Saint 
Mary Nurseries 
Deciduous Fruits 
Cause of Dropping 
In 1909 we discovered the cause of the drop¬ 
ping of immature fruits, and from then until now 
much time and study have been given to the 
problem. The results secured have been checked 
and re-checked, proved and proved again, in 
these six years; not once, but literally thousands 
of times, until we now know the cause of dropping 
and how to prevent it. This information might 
have been given to the public a number of years 
ago, but, following our usual custom, we have 
taken time to make sure. We are particularly 
pleased to be able to do this, because we regard 
the Persimmon as a very valuable fruit, and it 
should have a much larger place in southern 
fruit-growing. Our discovery makes possible 
the successful culture of the Persimmon. 
If the flowers of the Costata Persimmon, for 
instance, are examined (see page 26), it will be 
noted at once that there is no pollen in these 
flowers to fertilize the pistils and cause seed to 
form and fruit to set. This was the first point we 
discovered. Then, in April, 1909, we found 
that another kind of flowers was sometimes borne 
on Japan Persimmon trees. These were entirely 
different in shape, smaller in size, and contained 
stamens with plenty of pollen. Only three 
staminate flowers were found that spring, but the 
pollen in those three flowers was applied to a 
number of blossoms of varieties which would not 
hold their fruit, and these held and matured into 
perfect fruits. The next spring the tree which 
produced the staminate flowers in 1909 produced 
no staminate flowers; but, fortunately, other 
trees were found from which pollen was secured 
for hand-work, and a large number of flowers were 
hand-pollinated. A very large percentage of Staminate Flowers of Gailey Persimmon 
these developed into fruit, while flowers on the 
same trees not pollinated dropped, as usual. In the spring of 1911 more than 20,000 hand-pollinations 
were made, and the results in the setting of fruit were all that could be wished. But as yet we had no 
variety of Persimmon that we were sure would produce staminate flowers every time it bloomed. 
A Constantly Staminate Kaki Found 
In 1909, on a piece of land near Eagle Lake, Florida, which we purchased from T. J. Gailey, 
we found a Persimmon tree, now named Gailey, which had produced staminate flowers in 1908. 
It produced them in 1909, and has been producing them each spring since that time. Many hundreds 
of trees have been propagated from it and brought into flower. These, also, have produced staminate 
flowers without fail. This variety has been tested out in the orchard, and the pollen from its flowers 
carried by bees and other insects, has caused good crops of fruit to set. Nothing now remains to 
be done except to change our orchard practice, and plant trees to furnish pollen. We have ten other 
sorts under test, which, at one time or another, have borne staminate flowers, and some of them 
may be introduced later, but the Gailey Persimmon is the only one, so far, that we have tested long 
enough to satisfy ourselves that it will produce staminate flowers every time it blooms. Pollen 
from native staminate Persimmon trees (Diospyros Virginiana) will not help. We have proved that 
beyond question by many hundreds of hand-pollinations. 
DO NOT FAIL TO INCLUDE THE NEW PERSIMMON, GAILEY, IN YOUR ORDER 
27 
