The Placer herald., 1870-04-23
HOUSE AND FARM.


There are in Japan great many varieties
Of Ibis tree, but here. as elsewhere, the two
chiefly gtcvn for the feeding Of the
silk woim consists Of the Morus alba
and the Morus Mult;cauljs or the Chinese
Mulberry, this latter having been originally
obtained from China. II is scarcely so bar
dy tree as the Morus Alba, but in local.
lies suited to its growth thrves with great
luxuIiauce, producing an abundance of large
and excellent leaves and renewing them
readily when picked off. Il also throws up
many shoots from lis roots and can be read
ily pr"pseaied fr"m layers aud cuttings
The Norus 4Atba tr White Mulberry, though
vigorous grower, does not advance so rap
idly as be other, yet lis leaves are most es-
teemed OF all, being preferred by the worms
and producing t. e finest qualities Of silk.
The fruit of this tree is oval, wGish and to
the taste rather insipid The tree is long
lived and The wood vslu ble for lumber A
variety of the Mulberry known rs the Norus
Noreth has OF late years come into great
favor in Italy, aud / is believed by good
judges to be we'll suited to the climate Of
California.
PREPARING THE SEED, AND DIFFERENT MODES
OF PLANTING AND cuLrlvArINa
Selecting the choices; fruit, it is to BE-
thoroughly washed in tub Of clean water,
which latter. is to be poured off as is neces-
sary to carry away the pulp leaving ibe
seeds clean. During this process the really
good seeds beug such as are fully developed,
will sink to the bottom. When thus pre-
pared the seeds are to be carefully dried and
preserved for use. Before planting, the
seeIs having been first soaked in luke warm
waller are to 10 mixed with little nd
and kept in warm place ill they begin to
sproul, when they should be sown in drills
dropping them about halt an inch apart,
after the manner OF planting beet or onion
seeds. The rows, or drills. should be about
two and a balf feet apart, SO as to admit of
working between them.
AS the young shoots of the mulberry tree
are very sensitive to frost, the sowing of
the seed must be defer red Till such time As
they will be beyond The reach Of harm from
this cause. As this period is very variable
in the different parts of 9, liloroia, as well
as in China, India and Japan, the time for
sowing in these countries necessarily ex-
tends over range Of s. veral months. In The
coast counties, the ground having been
we'll SUNNI er.fallowed the previous year,
sowing might be practiced in the months
Of January or February. In the Interior
COUNTIES if the seed is sown thus early, pre-
cautions must be preserved to protect he
Young plants against the frost, until they
have reached length OF six or eight inches
when they are beyond the reach Of danger.
Where sowing is postponed until March or
April, when the frosts are over, the Young
shoots must be helped on by irrigation, or
sprinkIing, Until they attain the height of
few inches, when they will come along
without further aid of this kind. Everylhing
considered, it ia perhaps better to plant
early. taking the chances Of belrg able to
protect the young shoots against frost
While growing, the plants must be carefully
hoed and kept free from weeds, the gardiner
being careful TO thin them out when found
TO be too much crowded. If planted early.
upon good soil, and properly tended, these
shoots will be well rooted end have attained
growth of several feet by fall, when they
are to be taken up and set out in rows
twelve feet apart, Separating the trees from
Another plan for producing trees rapidly,
ard with certainty, is by means of laqers.
IN adopting This course The tree is cut off
few inches above The ground, in the fall or
early winter. From the stump a multitude
Of sprouts will spring up; these beirg bent
down on every side are covered with two or
three inches Of rich, mellow earth, with
only little Of the top end stckog out
From every bud on this shoot, or LAYER, a
young tree, duly supplied with roots, will
spring up. In California this operation
should be attended to in the month Of Feb
ruary, though in most other countries it is
performed later. In be autumn, these new
shoots are taken up, and ha a.ing been sep
arated, are properly transplan,ed. BY this
method the trees, as will be seen, can be
rapidly multiplied
CULTURE OF TIE TEA PLANT.
The Tea Tree is cultivated from the seed
after the following manner: forty or fifty
pounds Of the seed is PLACID in gunny sack
or in straw, which, in the month Of Decem-
ber or January, is buried about one foot deep
in dry, warm soil; the spot elected being
exposed to the sun, but protected, by a she'd
from the rain 10 March or April, these
seeds being dog, it will be found that the
most of them have sprouted, when they
should be sowp, dropping them in rows
three or four feet apart, after the manner of
broom corn, the land having been thorough.
y pulVerized. If the soil is poor it NAV
be we'll to add little guano, or other rich
manure. mixing the same with a little ashes.
In dropping the seeds, space of two or
three inches should be left between them
10 The course of four or five weeks the
young shoots will make their appearance
above ground. When they have reached
height of seven or eight inches they must
be tbnned out to space of one and half
feet apart, the shoots pulled up being plant