The Van Buren press. [volume] (Van Buren, Ark.) 1859-1914, 1896-09-12
FARMER ANDPLANTER
THE PERSIMMON.
Something About One of the Most fs-
miliar Fruits In the Southland.


miliar Fruits In the Southland.
The persimmon, or date-plum. is
found growing wild in most Of the
southern states, where 1t produces
fruit in the greatest abundance. 1t is
especially adapted to the soil and eli
mate of the southern half of Indiana,
but will ripen its fruit as far north as
the great lakes.
The fruit has very disagreeable,
astringent quality when green, or but
partly ripe, but this disappears in
most varieties when the fruit becomes
fully ripe The date Of ripening varies
from the lst of August to December.
The old notion Of early botanists that
this fruit must all be subjected to the
action of frost before it becomes edi-
bic is now known to be false, as many
varieties ripen their fruit in August
aud September long before the ap-
pearance of frost. In fact, these early
ripening varieties are preferable be-
cause of their greater market value,
since they present the best appear
ance, and have sold for from six to
eight dollars per bushel in the large
cities.
The fruits vary greatly as to the
number of seeds which they contain.
Most of the old wild varieties are full
of large seeds, which is a most unde-
sirable quality, but in many of the
newer varieties only two or three
seeds are found in single fruit, and
some are practically seedless. The
fruit differs also in quality; some va
rieties are as sweet as dates, while
others never become edible, being so
exceedingly puckery, or astringens,
that neither sun nor frost has any
appreciate effect on them.
The persimmen is readily propa-
gated from seeds, which should be
procured in the fall or early winter,
and planted in the same manner as
peach-pits The young seedlings will
often attach height of over two feet
the first season. These seedlings, es-
pecially from cultivated varieties, can
not be depended upon to reproduce
themselves. In fact, this fruit varies
greatly in the wild state. Twenty
trees raised from the seeds of one par
ent tree may produce 20 distinct va
rieties; we must therefore resort to
budding or grating the young stocks
with buds or seions from the variety
which we desire to propagate.
Both budding and grating should
be done in the spring. Fall budding
has proved failure on account Of the
now of sap, which prevents the adj
herence of the bud to the stock; but
the operation may be readily per-
formed in the spring as soon as the
bark will slip freely. Old trees may
be top-worked in the spring.
The persimmon is more difficult to
transplant successfully than almost
any other kind of fruit-tree. The
tree has a long center, or tap, root,
and if too much of this root is cut off
in transplanting, the tree will be most
sure to die. The safest plan is to Sc
cure quite young trees, one or two
years from the graft being preferable.
| Older trees may be successfully plant
| ed if they have been transplanted
once or twice while growing in the
| nursery. The soil where the trees are
to be transplanted should be thor
oughly pulverized with subsoil-plow
to depth of at least eight inches be-
| low the bottom roots, so that an
abundance of moisture may be sup
piled to the young growing roots dur
| ing the first season.
Transplanting is most successfully
done in autumn, as the tree then be-
comes adjusted to it's place by spring,
and the roots, if properly pruned be-
fore planting, will be nicely calloused
and ready to throw out their fbrous
! rootlets as soon as the warm days OF
| spring appear. 1t is similar to the
peach and plum in its choice of soil and
location, but it will grow well on al.
most any kind of soil, from rich bot
tom land to poor, thin soil of the hill.
tops. A warm soil, however, we'll ex
posed to the sun, is best adapted to the
persimmon.
The persimmon may be greatly Inn
proved by cultivation. 1t is especially
necessary that the trees be well cul
tivated for the first few years after
planting, until they become adapted
to their new surroundings. The tree;
will stand great deal of neglect when
once well started, but should not be
subjected to such treatment if one ex
poets to secure the best results In the
wild state The trees will thrive on very
thin land and under seemingly dis
couraging circumstances, but still beal
fruit of very good quality, but the
largest and best fruit Is only produced
when the trees are kept in perfectly
healthy condition by cultivation.
VARIETIES.
Until recently there were no well
defined varieties under cultivation. W.
have found, however, many well
marked varieties growing wild. They
differ in quality as much as our cult
waited apples. Some are very astrin
gent, others are insipid and worthless
while still others are sweet and deli
cious. Almost every tree is variety
of itself, as the persimmon, like tn,
apple, does not reproduce itself from
seed with certainty. In the wild stat,
it is sometimes found growing in clus
tiers of ten or dozen trees. and all APP
parently of the same variety; but thes,
probably came from the roots of tn,
original. or parent tree.
The fruit differs in size from that o
small wild plum to that of the largt
cultivated kinds, an inch and half I,
two inches in diameter. They also var,
greatly in form-some are globular
others either conical or oblong, thos
u