GREAT EXCITEMENT ON OUR MOUNTAIN-SIDE 
The Chinese Persimmons Arrive! 
‘Like most travelers in China I fell in love with the Chinese persim- 
mons while in Peiping one autumn some years ago. 
As with the apple in America the persimmon in China has been 
developed 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 
persimmons 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 careful 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 
temperatures almost identical with those of Omaha, Nebraska, [ 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 importations on to native 
American persimmon trees in an abandoned field. 
Some of these varieties have now been on my Blue Ridge mountain- 
side for eight summers and have borne fine crops of delicious fruit. 
These are worthy of testing by other experimenters. I am now trying 
out about 40 varieties 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 planting 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. Autumn leaf—color of some 
is a dark Chinese red that I have never seen elsewhere except in lacquer. 
It is a color of marvelous beauty and a week of this foliage is of itself 
sufficient reason to own a tree. 
Thus far both tree and fruit have been remarkably free from pests. 
But do not plant them without reading our booklet about planting, 
fertilization and care. 
SUNNY RIDGE NURSERY 
(For address see previous page) 
24 
