174 TREES 



or hollow tree shelters the opossom, while he sleeps by 

 day. Every persimmon the opossom steals helps to make 

 him fat and tender for the darkey's Thanksgiving feast, so 

 it is only a question of patience and strategy to recoup his 

 losses by feasting on his fat 'possum neighbor, and to boast 

 to the friends Vvlio join him at the feast, of the contest of 

 wits at which he came off victorious. 



In summer time a persimmon tree is handsome in its 

 oval pointed leaves, often six inches long, with pale linings. 

 The flowers that appear in axillary clusters on the sterile 

 trees are small, yellowish green and inconspicuous. On 

 the fertile trees the flowers are solitary and axillary. The 

 fruit is technically a berry, containing one to eight seeds. 



The following first impressions of persimmons in Vir- 

 ginia woods are from the pen of a traveler in the early part 

 of the seventeenth century, whom Pocahontas might have 

 introduced to a fruit well known to the Indians : 



" They have a plumb which they call pessemmins, like to 

 a medler, in England, but of a deeper tawnie cullour; they 

 grow on a most high tree. When they are not fully ripe, 

 they are harsh and choakie, and furre in a man's mouth 

 like allam, howbeit, being taken fully ripe, yt is a reason- 

 able pleasant fruiet, somewhat lushious. I have seen our 

 people put them into their baked and sodden puddings; 

 there be whose tast allows them to be as pretious as the 

 English apricock; I confess it is a good kind of horse 

 plumb." 



" 'Simmon beer" and brandy are made from the fruit, 

 and its seeds are roasted to use when coffee is scarce. 

 The inner bark of the tree has tonic properties, and the 

 country folk use it for the allaying of intermittent fevers. 

 The wood is used in turnery, for shoe lasts, plane stocks 



