Cheraw gazette and Pee Dee farmer. [volume] (Cheraw S.C.) 1838-1839, 1839-05-03
THE MoRUS MULTIcAULIs.
To the editors Of the National Intelligencer.

VuE
To the editors of the National Intelligencer
BALTIMORE, APRIL II, 1889.
GENTLEMEN A letter appeared in The
National InteIligenccr Of the 9th instant.
headed LETTER TO N. B. SroDDART,"
on The subject Of the culture of silk in this
country, which contains several statements
deemed by me erroneous, and which must
ask permission 10 correct. The writer,
IL. t." objects TO the morus multicaulls
first, because it was" imported from a
climate so different from ours, which cannot
stand the win;er )" secondly. and "which,
by the rapidty ofits growth, shows the short
ness ofits life." To the first objection |
have only TO remark that the white mulberry
itself is native of China, and was imported
into Italy and France from that county so
that the first objection to the muticaulis faiI'
for, if,he multcaulis was imported from
country so different from ours, so was the
white mulberry. But, reasoning from ana.
logy aside, know, from eleven years pos.
session of the morus multicaulis, that it is
equally as hardy and just as capable Of
standing the winter as any other mulberry
uation and soil. have had it eleven WIN
,ers, and have not yet lost single bud
from the effects Of winter. A single tree
was given to DR.. HosAcx by Dr.. PAscALls,
in the spring of 1880 the latter gentleman
planted it on his estate at Hyde Park, on the
Norlh river, on high buff2O0 feet above
the level of the river, and exposed to the
northern blasts. That tree remains there
still, never having lost limb or bud by
winter. And, let me here remark, that the
white mulberry itself is not found north OF
that locality, except in gardens, and not often
there. could mention hu dreds OF Instan.
ces where the morus multicauis has stood
the winter unframed, besides these cases,
but it is deemed unnecessary.
The second objection, the rapldty OF its
growth shows the shortness ofits fife," is the
greatest recommendation that can be given
Of the mulberry tree. 1t grows so rapidly
that we can plant it this spring. and get a
crop of silk from it this summer! Is
This an objection to an American lsnot
the speedy return of The proceeds of an in.
ves,ment the greatest recommendation that
the investment Of capital can have ! And
suppose the trees wero all to die in ten years,
(my old tree is now eteuen years old, and no
signs of dying yer,) the returns they will
have made by the "rapidi,y Of ftheir growth"
will have more than paid for rePlantlng
them. So that this second objection is dis.
proved.
"L. T." next says that the drought Of
some parts of Europe iujures them exceed
inglv." The fact is directly the reverse IN
this country. During that most unparral.
lelcd drough. Of last summer, the morus
mulicaulis preserved its luxurance more
perfectly than any other tree, native or for.
eign. Indeed. the old trees were entirely
unaffected by it, and none but the very
Young ones suffered at all, and even those
not as much as the majority OF our native
trees. With US its large leaves are not
more easily spoiled than those Of the CON-
mon white mulberry. 81. T." also asserts
ttIOt ubuIItS0uilo
less quantity of nourishins substances ; the
worms fed with them are often subject 10
many distempers," &c. The whole OF this
sentence is directly opposed to the truth
From the most careful experiments, 1t has
been found that 80 pounds ofmorus multi
cauls leaves contain as much nulrltive mat
ter as 100 pounds Of the best of other varIe-
ties that 80 pounds oft C morus muucauIIs
will produce as much silk as 100 pounds OF
the best Of any other kind i; and that the
worms are just as healthy on one kind as
the other, disease being caused exclusively
by Encouragement 10 some form or other
Let me quote another sentence from thIs
writer and that it may not escape 'he al
,ention of tho reader, let me make j: the
more conspicuous by placing it by itself pa'
geographically.
"Good God! have they not eagerly o.
dop,ed al! the Improvements lately introduc'
led in The culture Of silk by Vexi sDd uan'