The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1912-03-22


OF the Department OF Agriculture is not the re
suit Of any ono mans effort, but the product
OF at least a dozen minds working over a pc
riod of 20 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 are early
varieties and late-rpenng ones, varieties short
and long, and every sort can be told by the
grooves on It's seeds.
The date as decacy is known TO every
American child but as a food, remains TO be
discovered by the American public. When
the date plantations OF Arizona and California
come into full bearing as they should In
about ten years the hard, dry dates, for eX-
ample now quite unknown on our markets,
are sure to come into prominence and find
their way 10 the tables Of the poor as well as
Of the rich The heat Of our American sum
ners Is forcing us TO study the hot-weather
diets OF other countries, and dates are sure TO
become important items Of food
The persimmon of the South, on which the
opossum fattens. is a very different fruit from
its relative the kaki. persimmon OF the
Orient the growing Of which is so great
industry i'm Japan as TO nearly equal the Jap
arese orange-growing industry in Importance.
Our persimmon is a wild fruit, which vii!
some day be domesticated, while the kali has
been cultivated so long that 1t is represented
by different forms and coors II is true that
tho Oriental persimmon has been grown in this
country; in fact, the census records produc-
tion of 6S tons; but this is scarcely begin
ming as compared with the 1874 900 tons which
is the output Of Japan.
We have misunderstood the persimmon. Our
own wild ones we can eat only after they have
been touched by the frost and the imported
Iapanese ones we have left until they become
soft and mushy and almost on the verge OF
decay. We never thought until quite recently
OF wondering whether in land where the
persimmon had been cultivated for centuries
they would not have worked out some artlf.
cial method for removing the Objectionable
pucker. In Japan We fnd this s done by
packing the fruit In barrels saturated with
sake and Mr. n. c. Gore, Of the Department
of Agriculture is now working out new meth.
ods OF processing the Oriental persimmon so
that Il can be eaten when hard as an apple
and there will no longer be any reason why II
should not take its place among the grea,
fruits Of the country
The whole question Of the improvement OF
the persimmon has been opened up. and we
are getting for this work the small-frulted spe
cies called lotus" from Algeria: a tropical
species with white, cheese-like pulp. from Man
la Mexico Erithea. and Rhodesia; species
from Bangalore. from sydney from Madras
from the Nsnkau Pass. In China and from the
Caucasus
II the Oriental timber bamboo had produced
seeds oftener than once in 40 years II would
long ago have been introduced and be now
growing in the South. The fact that n ha6
10 be brought over in the form OF Twins
plants. and that these plants required special
treatment, has stood in the way OF the ouicl
distribution OF this most important plant
throughout those portions Of America where 4,
will grow After several unsuccessful AT
tempts, beginning has at last been made. ant
the department has grove OF Oriental BAN
boos In northern Florida. and a search Is be
ing made in different parts OF the world foi
all those species which are adapted 20 oul
climate.
In this country I predict Il will be uset
earliest for barrel hoops. for cheap irricatin,
pipes. for vine-stakes and trellises. for ligh
ladders and stays for overloaded fruit trees
for baskets and light fruit shipping crates. ant
for food. As wind-breaks and To hold cana
banks and prevent the erosion OF steep hill
sides. there are species which excel all othe,
plants while for light furniture and jalousie.
II IL sure TO fnd a market whenever the greer
timber Is available.