GREEN  ERUIT  OF  DIOSPYROS  VIRGINIANA.  217 
The  residue  from  the  tincture  was  treated  with  water,  which 
removed  but  little,  as  the  residue  when  dried  weighed  210  grains, 
which  consisted  of  the  cellular  tissue  surrounded  by  an  insoluble 
matter.  This  insoluble  matter,  which  could  not  be  separated 
from  the  ligneous  fibre,  was  observed  in  the  residue  of  all  the 
infusions  and  tinctures. 
The  preparations  were  repeatedly  tested  for  starch  without 
effect.  It  has  generally  been  supposed  that  to  render  persim- 
mons sweet  and  edible,  the  action  of  frost  is  necessary ;  this  is 
not  the  case,  for  a  portion  of  the  fruit  gathered  in  October, 
which  were  hard  and  astringent,  were  enclosed  in  a  box  and  put 
in  a  drawer.  In  a  few  days,  wishing  some  for  an  experiment, 
I  opened  the  box  and  was  much  surprised  to  find  that  they  had 
become  soft,  sweet,  and  of  a  yellow  color,  without  astringency, 
except  the  epidermis,  which  is  always  astringent  even  when 
ripened  in  the  usual  way. 
We  may  conclude  then: 
1st.  That  the  astringent  principle  in  the  persimmon  is  tannin, 
analogous  to  that  of  cinchona,  catechu,  &c. 
2d.  That  the  fruit  contains  pectin,  which  increases  in  quantity 
as  it  matures. 
3d.  That  it  contains  no  vegetable  albumen,  starch,  or  resin. 
4th.  That  they  retain  their  astringency  when  dried  carefully  ; 
and 
5th.  That  there  is  always  an  insoluble  matter  that  increases 
in  bulk  as  the  fruit  matures. 
The  persimmon  then  contains  tannin,  pectin,  sugar,  lignin, 
and  coloring  matter. 
[Note. — In  the  concluding  remarks  the  author  states  that  he  has  not 
been  able  to  determine  the  character  of  the  insoluble  matter  which  is 
present  and  increases  as  the  fruit  matures.  He  does  not  think  the  sugar 
is  formed  at  the  expense  of  the  tannic  acid,  but  is  secreted  from  the  sap  of 
the  tree,  and  he  regards  the  opinion  that  the  disappearance  of  the  tannin 
at  maturation  results  from  its  combination  with  the  pectin  in  a  way  he 
does  not  attempt  to  explain. 
The  author  evidently  has  not  seen  the  paper  of  Benjamin  R.  Smith, 
published  Oct.,  1846,  in  vol.  xviii.  of  this  Journal,  to  which  the  reader  is 
referred,  as  the  two  papers  when  considered  together  mutually  throw  light 
on  each  other.  Mr.  Smith  arrived  at  the  conclusion  that  the  insoluble 
matter  of  Mr.  Bryan  was  apothegm,  or  altered  tannin,  and  attributed  the 
