GREAT EXCITEMENT ON THE MOUNTAIN-SIDE 
The Chinese Persimmons Arrive! 
Like most travelers in China I fell in love with the Chinese persimmons 
while in Peiping one autumn some years age. 
As with the apple in America the persimmon in China has been de- 
veloped into many varieties of large size and it holds a position comparable 
to that of the apple in the United States. 
Near the famous Ming Tombs not far from Peiping I ate little wild per- 
simmons the size of the end of your thumb, and very good. Near by were 
orchards of the horticultural varieties loaded with beautiful orange-colored 
fruit 3 and 4 inches in diameter, seedless, and delicious. 
These fruits are picked hard, taken to the home of the consumer while they 
are still hard, laid away in a cool place until they become soft enough to eat 
with a spoon. Then you spoon the soft pulp out of the skins. If you are not care- 
ful you will offend Miss Emily Post by smacking your lips. In China these 
large persimmons are also dried and used as we use prunes and figs. 
Knowing that the climate of Peiping has average July and January tem- 
peratures almost identical with those of Omaha, Nebraska, I set out to supply 
myself with the hardiest strains of persimmons I could find. I searched through 
Korea, and the area north of Peiping up to the base of the Great Wall (there 
are no persimmons grown north of the Great Wall). I also sent couriers into 
the western plateau province of Shansi. You can share the results of these 
expensive efforts by the very simple method of buying some of the trees from 
my little nursery. I got very quick results by grafting cions of these importa- 
tions on to native American persimmon trees in an abandoned field. 
Some of these varieties have now been on my Blue Ridge mountain-side for 
seven summers and have borne four consecutive crops of fruit. These are 
worthy of testing by other experimenters. I am now trying out about 40 vari- 
eties but have had most of them too short a time to know much about them other 
than that they start off beautifully. They help to make my summer a season 
of thrills. Each year my price list and news bulletins will report progress. 
The Chinese persimmon (Diospyros kaki) is a tree of unusual beauty with 
very dark green, thick, glossy leaves almost like an orange tree. I am plant- 
ing one near my porch where we may enjoy its foliage all summer. After the 
leaves fall the orange-colored fruits shine in the sun and make the tree itself 
a striking autumn ornament. The fruit should be allowed to stay on until after 
frost. 
Thus far both tree and fruit have been remarkably free from pests. 
SUNNY RIDGE NURSERY 
(For address see previous page) 
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