The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1907-10-15

On00r QdCe OIL OepIoInDSI Ii, MdllO
Edwards, Brighton Beach, Wash,
asks: Can you inform me through
your columns, whether the mulberry
thrives we'll on Puget Sound and
whether it fruits well or at all?" l am
sorry to say that l can not give any
satisfactory answer to this question.
l have no remembrance of having ever
seen a mulberry tree of any kind on
Puget Sound. Some of our readers
may be able to answer this inquiry.
AS stated in the last issue of this pa
per the horticultural editor does not
claim to know everything. Any man
who does put forth such claim or
tries to act as if he knew it all, would
be of no account as an authority. once
knew a man who claimed to be an eX-
pert in naming fruit, especially ap-
pies. If an apple was handed to him
to be named, he would turn it over a
time or two and then blurt out the
name or say "It's a Seeding" The
man became a laughing stock among
all sensible men,
+
| know no reason why the mulberry
should not grow we'll and bear well
on Puget Sound 1t grows and bears
we'll in the Yakima valley. | had
them shipped to me by Chas. A. Green,
of Rochester, New York They grew
we'll and began to bear abundantly
when they were both blown over by
hard winds and l was unable to save
them. They seemed to me to be weak
in the roots. The mulberry grows and
does we'll in almost all countries of
the earth There are four species of
the mulberry, viz the White mulberry
(Morus alba, Linn.), the Multicaulus
mulberry (Morus latifolia, Poiret), the
Black mulberry (Morus nigra, LINN,
and the Red mulberry (Morus rubra,
Linn The two first are from China,
the third from Asia and the fourth is
a native of America They are all
grown in America now, but the Black
mulberry is rather tender for our
northern states but would no doubt
do we'll on Puget Sound. The Russian
mulberry is variety of the White
mulberry but it is not white but red.
This is a misnomer similar to the one
when we speak of the white black
berry. My own opinion is that friend
Edwards can grow the mulberry,
either red or black, anywhere on Pu-
get Sound.
Il
The mulberry is not a very valuable
fruit and that is no doubt the reason
why it is not extensively grown. In
Salt Lake city the streets in the older
parts of the town are lined with null
berry trees. They bear enormously
but most of the fruit drops off and
goes to waste. What drops to the
sidewalk is mashed by the feet of the
pedestrians and the sight is anything
but attractive. The MOrmOns, under
stand under the direction of Brigham
Young, went into the raising of null
berry trees with the idea of develop
ing the silk growing business. For
some reason the venture was fail
ure In the old world the mulberry is
extensively cultivated for it's fruit as
we'll as for furnishing food for silk
worms.
=
The Oregon Agriculturist, published
in Portland, in it's September first is
sue, has the following note about gam
bling and liquor selling at state fairs:
Notable progress has been made in
the Pacific coast this year in reliev-
ing the leading agricultural fairs of
Objectionable features. The Oregon
State fair has cut out pool selling on
the races. The California State fair
will shut out pool selling and also pro-
hibits the sale of intoxicating liquors
on the grounds. This is bringing our
fairs up to the standard set a number
of years ago by the Minnesota and
other state fairs of the middle west"
The same paper also contains this
note: at is reported in the news
papers that the Washington State