oils, but prefers a deep, rich, moist loam. Young trees
grow rather slowly and are more or less distorted, and trees of the same
age often vary considerably in size and habit; hence it is not a
desirable street tree, but it appears well in ornamental grounds. A
disease which seriously disfigures the tree is extending to New England,
and the leaves are sometimes attacked by insects. Occasionally offered
by nurserymen and easily transplanted.

[Illustration: PLATE LI.--Celtis occidentalis.]

1. Winter buds.
2. Flowering branch.
3. Sterile flower.
4. Fertile flower.
5. Fruiting branch.

MORACEAE. MULBERRY FAMILY.

=Morus rubra, L.=

MULBERRY.

=Habitat and Range.=--Banks of rivers, rich woods.

Canadian shore of Lake Erie.

A rare tree in New England. Maine,--doubtfully reported; New
Hampshire,--Pemigewasset valley, White mountains (Matthews);
Vermont,--northern extremity of Lake Champlain, banks of the Connecticut
(Flagg), Pownal (Oakes), North Pownal (Eggleston); Massachusetts,--rare;
Rhode Island,--no station reported; Connecticut,--rare; Bristol,
Plainville, North Guilford, East Rock and Norwich (J. N. Bishop).

South to Florida; west to Michigan, South Dakota, and Texas.

=Habit.=--A small tree, 15-25 feet in height, with a trunk diameter of
8-15 inches; attaining much greater dimensions in the Ohio and
Mississippi basins; a wide-branching, rounded tree, characterized by a
milky sap, rather dense foliage, and fruit closely resembling in shape
that of the high blackberry.

=Bark.=--Trunk light brown, rough, and more or less furrowed according
to age; larger branches light greenish-brown; season's shoots gray and
somewhat downy.

=Winter Buds and Leaves.=--Buds ovate, obtuse. Leaves simple, alternate,
4-8 inches long, two-thirds as wide, rough above, yellowish-green and
densely pubescent when young; at maturity dark green and downy beneath,
turning yellow in autumn; conspicuously reticulated; outline variable,
ovate, obovate, oblong or broadly oval, serrate-dentate with equal
teeth, or irregularly 3-7-lobed; apex acuminate; base heart-shaped to
truncate; stalk 1-2 inches long; stipules linear, serrate, soon falling.

=Inflorescence.=--May. Appearing with the leaves from the season's
shoots, in axillary spikes, sterile and fertile flowers sometimes on the
same tree, sometimes on different trees,--sterile flowers in spreading
or pendulous spikes, about 1 inch long; calyx 4-par