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Show 758 faise mulberry trees, and make silk, utterly failed, and have never since been revived to any extent. Thedifference which Linnaeus sets down between the black mulberry and the white is, that in the former the leaves are subquinquelobate, bluntish, and rugged, in thelatter undivided and shining; the fructification of the former dicecous, of the latter monccous. These distinctions, however, are not exact. The black mulberryis a larger stronger tree; and the fruit isa dark blackish red, and moreacid. Mr. Miller’s account is, that the black mulberryhas generally maleflowers or catkins on the same tree withthe fruit, but it often happens that some of the trees which are raised fromseeds have mostly male flowers and producenofruit; and that he has observed sometrees which produced only catkins for many years after they were planted, afterwards have become fruitful. This latter observation agrees with a general remark that I have made public utility, to come to our kingdom and subjects in general, and whereby (besides multitudes of people of both sexes and all ages) suchas ia regard of impotency are unfit for other labour, maybeset on work, comforted andrelieved, weare content that our private benefit shall give wayto the public. “ Andtherefore being persuadedthat no well-affected subject will refuse to put his helping hand to such a work, as can haveno otherprivate end in us but the desire of the welfare of our people, we have thought good inthis form only to require you, as a person ofthe greatest authorityin that county, and from whomthe generality may receive noticeof our pleasure with more conveniency than otherwise, to take occasion, either at the quarter ses- sions, or at some other public place of meeting, to persuade and require such as are of ability to buy anddistribute in your county the numberof ten thousand mulberryplants, which shall be delivered to themat therate of three farthings the plant, orat six shillings the hundred, containing five score plants. © And because the buying of the said plants, at this rate, may at thefirst seem chargeableto oursaid subjects (whom we would be loth to burthen), we have taken order, that in March or April next thereshall be delivered at the said place a good quantity of mulberry seeds, there to be sold to such as will buy them, by means whereofthe said plants will be delivered at 4 smaller price than they can be afforded being carried from hence: having resolved also, in the meantime, that there shall be publishedin print a plain instruction and direction, both for the increasing the said mulberry trees, the breeding of the silk-worms, and all other things needful to be understood for the perfecting of a work every waly so commendable and profita7 COMMON COMMON MULBERRY. ble, as well to the planteras to those that stall use the trade. “ Having now made known unto you the motives, as they stand with MULBERRY. en moneecous trees, that whilst they are young they bear male Mulberrytrees of a certain age are flowers and verylittle fruit. fruit is much not only more fruitful than young ones, but their larger and better flavoured, This tree grows naturally in Persia,. whence it was first prought to the southern parts of Europe. It is now become common in every part of our continent, where the winters are not very severe In the northern parts of Sweden it will not live in the open air; and in several parts of Germany it is planted against walls, and treated in the same wayas peaches andother tender fruits are here. It was cultivated with us in 1596, by Gerarde. In some of the old kitchen gardens near London thereare trees of a very great age, which are very healthyandfruitful, and theirfruit is larger and better flavoured than those of younger trees. Bradley says that most of these were planted in the time of king James I., when there was a project of setting up a silk manufacture in England. public good, wherein every manis interested, because we know how much his e t ri justices will j this s further and justices of our own 'deptity-lieutenant the example cause, if you and yourother neighbours will be content to take some good quantities hereof, to distribute upon your own lands; weare content to acknowledse thus much more in this direction of ours: that all things of this nature, tending to plantations, increase of science, and works of indUsEry, so naturally pleasing to our own ¢ position, as we shall take it are things for an argument of extraordinary affection towards our person, besides the gooddispositions in all those that shall exjudgment we shall make of the andshall esteem press; in any kind, their ready minds to further the same, it that, in furthering the same, they seek to further our honour and contentment, haying seen ina few years past, that our brother the French king and brought to perfection hath, since his coming to the crown, both begun hath wontohir self honours the making of silks in his country, w here alth, would account it no little andto his subjects a marvellous increase of happiness to us, if the same work, which we began among our people, with no less zeal to their good, than any prince can haveto theirs, might in our time produce the fruits which there it hath done. “ Wherefore we nothing doubt but ours will be found as tractable, and by us oe s0apt to further their own good, nowthe way is shown them to the direcvereign, as those of France have been to conform themselves tion of their king “ Given underour : signet, at our palace of Westminster, the 16th of No- vember, in the sixth year of our reign of England, France, and Ireland, and of Scotland the two-and-fortieth.” |