The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1911-11-28
o. YOU PERSIsfNON.

brought their excellence rs a food
product 10 the attention OF the Amer
lean Agricultural Society hat people
began 70 use tomatoes as an article
OF diet Tomatoes had never been
supposed until about that time. 10 be
wholesome. and. under the name Of
love apples and other names. the
tomato was q despised volunteer. 1t
has come now 70 be the most popu-
lar vegetable that grows in the garden
and by improved cultivation We have
almost as many varieties Of delicious
tomatoes as we lave OF beautiful
roses. Indeed. it is doubtful II there
is anything that goes on the table
that is as generally enjoyed and that
IS as healthy as q tomato either raw
or cooked. The tomato, nkc the oys-
ter. is good any way. You can eat il
raw or stewcd or baked or fried. and
whichever way you are enjoying il,
that way is the best.
1t seems now that another despised
and unknown product tina has never
had a fair chance is TO come to its
own. For a long time persimmon
beer has been a favorite drink in the
South TO those who know TO- TO make
ii, and they are very few because So
much depends upon the brewing. Pro-
lessor Troop. of the Purdue G~ndiana)
Experiment Station, is out now urg-
ing the people to eat perSinmons. He
says farmers are allowing Thousand Is
OF this rich and wild fruit to go TO
waste every year in spite of the fact
that there is money in it, big money.
Prof Troop has made a careful and
long study Of the persimmon, its Sc
lection, cultivation and planting and
he comes to the conclusion that If the
farmers would cultivate il, the per-
simmon would bring thousands of dol
lars TO them and would be another ar
ticle Of food that would promote the
health Of those who eat it. He shows
tina it requires little labor in its Gull
tivation, is remarkably free from in
sect enemies, and does not require
that constant spraying and pruning
that is required in the cultivation Of
grapes and apples and other fruit. A
persimmon will grow on poor land.
requires very little attention and when
health giving.
Why not a crusade in behalf of the
despised persimmon? OF course, care
would have to be taken that they
should not be eaten until after frost.
A ripe persimmon is delicious, but a
green perSimmon is warranted to turn
the mouth inside out quicker than
anything else that can be tasted.
| There is an old story about a boy
who was the son II a very riods
widow, who believed in keeping the
Sabbath day SO holy that she would
not even let her son whistle on sun
day. Upon one occasion she yielded
to the opportunities of her son to let
him go walking into the woods n
Sunday afternoon. She did SO upon
condition that he would not whistle.
He promised not to do so. He re-
turned home about dark with his
mouth il a pueiler and nothing he
! could do would get it straight and
rs he walked in the house at home
his mother said: johnny, you have
Ao
been whistling, I see your mouth
pockered.' The little boy who had
been eating more. green persf1nmons
| than was good for him and who was
miserable from the taste of them in
his agony. said: whistle, the devil.
l 'speck I'm pizened!'
Let is utilize every fruit of the
earth and get rich from growing per
simmons. Then let US be careful TO
Let it be known far and near that
persimmons are not good until after
frost strikes them. Then it is tit for
! the gods, but before then. II you eat
a green perslmmon You VIII say Win
the boy, II speckIm ~pizened."
Women are coming TO tho front IN