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Plant of the Week
White Mulberry
Latin: Morus alba
As a child I never realized the mulberry fights my brothers and I
participated in were made possible by one of the many get-rich-quick schemes
that have plagued farmers for centuries.
In the case of the lowly mulberry, the scheme involved feeding mulberry leaves
to hungry silkworms and then waiting patiently while the money poured in. The
white mulberry is a 50-foot tall deciduous tree from China that is the
traditional food for silkworms. Because of many attempts to establish silk
production sites, it has become widely naturalized in both North America and
Europe.
Silkworm culture, perfected in China over three centuries ago, made its way to
India in the 6th century when a Chinese maiden smuggled worms out of the Middle
Kingdom, hidden in her hair. From there it spread to Persia and Italy. In the
mid-17th Century, King James I attempted to establish a silk industry in
Virginia Colony by requiring all planters to grow 10 mulberries for every 100
acres of their holdings.
With the early success of tobacco growing in Virginia Colony, silkworm growing
failed to become established. In the 1750s, it was attempted again in Georgia,
but again failed to take root. While raw silk was produced in both early
attempts, the quantity produced was never sufficient to establish a
self-supporting industry.
The catalyst for the biggest push in silkworm growing occurred as a result of a
government report published in 1826, which detailed the imbalance in trade that
was occurring between the import of silk and the export of grains. Because of
this trade deficit, Congress commissioned a report, published in 1828, outlining
the potential for a domestic silk industry. J. H. Cobb, a Boston lawyer and
experimenter, had successfully produced silk and published an account of his
work in 1829. Congress liked the little publication and ordered 2,000 copies to
encourage the fledgling industry.
Paper calculations made silk production look very profitable. Cobb went so far
as to propose that road improvements and school teacher salaries be funded by
planting mulberries on public lands. About that same time, a new mulberry, the "
multicaulis mulberry," was introduced from France, which was reported to be the
mulberry used in the Chinese industry. When it was first introduced, trees could
be obtained for three to five cents each. A short decade later, trees were
selling for $2 to $5 each. Speculation was rampant and nursery growers were busy
selling trees to each other at ever escalating prices without any apparent
effort at actually producing silk. In 1839, the bubble burst and the value of
the multicaulis mulberry dropped to almost nothing, probably on the news of the
hostilities that were brewing in China over its decision to shut down Great
Britain’s opium import trade. After the Opium Wars, China was forced to create
more favorable trade agreements with the West and the price of silk plummeted.
Thereafter, all attempts at establishing an American silk industry fell by the
wayside.
Mulberries, especially the fruitless selections, are still grown by Midwestern
nurseries. In 1997, Fruit Gardener magazine designated the edible forms
their "Fruit of the Year." As a mid-size shade tree, mulberries are fast
growing, broad spreading and quick to provide shade. They are relatively
resistant to disease and insect problems and are drought tolerant once
established. But, lacking flowers and having little fall color, better shade
trees are available.
By: Gerald Klingaman, retired
Extension Horticulturist
- Ornamentals
Extension News -
October 1, 1999
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