THE MONTHLY BULLETIN. 35 



COUNTY COMMISSIONERS DEPARTMENT. 



DEPUCKERIZING THE PERSIMMON. 



By O. E. Bbemner, Horticultural Commissioner, Sonoma County. 



We noted with considerable interest Mr. Sumito Fujii's article on the 

 persimmon in the September issue of the Monthly Bulletin. Our item, 

 however, seemed to be omitted and thai is the method by which a per- 

 simmon is ripened thai removes its astringent properties. The Japanese 



have a method, th 'igin of which, as with all other such processes thai 



have been handed down from generation to generation, is probably un- 

 known. Th.-y take a soy tub which has just been emptied of the soy and 

 till it with persimmons, covering the top tightly. After a few weeks the 

 persimmons are removed perfectly ripe and without the astringenl 

 property. Mr. Roeding tried this process but says it is not practical on 

 accounl of the difficulty in securing fresh soy tubs. 



The soy tub and the soy are nol essentials to the process, although the 

 Japanese believe they are. A simple manner and one perfectly effective 

 is to place the persimmons in layers of chaff or fine straw or hay in the 

 boxes so as to exclude the light. The fruit will ripen in from two to six 

 weeks, depending on its condition when picked. They may be gath- 

 ered even before they have begun to take on the yellow color and yet 

 ripen so perfectly thai they may be eaten like apples without even 

 removing the skin. This is not strictly true of some of the seedlings, but 

 dues refer to the varieties mentioned in Mr. Fujii"s article. 



It is not essential to the ripening of persimmons that they remain on 

 the tree until slightly Erosted. The longer they remain on the tree the 

 higher the color and the quicker they ripen. We usually put away 

 about live lug boxes, each containing two or three layers of persimmons, 



a< rding to the size of the fruit. When cured this way persimmons 



make an eleganl appetizer served either with cream or without. 



REGARDING NURSERY STOCK. 



We are giving herewith a letter from Mr. W. II. Volck, horticultural 

 commissioner of Santa Cruz County, which we believe will be of interest 

 to his fellow commissioners: 



Watsonvii.i.k. California, December 14, 1916. 

 Mr. C. //. Heche, 

 stuti- Commissioner of Horticulture, 

 Sacrami «'■■. ' California. 



DEAB Sir: I have nearly completed the examination of a number of shipments of 

 nursery stock frmn three leading Oregon nurseries. I regret to report that the con- 

 dition of this sh"k averages very poor. This is especially true of the apricots. 



The trouble with the apricots appeal's to he a fungous infection producing gummosis 

 and cankers on the roots, crown, trunk, and graft union. A few of the cankers were 

 found on the tops as well. In the worsl eases the cankers have killed the hark on 

 the trunk near the crown. Many infections were also found at the graft union, and 

 some of these had already killed the greater portion of the hark at this point. One 

 shipment of apricots on apricot roots showed the above mentioned cankers and, in 

 addition, dead roots which were apparently due to the same disease. 



A microscopic examination of material from these cankers shows the presence of a 

 ous mycelium in considerable abundance. 



Four of these shipments have been rejected on account of the abundance of the 

 above described cankers. Three other shipments, which were in much better con- 

 iliiimi. have heen passed after carefully sorting out the few trees which showed traces 

 of this trouble. 



Other varieties of trees in these shipments were in fair condition with the exception 

 of some apples which appear to have had woolly aphis infestations on the roots. 

 Also, much of the stock is on two to three year old roots with poor healing over the 

 stub of the second graft union. 



W. II. Volck. 



