oe fk iste hairs ara 
GLEN SAINT MARY .Nicmiertes Gompany 
GLEN SAINT MARY, FLORIDA 
native Persimmon seedlings /(Diospyrés Virginiana ) 
are used as stocks on wh{ch -to grow the Japan... 
sorts, they can be grown o age a range of soil 
as the native Persimmon, fAnd’it 4 ATe epee pee to 
say that they will succe ith inimum of 
care and attention with *wayhDany., fruit Axa be 
successfully grown. At the sam ley /they respond 
generously to good care and cultivation~The trees 
are vigorous, prolifié.and have few enemies? lire 
varieties are weakened” because of their habit 6 
overbearing, and their crop should be thinned. The 
region in which the Japan Persimifion,,may be 
V6, 
grown covers the cotton-growing belt. Pa? Rage 
As the fruit keeps and ships well, it can be “= 
placed on the market in good condition, though it 
requires some experience to know just when the 
different varieties are in best shipping condition. 
Wherever known in the markets, it meets with 
ready sale. ; 
A carefully selected list of varieties will give 
fruit in abundance from August to December and 
later. During a very considerable portion of this 
period other fruit crops are out of season. 
Planting and Management 
The soil on which the Persimmon orchard is set 
should be well prepared. Old field land may be used, 
but, if in poor condition, it should be built up be- 
fore setting the trees. This can best be done by 
growing a crop of cow peas, velvet beans, or crota- 
laria on the land and plowing them under previous 
to planting. . 
While Persimmon trees can be set out at any time 
between November 15 and March 1, in the lower 
South, preference in planting should be given to the 
period from December 1 to February 1. They should 
be given a distance of 18 to 20 feet apart each way, 
134 or 108 trees per acre. Great care should be ex- 
ercised in setting them, and the roots should not be 
allowed to become dried out. The tops should be 
cut back to 2 or 2% feet on the smaller sizes. 
Cultivation during the early portion of the season 
should be frequent and thorough, but not deep. This 
may be discontinued about July 1 or 15, and a cover 
erop of natural weeds or cowpeas or beggarweed 
should be allowed to cover the ground. To avoid 
danger from fire during winter, this should be turn- 
ed into the soil after it has become dead and dry in 
autumn. Satisfactory growth has been derived from 
the use of the ordinary commercial fertilizers analy- 
zing 4-6 percent nitrogen, 8-10 percent phosphoric 
acid and 3-6 percent potash. As a general rule one 
pound of fertilizer per year of age of the tree may 
be applied, i.e., a tree four years old would receive 
four pounds. The fertilizer should be spread in a 
wide band about the tree. Usually two applications 
of fertilizer per year are better than one; first 
being made in the spring, about the time the trees 
start to bud out, with the second being applied in 
July. When two applications are made, the amount 
of commercial fertilizer as suggested above should 
be split into two even parts. 
