EXPERIMENTS OF 1910. 29 



simmons, indicating that partial processing had occurred. All of the 

 variety Zengi processed completely. 



In the desiccator containing sand three out of four of the variety 

 Tsuru were softening and were very astringent. One of the three 

 Hachiya persimmons used was firm, one was softening, and one was 

 soft. This last fruit was nonastringent, but the softening specimen 

 contained much soluble tannin. One specimen of the three Tane- 

 nashi used was beginning to soften and was slightly astringent, while 

 the other two were firm and very full of soluble tannin. Seven speci- 

 mens of Triumph were used and all remained firm. The most highly 

 colored fruit was free from tannin, but another specimen tried was 

 slightly but perceptibly astringent, indicating that here, as in the 

 fruit of this variety from the other two desiccators, it yielded slightly 

 but distinctly. Zengi were completely processed and all were firm. 



In the desiccator in which the air was displaced by carbon dioxid 

 four of the five Tsuru fruits were firm and one was softening. Of the 

 two Hachiya, one was soft and the other was beginning to soften. 

 Both of the Tane-nashi fruits used were firm and seven out of eight 

 of Triumph remained firm. All of the Zengi were hard. All of the 

 fruit was nonastringent and the fact is clearly brought out that 

 processing by removing the air by carbon dioxid at first is far prefer- 

 able to allowing the fruit itself to exhaust the oxygen, as processing 

 occurs much more promptly and completely. 



The outside control gave the following results with regard to the 

 rate of softening. Of the four Tsuru, two were firm and two were 

 softening. Of the three Hachiya persimmons two were softening 

 and one was already soft. The three Tane-nashi were all soft. The 

 seven Triumph were all soft and of the seven Zengi used six were 

 firm, while one had softened. The firm fruits, including Zengi, were 

 all very astringent. 1 



Taken as a whole, two facts of interest are brought out as a result 

 of the experiment: First, as already stated, processing occurs far 

 more promptly when carbon dioxid is used in displacing the air about 

 the fruit than when the oxygen is removed by the respiratory proc- 

 esses; second, the relative ease with which the different varieties 

 process, already brought out in experiments 13 and 17, is again well 

 illustrated. Tsuru failed to yield perceptibly, Hachiya yielded but 

 slowly, while Tane-nashi and Triumph processed with greater ease in 

 the order named. Zengi was extremely easy to process. Auto- 

 asphyxiation, plus a slight accelerative effect due to vapors of 

 alcohol, evidently causes processing in the Japanese method. Dis- 

 placing the air by carbon dioxid appears to be a marked improvement 

 over this procedure. 



1 Unprocessed, firm Zengi are here noted as astringent because at times highly colored, hard specimens 

 of yellow-fleshed fruit of this variety are edible, containing no perceptible soluble tannin. 



