CHAPTER XXIII 



THE JAPANESE PERSIMMON (JDiospyrus 

 Kaki, DiospyracecB) 



THIS, the national fruit of Japan, is a giant compared 

 with the persimmon of the North American woods 

 as regards the size of its fruit; the tree is a comparative 

 dwarf but makes up in beauty, symmetry, and convenience 

 of size what it lacks in height. It does not need the frost 

 to sweeten its fruit but neither does the frost-touch prove 

 harmful as to other semi-tropical fruits. There is as end- 

 less an array of variety in this persimmon as the apple can 

 present and it is used by the Japanese in as many different 

 ways and as constantly. The Japan persimmon varies 

 so in size, flavour, and shape, from the size of a base-ball to 

 that of the largest orange; from those somewhat tasteless 

 and dry to a ravishingly delicious and juicy type; and 

 from the rounding, through all degrees, to the extremely 

 elongated — that one can but generalise in dealing with it. 

 It seems a great pity that it is not better known and ap- 

 preciated in Northern markets, as it ships well, grows so 

 readily and in such abundance that it is not the expensive 

 fruit many of the semi-tropical products prove to be, and 

 yet is one of the richest of fruits in food value. It can 

 best perhaps be compared with the banana as to its type 

 of riches and its practicability as "a whole meal" in itself. 

 It has wealth of carbohydrates, also fat and protein, (with 

 more sugar however), and its energy-producing power is 

 about the same as the forceful banana. 



It is susceptible of much more variation than is realised 



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