The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1912-03-22

suckers as they grow. This accomplishment
Of the Department of Agriculture is not the re.
suit of any one mans effort but the product
OF at least n dozen minds working over pc.
Rod of 90 years and In seven different coun.
tries.
There are among these hundred varieties
those which candy on the tree. others which
are used mainly for cooking, and some which
are hard and not sticky. There arc early
varieties and laleflpenlng ones varieties abort
and long. aud every sort can bc told by the
grooves on lta seeds
The date rs delicaey In known 60 every
American child. but IA a food remains 60 be
discovered by the American public When
the date plantations of Arizona and California
come into full bearing, M they should In
about ten years the hard. dry dates. for eN-
ample now quite unknown ON our markets,
are sure 90 come into prominence and nnd
their way 10 the tables of the poor az we'll M
OF the rich. The heat of our American sum.
mers IN forcing NJ to ntudy the hot.weathef
diets of other countries, and dates are sure TO
become important ltoma Of food,
The pefsimmon Of the South ON which the
opoaaum fattena. In very different fruit from
ta relative the kakl. OF perHlmmon ~ The
orient tho growing OF which III 80 great au
industry IN japan as 10 nearly equal the jap
aneae orange growing industry IN importance
our neranmon In Wild fruit which will
some day be domeslieated, while the kaki haf
been cultivated 80 long that II IN represented
by different forms aud eolors, II In true that
the Oriental perammon has been grown In thi,
eauntryi IN fact the census records produe
ton OF 6s tons but this Ia scarcely begin
ming as compared with the 1914 900 tons whiei
Ia the output Of japan,
We have miaundefatood the perfimmon Oui
own wild ones We can eat only after they have
been touched by the frost and the imported
Japanese ones We have left until they become
soft and muahy and almost on the verge al
decay, Wa never thought until quite recent,
of wondering whether In n land where ths
persmmon had been cultivated for centuries
they would not have worked out some arta
oial method for removing the Objectionable
quicker In Japan We find this In done b,
packing the fruit In barrels saturated with |
sake, and Mr. IL G, Gore OF the Department |
OF Agriculture IN now working out new meth |
oda OF processing tho Oriental persimmon, nc
that II can be eaten when hard an an apple
and there Will no longer be any reason why |, |
should not take It's place among the grea,
fruits % tho country.
The whole question OF the Improvement oi
tho persimmon has been opened up and We
are getting for this work the small.fruited spe.
cles called "lotuf," from Algeria: n tropical
species with white. cheese-llke pulp from Man
ila. Mexico. Erthca, and Rhodesia; specfef
from Bangalore. from sydney. from Mndraa
from the Nankau Pass. In China and from th.
Caucasus
II the Oriental timber bamboo had produced
seeds oftener than once In 40 years II would
lone ago have been introduced and be now
growing In the South The fact that II haa
TO be brought over In the form OF lIyipe
plants. and that these plants required specia,
treatment. has stood In the way or u. quick
distribution or this most important, miami
throughout those portions OF America where Il
VIII grow. After several unsuccessful AT
fempts. n beginning has az last been made and
the department has a grove OF Oriental BAN
boos In northern Florida. and n search IL he
Ing made in different parts OF the world for
all those species which are ADAPTED TO our
climate
In this country I predict II will he uses
earliest for barrel hoops. for cheap irrigatinp
pipes. for vine-stakes and trellises. for light
ladders and stays for overloaded fruit trees
Tor baskets and light fruit shipping crates and
Tor food. AS wind-breaks and 10 hold canal
banks and prevent the erosion OF steep hin,
sides there are species which excel all other
plants. while for light furniture and jaIous,a.
lt Is sure 70 fad market whenever the green
timber Ia available