12 



AGRICULTURAL EXPLORATIONS IN THE ORCHARDS OF CHINA. 



in other years the harvest is small. A drawback of a large crop is 

 that the great weight of the fruit causes the large limbs to snap off 

 unless they are propped or tied up. This, therefore, has to be done 

 regularly. Ij, seems that when the trees of this variety reach the age 

 of 40 or 50 years they begin to decline in vigor; still, here and there 

 old specimens may be seen that are near the century mark. 



These large persimmons are mostly used when fresh. Foreigners 

 in China are fond of eating them with a spoon, and after being 

 kept in a cool place for some hours the fruit is very refreshing. 

 They can be eaten while still hard, like apples. By careful 

 handling and by keeping the persimmons at a low temperature they 

 can be preserved for several months. To keep them through the 

 winter the Chinese pile them in heaps, let them freeze thoroughly, 

 and keep them frozen until they are needed. When wanted, they are 

 simply put into a vessel with cold water to be thawed slowly, and 

 then they are as good as when freshly picked. They can also be eaten 



Fig. 2.— Four seedless Tamopan persimmons. Note the peculiar flattened shape of this fruit. Intro- 

 duction Nos. 16912, 16913, 16921, 22350, 22362, and 22365. 



when slightly frozen, like sherbet, and occasionally they are quite 

 acceptable in that condition. 



The variety described here is called by the Chinese "Ta shi tze," 

 meaning big persimmon, or "Ta mo pan shi tze," meaning big grind- 

 stone persimmon, on account of its large size and flattened shape 

 (fig. 2; PI. II).. An abbreviation of the last, namely, Tamopan, has 

 been suggested by the pomologists of the United States Department 

 of Agriculture as a suitable name for this variety in the United States. 

 (S. P. I. Nos. 16912, 16913, 16921, 22350, 22362, and 22365).° 



a The S. P. I. numbers mentioned in this bulletin refer to the numbers assigned by 

 the Office of Foreign Seed and Plant Introduction to seeds and plants received from 

 foreign countries and distributed with a view to determine their adaptability to con- 

 ditions in the United States. For detailed information the reader is referred to the 

 series of publications known as Inventories of Seeds and Plants Imported, of which 

 20 have been issued up to the present time. 

 204 



