PERSIMMON. OSAGE ORANGE. CHERRY. 



{Diospyros.) {Madura.) (Prunus.) 



The Persimmon {Diospyros virginiand) grows in many of 

 the central and southern United States and affords a hard, 

 tough wood, resembling fine-grain hickory, that is used for 

 implements and other small work. The plum-like fruit is 

 remarkably astringent when green, but is sweet, rich, and 

 palatable when ripe. The persimmon is a member of the 

 ebony family {Ebenacecs), and the extremely close-grained, 

 heartwood is almost black. The ebony of commerce is 

 derived from tropical species of this genus. 



The Osage Orange or Bois Y)' Kxc {Madura aurantiacd) is 

 found in the Gulf and neighboring States, and has been culti- 

 vated in the North. The wood is unusually hard and strong, and 

 is of a yellow color, which, however, darkens with age. It is in 

 many ways a unique and serviceable product, widely utilized 

 locally in the South, but almost unknown in the North, and 

 nowhere sufficiently appreciated. The aborigines made bows 

 and arrows of it, whence the name Bois D'Arc. The tree affords 

 a useless fruit somewhat resembling the common orange in 

 appearance. 



The widely distributed Wild Cherry or Wild Black Cherry 

 {Prunus serotina) supplies the cherry wood of commerce. 

 This wood is strong, hard, fine-grained, red-colored, and one 

 of the most popular decorative woods of the American forests. 

 Sweet or Cherry Birch {Betula lento) is often stained so as to 

 imitate it, while it of itself is stained so as to resemble 

 mahogany. The wood of the cultivated cherry is not used in 

 the United States. The wild cherry bears purplish-black fruit 

 somewhat larger than peas, sweetly bitter when ripe. The 

 bark is also bitter. It should be noted of these woods that the 

 thin heart of the persimmon is black, that of the Bois d'Arc is 

 yellow, and that of the cherry is red. Each receives a high 

 polish. 



