VIII 



VARIOUS TYPES OF TREE FRUITS 



THERE are great numbers of trees in North America, 

 small and large, which produce edible fruit, some of 

 which must come to be 'the parents of important fruit- 

 bearing races. Of a few of these, something has 

 already been done towards domestication ; and the 

 most important of these may be mentioned. 



The, Persimmon 



We have already seen (page 172) that the wild 

 persimmons attracted the attention of the explorers 

 and colonists, by many of whom they were called 

 plums. Over a hundred years ago, experiments were 

 detailed for the utilization of this fruit in the making 

 of wine,* and the fruit is still employed in parts of 

 the South in the manufacture of domestic liquors. 

 Perhaps there is no native fruit which is more varia- 

 ble than the persimmon. It is not improbable that 

 more than one species is passing under the name of 

 Diositijros Viryiniana. This at once argues that the 

 persimmon is capable of rapid amelioration. Several 

 extra good forms have been transferred to cultiv.-it.'.l 

 grounds and have received names. Troop and Had- 

 ley's bulletin,! which is the best literature yet made 



* Isaac Bartram, "A memoir on the distillation of persimmons." in Trans. 

 Amer. Phil. Soc. i. 301 (1789). 



t "Tli.- American Persimmon," Bull. 60, Indiana Exp. Sta. (Apr. lMi). 



BB (433) 



