Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-06-18
j. p. STEELE, EDITOR.

Imported Japan persimmon trees are usu-
ally of very inferior quality, and badly
rooted; they require two or three years
nursing before decent tree is formed, If
this ever happens. Graft or bud on native
stocks.
We desire to here put in a word which
may be accepted in some spirit other than
that which prompts it: a mere matter of
history. In 1871 the United States depart
ment Of agriculture got its first importa-
ton of Japan persimmon seeds, and as
we were then directly connected with
the department, a small package OF seeds
were sent to US for test in Alabama We
got up three trees and in due time grated
scions of these, as a test, on Diospyros
virginiana. They succeeded to perfection,
and the trees are still living and flourish
ing. The thing was given out through the
public press, and from this carly expert
ment sprung the now universal practice of
grating the Japan persimmons upon ma
tive stocks.
But this is neither here nor there, " as
Sam Slick used to say, though we never
could make out exactly what he meant by
it. The thing we desire to talk about to
our Texas horticulturists is the Mexican
persimmon as a stock for the Japan persim-
mon. OF course they all know what the
Mexican persimmon is. 1t grows nowhere
east of Texas. but from Texas it extends
westward over Mexico. We call it the
hut Of ifc
having first attracted the attention Of botan-
lists in Texas they have given it the scien-
tiic name of Diospyros teyana Disospyros
mexicana would doubtless have been more
appropriate, but that is no business of ours
the name is already established, having
been affixed to it, to stand for all time to
come, by Scheele We are perfectly willing
TO take it as a species of Texas, so far as
relates to the science of the thing, and if
nobody else kicks over it there is no kind
Of good reason why we should do So
Our Mexican persimmon is far more like
the Japan persimmons than is the Disospy-
ros virginiana. Why, then, not employ it
more successfully as stock upon which to
graft the Japan persimmons than the Discs
pyros virginiana, which, though it comes
into Texas, does not extend near so far as
does the other species, The Texas nursery
man does not seem 10 have thought of this,
as yet, so he sends off eastward for persim-
mon seeds. from which to raise stocks for
grating, when possibly, and probably, he
has a far better thing for his purpose
nearer home.
The text books know nothing about our
Mexican persimmon. They persist in the
idea that there is but one persimnon in
America, the Diospyros virginiana. The
Mexican persimmon, while true persim-
mon, is very unlike the Virginia species.
1t does not grow so large as a tree, thus
more corresponding to the Japanese per-
simmons Its fruit when ripe is as black
as coal, but color line don't seem to
amount to much nowadays. The green
fruit when bitten don't fix a man up for
whistling, whether he would or not, as does
that of the Virginia species, which is also
like the Japan persimmon. A green Japan
persimmon is not ''puckery''
While we have never yet heard of any at
tempt having been made TO graft the Japan
persinmon upon the Mexican persimmon,
we are strongly of the opinion that it would
prove marked success, and that it might
prove much to the advantage of the Japan
persimmon in Texas. Every horticulturist
knows that in grating or budding a fruit it
is always best to select a stock entirely at
home in the section where that fruit is to
be grown