238 GARDENING WITH BRAINS '^ 



that "the only way to make a papaw live is to try to 

 kill it," as it is very hard to kill when once it gets fairly 

 started. The flavor of the best varieties, in my opinion, 

 is superior to that of any other fruit, and as they can 

 be still further improved, the papaw will soon become 

 a grand standard fruit in America, and will be culti- 

 vated like other fruits. 



After reading this letter I made up my mind 

 to become a missionary and preach the gospel 

 of the American papaw. Hence this sermon. 



STRANGE HABITS OF A QUEER PLANT 



Can the American papaw be successfully 

 grown in all our Northern states? That was the 

 first question presenting itself. Mr. Powell 

 says, **It will grow anywhere in our gardens, 

 but it likes water, and if the season is dry the 

 fruit will either drop or be flavorless, unless the 

 trees are abundantly irrigated." On another 

 page he says: "The papaw is as beautiful for 

 the shrubbery as it is excellent for fruit. It 

 likes moist soil, but can be grown on high soil 

 by mulching." 



My next step was to find out what the govern- 

 ment experts had to say. In answer to a ques- 

 tion addressed to the Bureau of Plant Industry 

 in Washington, the pomologist, C. P. Close, 

 wrote me the following letter, dated July 13, 

 1921: 



The American, or native, papaw {Asimina triloba) 

 is entirely distinct from the tropical fruit called papaya, 



