iv AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS November, 1909 
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OUR NATIVE PERSIMMONS 
By E. P. Powell 
ful Otc a 
lected fruit, notwithstanding the fact 
| that the Japanese persimmon has _be- 
; | come very popular. In my judgment a thor- 
| cughly good native is more eatable than the 
foreign. “There are some varieties already se- 
lected and grown by our best horticulturists, 
and yet very little has been done in the way 
of cross-breeding and improving the fruit. 
Mr. Miller, secretary of the Missouri Horti- 
cultural Society, some years ago sent me scions 
of a few sorts that he had collected and named. 
One of these was almost seedless, but it has 
not proved as ready to take care of itself in 
this climate. “The variety which has proved 
of most value to me is the same as that which 
is now propagated by Mr. Munson, at Deni- 
son, Texas, and named by him the Honey 
persimmon. Mr. Miller sent it to me under 
another name. It is a most delicious fruit, 
about one and three-quarters inches in diame- 
ter, and slightly flattened in shape. It ripens 
about the last week of October in this climate, 
and in 1908 it surpassed all the persimmons 
that I ever tasted. 
The best way for growing this fruit is to 
plant seeds of any stock you may have at hand. 
‘The seedlings will most of them be fruitless, 
although they will blossom, but they will make . 
admirable stock in which to insert chosen 
scions. “They are equally good for Japanese 
and native scions. If your home is below the 
Ohio, try the Japanese; but in New York 
State, which is my summer home, the Japanese 
sorts are all too tender. You must bear in 
mind that the persimmon starts its growth 
quite late in the season, and your grafting 
must be done relatively later than apples, as 
apples must be grafted later than plums. The 
tree without fruit is a beauty, and about the 
right size for a common lawn. ‘The barren 
sorts will be admirable for our streets, and 
if planted in large numbers they might be 
grafted; that is, we must have enough of 
them to satisfy the boys. “The limbs are brit- 
tle and will not stand much climbing or 
pounding. 
In 1907, and in that year only, the persim- 
mon failed to ripen into sweetness. As a rule, 
the tree will be loaded with its golden balls. 
The fruit does not need the help of frost, as 
people frequently say. In fact, a severe freez- 
ing very much injures the quality of the per- 
simmon. ‘The early sorts become very sweet 
and soft before any frost whatever, and then 
fall from the tree if not picked. ‘The later 
sorts hang on into the winter, and may be 
picked as late as January or February in a 
frozen state. Thaw them out slowly and they 
an mee §. make very good eating. ‘The squirrels are 
very fond of the fruit that remains till they 
come out in the spring. 
LANE BROTHERS COMPANY 
434-466 Prospect Street POUGHKEEPSIE, .N. Y. 
Refinish a Piece of 
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Let Us Send the Materials FREE 
Let us show you how to make old furniture look like 
new, how to rejuvenate shabby floors, how to refinish the 
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These Materials Are YOurs— 
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No doubt you have some piece of furniture that you prize highly, yet you 
do not use on account of its worn condition, or because it does not harmonize 
with other furniture or decorations. 
—Use Johnson’s Electric Solvo to quickly remove the old finish. 
—Use Johnson’s Wood Dye to color the wood any one of 14 shades— 
choose from list below. 
—Use Johnson’s Prepared Wax to impart that beautiful “hand-rubbed” effect. 
The book will tell you how in every case, and will show you how to carry 
out other decorating ideas you may have in mind. 
From this test and this book, you will learn how many opportunities you 
have of beautifying the home by using— 
Johnson’s Wood Dye 
Made in 14 Standard Shades: 
No. 126 Light Oak No. 130 Weathered Oak a 1 1 
No. 123 Bark Oak No. ey Brown Weathered Oa The pawpaw of our river bottoms in Ohio 
0. 125 Mission Oak 0. 132 Green Weathere ak i i 
N No. 140 Manilla Oak No. 121 Moss Green and Indiana (and I have found them also as 
%\ No. 110 Bog Oak No. 122 Forest Green Southern Michigan) should be propagated 
%, No, 128 Light Mahogany No. 172 Flemish Oak : sr 
S 7 l h th The tree never 
hy, No. 129 Dark Mahogany No. 178 Brown Flemish Oak along with the persimmon. ce 
% : 
wy : q grows more than about fifteen feet high and 
a ~~ Johnson’s Wood Dye is not a mere stain—not simply a surface inclines to a weeping form when fully grown. 
5 0, & aac : : nae : BO ¢ | 
oe ereeceen : keh espa dye, sinking deep in the wou The fruit is the size of a very small banana. 
. 6 On Sy A : ; : BG 
“4, G@  Johnson’s Prepared Wax adds a top dressing of subducd Like the persimmon, it is pretty full of seeds 
only the fruit is so delicious that we can tol- 
erate the presence of a half dozen lima beans. 
What 1 write these notes for is to suggest a | 
general effort to improve these two fruits | 
and get rid of a large part of the seeds. This 
ee, ©, luster. It does not catch or hold dust. It does not show 
p %, scratches or heel marks. 
@ «, The trial packages will demonstrate these facts 
TAO. Ro to you. 
2) vig Use the coupon. Cut it out now, while 
“9% & you think of tt, and mail at once. —J 
<o ps Grn! celge distribute these Johnson can be done by selecting the best stock, sowing 
ne a pees eae eee cise the seed, and then rejecting the poorest re- 
oh “a ; sults. In the course of half a dozen genera- 
oe wN S. C. Johnson @ Son tions of plants we shall reach something of 
a i oN Racine, Wisconsin importance. Of course, this will need a good 
° N “Wood Finishing Authorities” deal of time and patience, and we must teach 
our children to carry on the experiment. 
