364 SYSTEMATIC POMOLOGY. 



Johnson. Very large, oblong, nearly black in color. Flesh sub- 

 acid, and excellent in quality. The leaves of this variety are very 

 large, and it is a popular shade-tree in southern cities as far south as 

 San Antonio, Texas. Ohio. 



Munson. Large, oblong, black; quality very good, with some 

 acid. A variety of the Russian mulberry, originated by T. V. Munson, 

 of Texas. As Mr. Munson says : " The branches in fruit look like ropes 

 of big berries," as grown in the South. This is hardy farther north 

 than Downing. 



New American. Large, oblong; color black; quality very good. 

 Hardier in Ohio and in the Southeast and South; but tender at the 

 West. It is said that this is often sold under the name of Downing. 



Stubbs. Very large, often two inches long and three-quarters of 

 an inch in diameter; valuable in the South, and it does well under 

 irrigation in southwest Texas. This belongs to the native species of 

 the South (Morus rulra). 



PERSIMMON (DATE PLUM, KAKI). 



Sections 217, 218, and 219, give an outline of the advance within 

 recent years in growing the native and foreign persimmons in this 

 country, and their propagation. In West Europe the climate does 

 not favor the introduction of fruits that need a high summer tem- 

 perature except under glass. Hogg does not mention it in his " Fruit 

 Manual," and De Candolle does not include it in his origin of cultivated 

 plants, yet for many years the Japan varieties have been cultivated 

 in We^t Europe under glass, especially the variety Costata, which bears 

 a handsome orange yellow fruit the size of large apricots. Bur- 

 bidge said of its fruits in 1878: "The fruit is* delicious, with a flavor 

 like apricots." In the south of France too, in 1882, the writer saw 

 plantations of a Japan species or variety under the name of Diospyros 

 Mazeli loaded with medium-sized orange red fruit, which I think is 

 identical with the Mazelli grown in Georgia. The fruits from this 

 source are seen in the market in Paris and Berlin wrapped in tissue- 

 paper like oranges, and meeting with ready sale. In "this country, 

 prior to the introduction of the Japan varieties select native ones of 

 our two American species, Diospyros Virginiana and D. Texana, were 

 propagated and planted from the Gulf north to Ohio and New Jersey, 

 and some of these are yet grown on account of their superior quality. 



