Group of Japanese Persimmons 



The persimmon has been notably cultivated in Japan, 

 where the secret was learned that the fruit loses its astrin- 

 gency when packed closely in air-tight receptacles. It appears that 

 carbonic acid in the absence of oxygen produces in the fruit pre- 

 cisely the chemical changes necessary to transform it from 

 an astrinient and inedible to a highly palatable fruit. 



