The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1892-04-01
MY Russian MuIbsrriss.

INV Va
Russian mulberry trees nttesn feet
apart and the row . half . mile long
by a public road The SECOND year
they commenced bearing. began to
ripen in the middle ofssdaI Ind con-
tinued thirty days During that time
the birds Toasted of the berries and
didn't molest my own or my neigh
boris Strawberries raspberries cher.
ries or corn 1t was a sight to see
the birds in the morning about sun.
rise holding their camp meeting.
Some of the people passing by ate Of
the berries, others cut or broke of
limbs IN order to get away upob-
served. as they thought they were
stealing.
i,he past summer l put up a notice
in large lettera .Mulberries free for
birds and people. cut not or break the
trees" and the result was no limb was
cut or broken. whilst hundreds Of peo-
pie Toasted on the berries We1hould
not be stfngy~to the birds or refuse
the passing neighbor or stranger afull
taste Of the. luscious fruit They are
easily and cheaply raised.
The Russian mulberry is larger than
the wild berry. OF the trees. on my
farm, about 500 are Of the Elspian
variety grown from seed; of thesei2o0
OF the trees bear blackberries when
ripe Is are red when ripe. and ~, are
white. About Is trees bloom but do
not bear. Grown from seed about
o%ne-fourth will not bear. Trees
grated bsar. Of course like other fruit
trees, the same. fruit as the tree
grated from. Hereafter I will only
graftathe everbearing. The Downing
severbearer does best with me. next
best the Hicks: everbearer; both. va
rietles, however, are very rapid grow
era
l have bo.h OF these in 6-yesrfo old
trees from the graft. trees twenty feet
high. They have borne three crops
of berries. large and black, q little
longer than the Kittatinny blackberry
and sweeter; it continues to fruit and
to ripen for about 100 days and during
all that time TO furnish food for the
eater. whether birds, chickens or men;
and there is no letter food for chickens
than mulberries.
. 1t is more than likely that II moro
mulberries, hlackberries and cherries
were grown along the road fences free
to eve"ybody. there would be less
stealing and desire for stealing.
Children early learn this habit, es-
pecially those who have no money,
and it is apt to stick TO- them longer
than they desire. It costs but little
to grow the trees and such a plan
would give them what they want
without wrong doing. The past spring
| set a row OF mulberry trees by the
public road twenty-five feet apart and
early harvest blackberries between
them. The latter grow very thick In
the row and with an upright cane,
and when two years old one barbed
wire fastened to the trees will, with
them make a fence that will turn both
stock and peoplaA little we'll in
tentioned charity extended in this way
Is Of more than value.
In propagating mulberries i select
the largest berries Of the frstrfpening
mix 10 dry sand to their " bulk;
rub in hand Till all the berries are
mashed and mixed with the sand;
sow at once in drills like radish seed.
for instance cover not more than one
half inch; sow in rich. moist deep
soil, shade them from the sun. as the
plants are very tender when they first
come up. and in dry weather water
them. They will grow from ten to
thirty inches high the first year. just
right for grating. They grow graft
ed just as we'll as apples and make
double the growth. -Coleman's Rural
World.