seven] out in the orchard 



Dennison, Texas, has a variety which he calls the 

 Honey Persimmon, and describes as very sweet 

 and rich. It will be worth our while to plant this 

 and test its hardiness in the North. I find the Mis- 

 souri varieties, grafted into native stock, are all en- 

 tirely frost-proof in Central New York. The paw- 

 paw 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 abun- 

 dantly irrigated. I see no reason why this delicious 

 fruit, a sort of hardy banana, should not be grown 

 everywhere in our gardens. I get a half bushel 

 each year from a tree ten feet in diameter and the 

 same in height. A single persimmon on my lawn 

 is covered with two or three bushels, each year, of 

 the most beautiful golden fruit. 



The apricot and the nectarine are two fruits not 

 as yet generally planted in the North. We have, 

 however, varieties of apricots that are entirely hardy 

 — quite as hardy as the plum, but not so sure to be 

 fertile. The Superb, a Kansas seedling, is just now 

 the favorite. It is a high-flavored, handsome and 

 prolific variety; but where the climate is mild, per- 

 haps the Harris or Moorpark should be preferred. 

 Of the nectarines I believe that the Boston and the 



[141] 



