2558 



PERSIMMON 



PERSIMMON 



tations of trees grown in Japan consisted of trees of 

 small sizes with long tap-roots and no laterals; and 

 probably the stocks on which they were grafted were 

 not adaptable to this country. American enterprise, 

 however, remedied this, as nurseries were established 

 near Yokohama and well-grown trees of the best varie- 

 ties were exported to the United States. Experiments 

 were made in the South by grafting upon native stocks. 

 This proved successful when the graft was inserted 

 upon the collar of the root, 3 to 4 inches below the sur- 

 face of the soil. The United States Department of 

 Agriculture received a large quantity of trees from 

 Japan about 1878 or 1879, and fearing that the winter 

 of Washington might prove too cold the trees were sent 

 to Norfolk, Virginia, where many bore fruit the follow- 

 ing year. The first fruiting of which there is any record 

 was at Augusta, Georgia, in 1879, upon trees grafted 

 upon native seedlings growing in the forest. 



The kaki, or Japanese persimmon, is a fruit for the 

 cotton-belt. However, as regards the hardiness of the 



2875. Native persimmons: a, Josephine; b, Marion; c, Golden 

 Gem; d, Miller; e, Ruby. 



Japanese persimmons, experience demonstrates that 

 some varieties are more resistant to excessive cold than 

 others; but few can withstand a temperature of zero; 

 and as a rule they are more successful below the 32d 

 degree of latitude than farther north. Many seedlings 

 have been produced that seem to have increased frost- 

 resisting powers. Instances are reported in which some 

 of these trees have withstood the winters of east Ten- 

 nessee. By successive sowing of seeds from these 

 hardier seedlings we may look for a race of trees that 

 will be adapted to the middle sections of the United 

 States. There is a probability, also, that importations 

 from the north of Japan and China may considerably 

 extend the range northward in this country. Some 

 varieties have succeeded in central Virginia and Ken- 

 tucky. Attempts to cross with the native species have 

 so far been unsuccessful. 



The best method of propagating Japan persimmons 

 is by collar-grafting upon seedlings of the native spe- 

 cies (Diospyros virginiana), which are grown either by 

 planting the seed in nursery rows or transplanting the 

 young seedlings from seed-beds early in the spring. 

 The seedlings can be budded in summer, and in favor- 

 able seasons a fair proportion of the buds will succeed. 

 Thus propagated, the trees seem to be longer-lived than 



those imported from Japan. Inasmuch as the native stock 

 is used, the range of adaptation as to soils and similar 

 conditions is very great. As a stock, Diospyros Lotus is 

 adapted to the drier parts of the West, where D. virgini- 

 ana does not succeed. D. chinensis will probably be a 

 good stock, but has not yet been tested in this country. 



One of the great drawbacks in the cultivation of the 

 Japanese persimmon has been the dropping of the 

 flowers, so that trees and plantations may remain 

 barren. Recently this has been shown to be due to 

 lack of pollination (see Hume, "Proceedings of the 

 Society for Horticultural Science," 1913). A constantly 

 staminate variety is now on the market, the Gailey, 

 which, if planted one tree to seven or eight trees of 

 sterile varieties, will insure a crop so far as pollination is 

 concerned. The Tane-Nashi, however, is self-fertile. 

 It is to be expected that the subject of sterile and 

 fertile varieties, and of inter-pollination, will now receive 

 much attention, with considerable change in the prac- 

 tice of persimmon-growing. 



Another difficulty is the great variation in fruits in 

 the same variety or even on the same tree, in shape, size, 

 and other characters. While the cause of all this varia- 

 tion has not been determined, it is known that much of 

 it is eliminated by the good inter-pollination of which 

 we have spoken. Hume writes: "All varieties of Jap- 

 anese persimmons so far studied are light-fleshed when 

 seedless but certain varieties always show a dark area 

 in the flesh when seeds are present and others are 

 always light-fleshed even when seeds are present. Both 

 dark- and light-fleshed fruits may occur on the same 

 tree. The physiological causes which underlie the 

 changes in color of the flesh are not understood, and 

 offer an interesting field for investigation." 



In color, size, and surface texture, the Japanese per- 

 simmons somewhat resemble ripe tomatoes. They are 

 now frequently seen in the northern markets. Some 

 of the varieties ship well. Many persons do not like 

 them at first, largely because of the very soft flesh 

 and their sweetness, but the quality is good, it varies 

 much in the different varieties, and the fruit is cer- 

 tain to find increased demand. It is eaten out of hand. 



Some of the varieties ripen in August, some in 

 November, and others intermediate between these 

 dates. It requires some experience to determine just 

 when the fruit has reached the proper stage to be 

 marketed, and this varies with the different varieties. 

 Some of the varieties have dark flesh, others light flesh, 

 still others a mixture of the two. The light and dark 

 flesh differ radically in texture and consistency, as 

 well as appearance, and when found in the same fruit 

 are never blended, but always distinct. The dark flesh 

 is never astringent; the light flesh is astringent until 

 it softens. The dark-fleshed fruit is crisp and meaty, 

 like an apple, and is edible before it matures. Some of 

 the entirely dark-fleshed kinds improve as they soften. 

 The light-fleshed kinds and those with mixed light and 

 dark flesh are very delicious when they reach the cus- 

 tard-like consistency of full ripeness. In some, the 

 astringency disappears as the fruit begins to soften; in 

 others, it persists until the fruit is fully ripe. The 

 round-shaped varieties usually ripen first, the oblong 

 are likely to last and keep the longest; these latter 

 should be slowly house-ripened to remove the slight 

 astringency inherent to these varieties. 



The market value of the fruit is at present more or 

 less uncertain. A large proportion of the fruit-eating 

 people of the North do not yet know what a fine fruit 

 the Japanese persimmon is. The fruits have to be 

 shipped while hard and allowed to ripen after reaching 

 destination. Commission men are likely to sell them 

 and the public to eat them or attempt to dp so a 

 week or two ahead of the proper stage of ripeness; 

 hence the Japan persimmon in its best condition is yet 

 comparatively little known. In Japan, the dried fruit, 

 somewhat like a dried or cured fig, is much esteemed. 



