CHAPTER XLII. 



THE PERSIMMON. 



The Persimmon, or Date Plum, belongs to the genus Dios- 

 pyros, which includes about one hundred and fifty species of 

 trees, natives of tropical or temperate regions, many of low 

 growth, and others rising to a lofty height. The fruits are 

 round or pointed berries, vaying from the size of a cherry to 

 a large apple, and, though disagreeably astringent while 

 green, by reason of the excellence of some when fully ripe 

 have won from botanists the generic name, which literally 

 means " food of the gods." 



Varieties. 



D. Mabola. A garden favorite in the Isle of France ; fruit as large 

 as a quince and of delicious flavor. 



D. Texana. The persimmon of Texas and Mexico. A low tree, 

 bearing a large round luscious berry of a dark color. 



D. Virginiana. (American Date Plum. ) The common persimmon 

 of the United States, sometimes called American Ebony. A tree 

 of moderate size, occasionally rising to sixty feet or more in thick 

 forests; very abundant throughout the Southern and Western 

 States, especially those bordering on the Gulf of Mexico, and oc- 

 curring more sparingly as we approach the latitude of New York, 

 its northern limit. Wood close-grained and hard, dark yellow or 

 almost black. Trees often dioecious, with ovate oblong leaves and 

 pale yellow flowers. Fruit reddish-yellow, resembling a plum. 

 containing eight or ten flattened oval seeds ; sweet, melting, and 

 delicious when ripe, but horribly astringent previous to maturity. 



In the latitude of Virginia it does not ripen before frost, 

 hence the belief that the action of frost is necessary to its 

 amelioration, but farther south the long warm summers ac- 

 complish the same result, bringing it to the highest degree of 

 perfection before cool weather. So far nothing has been done 

 in the United States to improve this fruit, except the OC' 



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