80 AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 
February, 1911 
Six Neglected Fruit Trees 
By E. P. Powell 
Z 
(2@AE have half a dozen or more fruits in the 
ne Uni 
nited States, capable of general culture, 
and of which we ought to make a good 
deal more use. Each one of them is 
suitable for home consumption in its pres- 
ent form, while capable of improvement 
along the lines of cross breeding and 
I have found improved sorts of native persim- 
selection. 
mons in Missouri, Virginia and Indiana, and having pro- 
cured cions have been able to grow them after grafting in 
central New York. One of these has come into some 
notice, and is being propagated by Mr. Munson, of Denni- 
son, Texas, as the Josephine. It was sent to me by Mr. 
Miller, the enthusiastic secretary of the Missouri Horti- 
cultural Society. As a rule our wild persimmons are of 
little value—containing large seeds and little pulp, but the 
five or six varieties that I have collected, give delicious 
fruit. To my surprise I find the tree entirely hardy in 
northern New York. In Florida we graft the wild sorts 
to the Japanese introductions, and get magnificent fruit. 
The government is just now introducing a variety from 
Manchuria, which is almost seedless and tolerably hardy. 
I do not think it at all improbable that we have already in 
this country Japanese or Corean sorts that will prove 
hardy as far north as Cleveland. If our fruit lovers and 
home makers would look out for something of this sort, 
testing half a dozen of the later importations, and grow- 
ing seedlings, we should soon have throughout the whole 
North, as a garden fruit, persimmons two to four inches in 
diameter and most delicious for eating from hand. [ rec- 
ommend also the trial of this native sort, Josephine. A 
single tree gives me two bushels or more every year. The 
tree is about twenty-five feet high when fully grown, and 
needs only moderate space in the lawn or yard. 
A small tree, sometimes only a bush in the Middle West, 
and along the river bottoms as far north as Michigan, gives 
us a fruit much like a banana in shape, and about half as 
large. We can grow this tree almost anywhere in the 
United States, if it is planted in moist land. I have it 
growing very successfully in Clinton, New York, and find 
it equally thrifty in Florida—below the frost line. We 
call it pawpaw, which I think is the Indian name for it. 
Here again we have to select among trees that vary largely 
in their fruit. I have one delicious sort from Indiana; its 
fruit being high flavored and much like clotted cream. The 
skin is delicate, and long shipments would not be possible. 
The large seeds are our chief difficulty, and these we can 
probably remove by scientific culture—propagating from 
those which have the smallest seeds. The flower of this 
tree is conspicuous and very interesting, being two inches 
across and chocolate colored. Every way we have here a 
beautiful and a profitable fruit that should no longer be 
overlooked. It grows about twelve to fifteen feet in height, 
and the foliage closely resembles that of the persimmon. If 
not disturbed by trimming, the tree inclines to take a weep- 
ing form. 
The high bush cranberry is a common name for viburnum 
opulus. It blossoms in May, in large corymbs of white 
flowers. The flowers are followed by large bunches of 
berries, which latter become about half the size of a cran- 
berry. In summer the color is yellow, but in autumn a 
rich crimson. I found not many years ago that 
these berries are an almost perfect substitute for 
the swamp cranberry of our market. The bush will 
b 
grow anywhere on uplands, and is frequently found in 
choice shrubberies. The fruit, however, has been over- 
looked, and in the winter has been taken by the pine gros- 
beak and cedar birds—who are very fond of it. A half 
dozen well grown bushes would easily supply any family 
with its winter cranberries—wholesome and of a sprightly 
flavor. The surplus would be very acceptable to the birds, 
and for that reason I should recommend planting a few 
bushes at the rear end of our acres or along the fence 
lines. 
The barberry of New England is fairly well understood 
by our friends who winter in Maine and New Hampshire. 
The common sort that grows along the roadsides furnishes 
material for jellies and sauces, and I found in a few cases 
that selected sorts were grown in yards. I have the English 
variety, and from that seedlings, which are decidedly pref- 
erable to the native variations that I have seen growing 
wild. I do not mention the barberry because it is entirely 
novel to the American housewife, but because outside of 
New England I hardly ever have seen it put to any use by 
housewives. The jelly is sparkling and liked by almost 
every one. The seeds will, of course, prevent any large use 
of this fruit as a sauce. 
The elderberry was not neglected by our early settlers, 
but of late it has fallen out of use. It is not only one of 
the most beautiful of our native shrubs in blossom, but the 
enormous mass of berries is specially "adaptable for pud- 
dings and pies. The seed is small and smooth, and can be 
used by those who find strawberries and raspberries injuri- 
ous. This bush grows ‘rom the northern lines of our terri- 
tory to the very southern, and Nature seems to say that it 
is one of her favorites. I name it here because I have 
come to be very fond of the cooked fruit. I am afraid that 
the only prejudice against it is just this fact that it is very 
common. Farmers have looked upon the bush as an in- 
trusion on their pasture lands. It takes to all sorts of 
soil, and does not mind wet feet. If you have a swampy 
spot you can do nothing better than plant elder bushes and 
pawpaws. 
I am inclined to put into this list the mulberry, although 
I am not sure that we can make a success of the better sorts 
in our Northern States. We can at least grow the Down- 
ing, which has been so highly praised by Beecher, and the 
Russian sorts of recent introduction are entirely hardy. 
Stark Brothers have sent me a white variety. Beside these 
I find that the birds are bringing seed and dropping them 
over my acres. The seedlings that spring up vary a good 
deal in value, and one of them only is worth preserving. 
There is one draw back. A mulberry tree takes a lot of 
room, so that we cannot afford to give a poor sort space 
in our garden. It makes a splendid lawn tree, full of 
shade, and always calling the birds into its arms. In Florida 
there is no fruit to surpass the mulberry, giving loads of 
large fine berries, which are equally attractive to fowls, 
birds, animals and men. The mocking bird sits in the 
limbs and scolds you for taking your share. I think that 
by persistent growth of seedlings we can get some of these 
large fruited sorts started that are entirely hardy- 
I should like to add one or two more fruits which are 
‘almost always neglected by the common home builder, but 
will omit them for the present. We have here at least 
half a dozen sorts of delicious and wholesome fruits, that 
ought to be in the common home gardens all across the coun- 
try, and from the Lakes to the Gulf. 
