D JOS PVR OS VIRGINICA—THE PERSIMMOA. 



89 



One family I am acquainted with used a barrelful dur- 

 ing one winter, and found the jelly cheaper than molasses 

 or syrup, and much better. The marmalade made from 

 the boiled fruit, after the juice has been removed for 

 the purpose of jelly-making, has a peculiar flavor, with 

 which one must be familiar before it will be liked. It 



The American Persimmon. 

 Natural size, in wild state. 



will then be highly prized. Now, this fruit is not at all 

 more astringent or disagreeable than the original Fvi ns 

 malits, from which sprang our cultivated apples. The 



fact that there are so many varieties in the wild state, is 

 full of encouragement to one who would develop the 

 fruit. I saw a notice some time ago, that a person in 

 Wisconsin had succeeded in obtaining five varietiesfrom 

 this species. I hope the report will be fully corrobo- 

 rated, for this species is far hardier than our ordinary 

 apples. Its handsome flowers also make it excellent for 

 ornamental purposes. 



In conclusion : Very speedy results in developing these 

 native fruits ought not to be expected. The delicious 

 varieties of apples, pears, peaches and plums which we 

 enjoy are the results of centuries of selection and de- 

 velopment. Of these, the pear has been the longest in 

 cultivation. Its varieties were prized by the ancient 

 Romans, while the apple was despised by them, and 

 considered unfit for food. None of the original types, 

 from which have sprung our cultivated fruits and vege- 

 tables, bear much resemblance to the splendid varieties 

 which we see to-day. The parsnip and carrot, in their 

 original state, were poisonous. These facts ought to be 

 full of encouragement to all who would experiment with 

 otir native fruits. 



Miiliigan. Wilfred A. Brotherton. 



DIOSPYROS VIRGINIANA— THE PERSIMMON. 



NATIVE FRUIT WORTH CULTIVATING. 



THE genus diospyros embraces about twenty 

 species, scattered over the subtropical and 

 temperate regions of both hemispheres. Of 

 these, the best-known species follow : 



I. Diospyros Ebenus, the ebony-tree of Ceylon. II. 

 Diospyros Lotus, or "Date of Trebizond, " common on 

 the shores of the Caspian sea. III. Diospyros Mahota. 

 found, but not abundantly, in the south of France. 

 IV. Diospyros Kaki, one of the most valued and luscious 

 fruits of Japan, and now largely cultivated in California 

 and in Florida. V. Diospyros Decandra, found in Cochin 

 China. VI. Diospyros Virginiana , our own persim- 

 mon or seeded plum, confined, I think, to North Amer- 

 ica, but widely distributed from southern New Jersey to 

 Georgia. 



This last-named species varies much in its habit of 

 growth and in its general characteristics, according to 

 locality, nutrition or exposure. In New Jersey and the 

 north of Pennsylvania and Ohio it is scarcely more than 

 a tree-like shrub, while in the bottom-lands of Virginia 

 and the Carolinas it frequently rises to a shapely tree 

 forty feet high, covered with fruit which is dear to the 

 heart of every southern boy in spite of its intense astrin- 

 gency, which, in its green state, is like concentrated 

 tannic acid. This is gradually lost as the fruit ripens, 

 giving place to a mild, rich sweetness of pulp, which to 

 some persons is very agreeable. Still, the persimmon 

 in its wild state is not a general favorite. It is eaten in 

 the south chiefly by the omnivorous small boy and by 

 the 'coon and 'possum. Sometimes, also, it is mashed 



into a cake with cornmeal, and dried for the brewing of 

 what is known among the " crackers " of Carolina as 

 ' ' 'simmon beer. " 



The capacity for improvement, however, of the Amer- 

 ican persimmon by cultivation is beyond question. Fif- 

 teen years ago I had some correspondence with the poet 

 Bryant (whose zeal as a cultivator and whose interest 



RicAN Persimmon, Cultivated. 



in fruit-growing were almost as great as his poetic en- 

 thusiasm) on the subject of the improvement of our 

 native fruits by high cultivation. Mr. Bryant often 

 insisted that the time would come when this would be- 



