PERSIMMON 



PERSIMMON 



2557 



but little attention has been given to its cultivation 

 and improvement. The tree is usually of small size 

 when grown in the open ground, reaching a height of 

 20 to 30 feet ; when grown in the forest, it often reaches 

 a height of 60 to 80 feet ; and in the rich alluvial river 

 bottoms, from 2 to 3 feet in diameter. In exceptional 

 cases, it may attain still greater size, even to 7 feet in 

 circumference and 125 to 130 feet high ("Journal 

 Heredity.'' November, 1915). The wood is hard and 

 elastic, and very durable when used for inside work but 

 it will rot quickly when placed under ground. 



The fruit is subglobose and ranges in size from 

 }-2 to 2 inches in diameter, depending largely on the 

 number of seeds which it contains, although seedless 

 varieties an inch in diameter are sometimes found. 

 The fruit has a very disagreeable astringent quality 

 when green, but this disappears in most varieties when 

 it becomes fully ripe. The date of ripening in the cen- 

 tral states varies from August 1 to December 1. The 

 old notion that this fruit must be subjected to the 

 action of frost before it becomes edible is erroneous; 

 many of the very best varieties ripen long before the 

 appearance of frost, while others never become edible, 

 being so exceedingly astringent that neither sun nor 

 frost has any appreciable effect on them. 



The persimmon is readily propagated from seeds, 

 which should be procured in autumn or early winter 

 and planted in the same way as peach pits; but as the 

 seedlings, especially from cultivated varieties, cannot be 

 relied upon to reproduce themselves, they should be 

 budded or grafted when two or three years old. This 

 should be done in the spring as soon as the bark will 

 slip freely. Ordinary shield-budding works well; also 

 annular- or ring-budding, patch-budding, and chip-bud- 

 ding. Large trees may be cleft-grafted, and small 

 shoots or stocks may be whip-grafted. 



This tree is more difficult to transplant successfully 

 than almost any other kind of fruit. If too much of the 

 long tap-root is cut off, the tree will be sure to die. 

 Transplant in the autumn, cut back most of the top, 

 but preserve as much of the root as possible, and plant 

 in a deep well-prepared soil. The persimmon wUl do 

 fairly well on almost any land not too wet, but it will 

 give good results if planted on a rich warm soil, well 

 exposed to the sunlight, and kept well tilled for the 

 first few years after planting, until it becomes adapted 

 to its new surroundings. The orderly growing of per- 

 simmon trees in nurseries will remove much of the diffi- 

 culty in establishing the plantation. The tree and fruit 

 are little attacked by insects and fungous diseases. 



The trees should be planted in the orchard 2 or 3 

 inches deeper than they stood in the nursery. The 

 trees may be kept low-headed so that the fruit can be 

 picked by hand; in this case, they may stand 16 to 20 

 feet apart each way. If the fruit is not to be hand- 

 picked but gathered as it falls and size and quality are not 

 so important, the trees may stand at about one-half these 

 distances. As the roots run deep, the plantation is 

 adapted to other crops until the tree require the space. 



Several chance seedlings of superior size or quality 

 have received names. They are small fruits, yellow or 

 reddish in color, about \}/% to 1% inches in diameter. 

 Some of the forms are shown in Figs. 2874 and 2875. 



For a general horticultural account of the native 

 persimmon, see W. F. Fletcher, Farmers' Bulletin No. 

 685, United States Department of Agriculture (1915), 

 from which most of the following descriptions of varie- 

 ties are taken. 



Boone (Daniel Boone). Origin Indiana, where it ripens dur- 

 ing October and November: form roundish oblate, size medium, 

 color yellow, with a dull blush in the sun: skin rather tough; seeds 

 numerous: flavor sweet but not rich; quality good. 



Burner. Origin central Kentucky, where it ripens rather early; 

 form oblate, size medium, color yellow; practically seedless; flesh 

 soft; quality very good. 



Delmas. Orizin Scranton, Mississippi, where it ripens during 

 October and early November; form roundish oblate, sire medium 



to large, color reddish yellow; skin thin and tough; seeds numerous; 

 flavor sweet and rich; quality very good. 



Early Bearing. Introduced from Cartersburg, Indiana, where 

 it ripens early in October; form round-ovate, size medium, color 

 dull yellow; quality good. 



Early Golden. Origin Illinois, where it ripens in September; 

 form oblong, size medium to large, color yellow; skin thin; seeds 

 few, flavor sweet; quality very good. 



Golden Gem (Fig. 2875). Introduced from Borden, Indiana, 

 where it ripens from August to October; form roundish oblong, 

 size medium to large, color dark orange to red; seeds few, flavor 

 rich and sweet; quality good. 



Hicks. Origin Washington County, Indiana, where it ripens 

 in October; form roundish oblate, size medium to large, color dark 

 red; skin thin and tender; seeds few, flavor rich; quality very good. 



Josephine (American Honey, Honey) (Fig. 2875). Origin near 

 Bluffton, Missouri, where it ripens in September; form roundish 

 oblate, size medium, color bright yellow, Changing to pale trans- 

 lucent; skin tough; seeds few, flavor sweet and rich; quality good. 



Kansas. Introduced from Missouri, where it ripens in Sep- 

 tember; form roundish oblate, size rather large, color yellow 

 splashed with red; flavor rich; quality very good. 



2874. The native persimmon, Diospyros virginiana. ( X K) 



Marion (Fig. 2875). Original tree found near Fulton, Missouri, 

 where the fruit ripens in October; form roundish oblate, size large, 

 color dull red; skin rather tough; seeds few; quality good though 

 less rich than some other kinds. 



Miller (Fig. 2875). Origin Jackson County, Missouri, where it 

 ripens in September; form roundish oblate, size large, color red- 

 dish yellow, translucent; skin tough; seeds rather numerous; flavor 

 sweet; quality good. 



Ruby (Little's Ruby) (Fig. 2875). Introduced from Cartersburg, 

 Indiana, where it ripens during September and for some time later; 

 roundish oblate, small to medium, yellowish red, shading to deep 

 red; skin tender; seeds few, flavor sweet; quality very good. 



Shoto. Introduced from Danville, Indiana, where it ripens 

 during October; form oblong-ovate, size large, color dull yellow, 

 blushed in the sun; skin rather tough: seeds few; quality very good. 



Smetch. Introduced from Pennsylvania, where it ripens during 

 October and November; form roundish oblate, size medium, color 

 dull yellow, splashed with red; flavor rich and sweet; very good. 



The kaki. 



The Japanese persimmon (Diospyros Kaki) is con- 

 sidered by the Japanese as their best native pomological 

 product. Although cultivated in the south of France 

 for more than ninety years, there is no record of its 

 successful introduction into the United States pre- 

 vious to about 1870. Trees were first sent to California 

 and subsequently to Augusta, Georgia, but owing to 

 defective roots and long delay in transit, the first and 

 second shipments proved a failure, and not until 1876 

 came the first success with a few trees. All early impor- 



