362 MANUAL OF TROPICAL AND SUBTROPICAL FRUITS 



The Chinese ring-bud or graft their plants upon the ghae 

 tsao (Diospyros Lotus) and other species. The Japanese graft 

 upon D. Lotus, on the shibukaki (an astringent variety of D. 

 kaki), and occasionally on seedlings of the common sweet- 

 fruited kaki. Ikeda states that stock-plants must be three 

 years old and that grafting is done in early spring, using cions 

 which have been stored for some days. Sauvaigo says that 

 in southern France the kaki is grafted upon D. Lotus, D. 

 virginiana (the common persimmon of the southern United 

 States), and one or two other species. Crown-grafting and other 

 methods are used, and the work is done in autumn or spring. 



Hume considers that the best stock-plant for the southern 

 United States is the common persimmon (D. virginiana), 

 since it is more vigorous and produces a larger tree than other 

 species. D. Lotus has been used in California but its value 

 is not yet fully determined. Frank N. Meyer says of it : "As 

 a stock, this persimmon may give to its grafted host a much 

 longer life than the native American persimmon seems to be 

 able to, for in China all the cultivated persimmons (kakis) 

 grow much older than they do in America. Of some varieties 

 there, one finds trees grafted on D. Lotus that are centuries old 

 and still very productive." 



Bailey writes : " The best method of propagating Japan 

 persimmons is by collar-grafting upon seedlings of the native 

 species (Diospyros virginiana), which are grown either by 

 planting the seed in nursery rows or transplanting the young 

 seedlings from seed-beds early in the spring. The seedlings 

 can be budded in summer, and in favorable seasons a fair pro- 

 portion of the buds will succeed. Thus propagated, the trees 

 seem to be longer-lived than those imported from Japan. 

 Inasmuch as the native stock is used, the range of adaptation 

 as to soils and similar conditions is very great. As a stock, 

 Diospyros Lotus is adapted to the drier parts of the West, 

 where D. virginiana does not succeed." 



