. A description and history of vegetable substances, used in the arts, and in domestic economy . species. Of the mulberry (Morns) there are many species;and though none of them are natives of England, orprobably of Europe, some are sufficiently hardy tothrive in most, and bear fruit in many, parts of white mulberry (Morus alba) is rather a deli-cate tree, though it grows very well in Spain, Italy,and the south of France. The berries of it are light-coloured and insipid. The black mulberry (Morus nigra) is a larger andmore hardy tree ; the fruit is a blackish red, and hasmuch more t
. A description and history of vegetable substances, used in the arts, and in domestic economy . species. Of the mulberry (Morns) there are many species;and though none of them are natives of England, orprobably of Europe, some are sufficiently hardy tothrive in most, and bear fruit in many, parts of white mulberry (Morus alba) is rather a deli-cate tree, though it grows very well in Spain, Italy,and the south of France. The berries of it are light-coloured and insipid. The black mulberry (Morus nigra) is a larger andmore hardy tree ; the fruit is a blackish red, and hasmuch more taste than that of the other. The timberof both these species is very durable : it will last as 142 VEGETABLE SURSTAXCES. long in water as the best oak ; and the bark is toughand fibrous, and may be made into strong and dura-ble mats and baskets. The greatest vahie of the mulberry-tree in the artsconsist^ in its being the favourite food of the silk-worm. That insect, and this use of the mulberry-tree, were both unknown to the Greeks and Romans;though there is every reason to believe that they. Blacli Mulberry—Murus nigra. were then, and perhaps earlier, known to tlie Chi-nese, and possibly to some of the other inhabitantsof central and southern Asia. The rearing of silk-worms, and the manufacture ofsilk, are said to have been introduced into the ^Ves-tern world in the sixth century of the Christian the year 550, two monks, natives of Persia,while employed as missionaries to the Christianchurches in India, are said to have penetrated as faras China, where they acquired a knowledge of therearing of tlie silk-worm, and the working of their return, they explained to the Greek em-peror at Constantinople the nature and importanceof those operations, and undertook to bring to thatcapital as many silk-wonns as should suffice for esta- THE MULBERRY. 143 blishinjj; and supplying the manufacture. They wereimmediately sent of}, and soon retunied, with the es^^sof the s
Size: 1762px × 1418px
Photo credit: © Reading Room 2020 / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookauthorsoc, bookcentury1800, bookiddescriptionhisto00sociuoft
