282 HORTICULTURE, FORESTRY, FLORICULTURE 



Golden Gem, Daniel Boone, Hicks, Kansas, Early Golden, and 

 Smeech, a seedless variety originating in Tennessee. 



Handling the Fruit. The persimmon is not as perishable as 

 some suppose ; it can be kept for several months. The fruits seldom 

 rot, but dry up, and in this condition they have been kept till March 

 and April by simply keeping them in a cool dry place. They keep 

 better, however, by packing them away in sugar in a jar or other 

 tight vessel. They may also be canned by simply placing the clean, 

 ripe fruit in a glass jar and pouring over it a syrup made of granu-: 

 lated sugar and water. It is not necessary to heat the fruit before 

 canning. They may be used as occasion demands for making pud- 

 dings, etc. 



The long-keeping qualities of this fruit enables the grower to 

 ship his fruit to distant markets without fear of loss from decay. 

 Besides this, there are many other points favoring the introduction 

 of the persimmon as a commercial fruit. First, the people are be- 

 ginning to appreciate it, and this will soon create a demand for it. 

 Like all other kinds of fruit, however, in order to create a demand 

 for large quantities, it is absolutely essential that nothing but the 

 choicest varieties be placed upon the market, and these in an at- 

 tractive form. A few crates of small, seedy, astringent fruit would 

 very quickly destroy the best of markets ; The fruit is easily handled 

 and good fruit will bring good prices in the markets. Again, this 

 fruit is almost entirely free from the attacks of insects and fungi, 

 and a failure to produce a crop is a very rare occurrence, as the blos- 

 soms seldom open till all danger of frost is past. 



The best varieties are early and continuous bearers, but there 

 is still an opportunity for improvement in quality and size. When, 

 by careful cultivation and propagation, these qualities have been 

 brought to a sufficiently high standard, then it can be expected that 

 the persimmon will occupy an important place among the cultivated 

 fruits. (Ind. E. S. B. 60.) 



The Japanese Persimmon. The people of Japan regard their 

 native persimmon as their most valuable fruit. Chemical analysis 

 has shown that the persimmon has a high nutritive value. In most 

 respects the Japanese persimmons are similar to the ones of the 

 United States. The soil requirements and method of propagation 

 and cultivation are essentially the same. The Japanese persimmon 

 is not as hardy in the United States as the native species, but will 

 probably become so after continued grafting on native stock. 



The tree of the Japanese persimmon varies a great deal in size 

 and shape. In Japan, the wild tree often attains a height of from 40 

 to 50 feet. Under cultivation the tree is considerably smaller and 

 has a more spreading habit than that of the wild one. Heavy bear- 

 ing, while the tree is young, also dwarfs it to a great extent. No 

 fruit varies more than the Japanese persimmon in form, size, color, 

 flesh, flavor, color of flesh, number and form of seeds, texture and 

 thickness of skin. 



In form they are round, quadrangular, slightly or strongly 

 oblate, oblong, conical, strongly pointed, or a combination of two 



