222 HORTICULTURAL MANUAL. 



varieties we have from Japan. As Darvas is on the 40th 

 parallel and far into the interior of the continent, we may 

 safely believe that their cultivated varieties would prove 

 much hardier than those from .the Japan island in the Gulf 

 stream on about the same latitude. It would now be easy 

 to secure the varieties grown in central Asia and it would 

 prove interesting if not profitable to cross them with the 

 Japan varieties. 



219. Propagation and Management. The native per- 

 simmon is easily propagated for stocks from the seeds 

 planted early in the South or later, if the seeds are strati- 

 fied. Select native varieties and the Japan sorts are 

 collar-grafted upon the seedlings. But it is best to trans- 

 plant the seedlings to nursery rows before collar-grafting 

 is done, as it gives a better root system. Budding is also 

 practised, but this should be on transplanted stocks. If 

 budded or grafted where the tap-roots went down from 

 the seed they r.re difficult to transplant successfully. 



Top-working the native species as it stands in orchard, 

 or growing wild, is often practised profitably. Even in 

 the pine barrens of Florida the top-grafted Japan varieties 

 have formed fine heads and borne heavy crops. 



The native varieties are usually dioecious (34); but the 

 best Japan sorts are momjecious. or at least most varieties 

 have enough staminate flowers for pollination. Yet it has 

 been proven that the best crops are obtained by inter- 

 mingling varieties, with the result of \arying tiie fruit to 

 some extent by cross pollination. That is, the varieties 

 with red flesh are often half red and half brown, or some 

 other shade, on the same tree. 



The continued heavy crops after the trees come into 

 bearing dwarfs the trees so that they make small annual 

 growth. Hence the usual distance apart is about the same 

 as for dwarf pears, from twelve to fifteen feet each way. 



