The mulberry is a very handsome tree well worthy of cultivation in a large garden, if only it receives the care and culture which it deserves. Its proper name derived from the Latin through the Anglo-Saxon is Murberry. Mulberry is certainly more euphonious. It is said to be a native of Persia, but it has been known in this country for three centuries and a half at least. It is stated that there are trees still living among us several centuries old. The black mulberry is the one commonly grown in England; the white does better in a warmer clime, and has been largely planted in France and other lands, where the leaves are required for silkworms. The white, however, can be grown in this country. The mulberry will thrive in any good soil, but the ground should not be very wet. It should be placed in a sheltered southern aspect, and is likely to do well in the south rather than the north of England. It is propagated by layers, cuttings and seeds. Trees with good straight stems should be had from the nurserymen, and a few shillings spent in buying a straight, strong tree may save years. Plant in late autumn without manure with the usual care (see planting pears); the roots should not be exposed to frost or cold winds. Brick and lime-rubbish below in a heavy wet soil should be given. In a lighter soil put decayed manure round the tree after planting. In spring fork the soil up lightly, as trees thrive better when the soil is stirred. If you plant early in November under favourable circumstances leave four branches only, and cut these hard back to an outer eye. If you plant late, don't prune until the following winter. The first branches if cut back to three or four inches will probably throw out strong shoots. In August choose four of the best placed and strongest of these, cutting out the rest that those left may grow and the wood be ripened. The tree bears on short-jointed young wood, and on spurs, not on gross shoots. Keep the tree open, especially the middle, removing weak, watery spray, and train the shoots upwards. It will be a pleasure to go under the tree in time and enjoy its shade. The sun and air must have free access if the fruit is to ripen. Sometimes the berries fall prematurely. Drought or want of food may be the cause. Liquid manure in summer as the fruit comes on, and the artificial manures recommended for all fruit trees (see pears) will be helpful. In the winter-pruning, cut out all cross boughs, beginning from below, so as not to tear the bark. Check only branches that are rampant and running away from others. Keep the tree as uniformly round as you can. When the tree has (in four or five years) gained size and fruits well, grass may be grown around the tree, but it should be kept closely mown, especially when the fruit is ripening. All coarse grasses should be spudded out. If the fruit were thinned and the tree well fed, no doubt the berries would be finer. In any case feed well in July. The fruit is not very marketable, as it does not travel well, nor last long. But in cider counties it is sometimes mixed with apples, to make mulberry cider. The trees bear forcing in pots, and give good fruit in July. They will bear a high temperature. The fruit mixed with apples in a tart or pudding is described as "delicious." If it is gathered perfectly dry, it can be used to make a jelly in a similar manner to red currant jelly, and used for light puddings, etc. Mulberry syrup is said to be good for sore throat; mulberry water to be refreshing as a drink in cases of fever, mulberry vinegar to be efficacious for medicinal purposes just as raspberry vinegar, which it somewhat resembles. "Cassell's Dictionary of Cookery" explains these details, and also how to make mulberry preserve.
APPENDIX
THE PROPAGATION OF THE PEAR
It is not proposed to enter into elaborate details with reference to the propagation of the pear, for the general cultivator is far more concerned with and interested in its successful treatment when established than before, for he can now obtain prepared trees so readily and cheaply from nurserymen, who propagate them by the thousand, that it is not at all worth his while to attempt their propagation himself.
Pear trees are propagated either by budding or grafting. The first mentioned process is performed during July and August, and grafting is done in the month of March.
Budding consists in removing a bud from one tree and inserting it under the bark of the stock or branch of another tree. This work is done in the months of July and August, because the bark is during that time more easily raised, and a union more easily effected between the cambium (an inner growing layer) of both bud and stock. The buds inserted are taken from the current year's shoots, choosing shoots that are firm and short-jointed. After having removed a shoot, say nine or ten inches long, and cut the leaves to half their lengths, next proceed to cut out a bud. This is done by inserting a knife below the bud at a distance of about half an inch, and then drawing it upwards behind the bud, emerging again about half an inch above the bud. The cut must, of course, turn inwards—that is to say, towards the centre of the shoot. When removed, the bud therefore will be about an inch long, with the "eye" in the centre, and with a certain amount of wood attached to it behind. This should be removed, and the best way to do it is to insert the point of one's knife just underneath, so as slightly to raise the wood. Then, with the blade of the knife and one's thumb above, it can easily be removed with a slight jerk. Take great care that the root of the bud is not removed also. The stock to be budded should have a T-shaped incision made in the bark. With the ivory handle, which a proper budding knife will have, raise the bark on either side of the longitudinal slit, commencing at the corners just below where it joins the transverse incision. Take great care that the knife handle does not penetrate beneath the inner bark, but press it against the latter, slipping it along. When the bark is sufficiently raised, carefully insert the bud beneath, taking hold of it by the remaining portion of the leaf stalk. It must not be forced down, but introduced as gently as can be, otherwise there will be danger of injuring the vital cambium layer, where the union is effected. Afterwards tie the bud around with matting, to keep it in position and to prevent the entrance of air. Tie both above and below the "eye," leaving this of course free. An excellent indication as to whether or not the bud has taken is afforded by the petiole (leaf stalk). If this, a few weeks afterwards, falls completely away, one may be fairly certain that the bud has taken; if, on the other hand, it withers away, one may be almost equally sure that the operation has not been successful. The buds that have taken will commence to grow in the following spring, and then the stocks must be cut back to within a few inches of where the buds are inserted. Many nurserymen, if they find that the bud has not taken, graft the same stock in the following spring, instead of waiting to bud again in summer.
Grafting consists in so attaching one shoot to another that they unite and grow together. There are many different methods of grafting, but that most usually employed in the grafting of pear trees is tongue or splice grafting. This is done in the month of March, with firm growth of the preceding year. First cut the stock in a sloping direction, and so that the cut may terminate just above a bud if possible. "Great care must be taken that the scions fit the stocks," is the recommendation of one of our large nursery growers of pear trees, and one that should be closely followed. Therefore choose a graft as nearly as possible of the same size as the stock. Having cut the graft to a suitable length, say nine or ten inches, cut the lower end (that is, the thicker one) exactly as the top of the stock was cut, so that when placed together they will properly fit upon each other. The essential point is, of course, to make sure that the inner bark of the one coincides with the inner bark of the other, as then the cambium layers will also coincide. The graft should be carefully and securely tied on to the stock with raffia, and then covered over with either clay or grafting wax, so as effectually to prevent the entrance of air. It is advisable to place moss over the clay, so that in dry weather this can be watered to prevent the clay from becoming dry. Unless there were a covering of some material capable of holding moisture, it would be impossible to keep the clay in anything like a moist condition. When it is seen that the graft commences to grow freely, the clay may be partly removed so as to allow of the ligatures being loosened. It is wise to tie the graft to a stake attached to the stock when the clay is finally removed, as in rough weather it might possibly be broken off.