FRUITS FROM THE TROPICS 305 



ered that its astringency is lost when the fruit is 

 packed closely in air-tight receptacles. 



It appears that carbonic acid in the absence of 

 oxygen produces in the fruit precisely the chem- 

 ical changes necessary to transform it from an 

 astringent and inedible fruit to a highly pala- 

 table one. 



I have raised vast numbers of seedlings of the 

 Japanese persimmon and have attempted to 

 produce new varieties by crossing this with the 

 American persimmon; but as yet I have not suc- 

 ceeded in effecting this hybridization chiefly, 

 perhaps, because the American species is such a 

 shy bearer here that I have had few good oppor- 

 tunities to cross-fertilize the two. 



Xow that the good qualities of the persimmon 

 are beginning to be more generally recognized, 

 further experiments in this direction will prob- 

 ably be carried out, and there is every reason to 

 expect that new and greatly improved races of 

 persimmons may thus be developed. 



Whoever will contrast the hybrid Japanese- 

 American plum of to-day as developed in my 

 orchards at Santa Rosa and Sebastopol with the 

 best plums of thirty years ago will see at least a 

 suggestion of new possibilities in the prospective 

 union of the Japanese and American persimmon. 

 For the best existing varieties of persimmon 



