30 EXPERIMENTS ON PROCESSING PERSIMMONS. 



GENERAL SUMMARY OF RESULTS. 



1. The study of the Japanese method of processing persimmons 

 during the first three seasons showed that while some varieties, such 

 as Hyakume and Taber's 23, would process with ease, other varieties, 

 such as Tane-nashi and Hachiya, processed with more or less diffi- 

 culty, while Triumph and Tsuru did not yield perceptibly. 



2. The use of the Japanese method was but partly successful, even 

 with the fruits which processed easily, because they often cracked as 

 a result of the high humidity incident to the process and often 

 softened unduly while in the casks. 



3. Experiments 1 to 4 of the season of 1910 (p. 12) showed that 

 if persimmons are kept in carbon dioxid during processing they tend 

 to /remain firm, the lack of oxygen apparently retarding the life 

 n^ocesses which result in softening. 



V 4. Experiments 5, 6, and 7 (p. 14) developed the fact that by 

 keeping the fruits in carbon-dioxid gas for from three to five days the 

 fruit processes, becoming nonastringent, while remaining firm. 



5. In carbon dioxid in the presence of alcohol vapors the rate of 

 processing was at times more rapid than in carbon dioxid alone, but 

 the fruits lost somewhat in the quality of crispness, and in two 

 Instances showed superficial injury. 



V 6. The presence of well-dried lump starch in the containers with 

 the fruit caused losses in weight during processing by carbon dioxid, 

 indicating that the intensely humid conditions occurring when fruit 

 is closed up tightly may be lessened by such means. By the use of 

 starch or other absorbent for water vapor it is hoped that losses by 

 cracking may be avoided. 



7. The Japanese varieties Tane-nashi, Triumph, Hachiya, Zengi, 

 Okame, Taber's 23, Tsuru, S. P. I. Nos. 13835 and 13841, and the 

 Chinese variety S. P. I. No. 22367, processed successfully in carbon 

 dioxid in from three to five days. Hyakume and Yemon will also 

 probably yield successfully, as they processed easily by the Japanese 

 method. 



8. Two lots of Japanese varieties, Okame and Tane-nashi, failed 

 to process satisfactorily, requiring eight and nine days, respectively, 

 in carbon dioxid before becoming edible. These lots were not received 

 direct from the growers, as were most of the other lots, and probably 

 had suffered prior physiological injury. 



9. Native persimmons (D. virginiana) failed to yield successfully. 



10. The rate of softening of persimmons was on the whole slightly 

 but distinctly accelerated by processing. In the case of Okame 

 persimmons (experiment 10) softening after processing was con- 

 trolled by the application of cold storage. 



