in 
connection with the Essex Education 
Committee, held at the County Labora¬ 
tories, Chelmsford, commenced on Mon- 
da}-, the iSth November, with thirtv stu¬ 
dents in attendance. These include six¬ 
teen from Essex, five of whom attend the 
evening lectures only, eleven, including 
one lady, from Herts, one from East Suf¬ 
folk, one from West Suffolk, and one 
lady from Derbyshire. The Committee 
received so many applications this vear 
that several had to be refused. 
Presentation to Mr. T. A. Weston. 
A special meeting of the Folkestone 
Gardeners' Society was recently held for 
the purpose of making a presentation to 
Mr. T. A. W eston, who is about to leave 
the district, as a token of esteem for the 
interest he has taken in the societv. The 
presentation took the form of a handsome 
illuminated testimonial framed in black 
and gold, and signed on behalf of the 
members by Mr. H. Godden (chairman'. 
Air. J. J. Capp (vice-chairman), Mr. H. 
Pankhurst (treasurer), and Mr. W. H. 
Fanning (secretary 1 . The presentation 
was made “ as a mark of esteem and a 
token of his untiring energy and useful 
aid, especially in encouraging the culti¬ 
vation of the Sweet Pea.” The Chairman 
and other gentlemen present spoke in very- 
high terms of Air. Weston, and wished 
him success and prosperity in the future, 
and Air. AVeston feelingly replied, and in¬ 
cluded a few words on his favourite flower, 
the Sweet Pea. 
