The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1912-04-06

o1ar. &c +hav grow This accomplishment
~ tho nenartment of Agriculture is not the re-
sniff of any one mans effort, but the product
of at least dozen minds working over a Pc
rod of 20 years and In seven olHefent ooun=
tries.
Tbere are among these hundred var1eles
those which candy on the tree, others which
ara ,sed mainly for cooking, and some which
are hard and not sticky There are early
varieties and late-ripening ones, varieties snort
and long and every sort can be told Dy the
grooves on its seeds.
The date as a deicacy is known TO every
American child but as a food, remains 70 ne
discovered by the American public. When
the date plantations OF Arizona and Cal1IoTnla
come into full bearing, as they should II
ahout ten years the hard, dry dates, Tor ex-
annie now quite unknown on our markets.
are sure to come into prominence and fnd
their way to 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-Weatner
diets of other countries, and dates are sure 10
become important items of food
The persimnon of the South, on which the
onossum fattens. is very different fruit from
it's relative the kaki, or persimmon OF the
Orient the growing of which IS so great an
industry In Japan as to nearly equal the Jap
anese orange-growing industry in Importance.
some day be domesticated, while the kaki has
heen cultivated so long that it is represented
nv different forms and colcrs. 1t is true that
the Oriental persimmon has been grown in this
country. in fact, the census records produc-
ton of 6S tons; but this is scarcely begin
ming as compared with the $4,000 tons which
is the output of Japan.
We have misunderstood the persimmon. Our
own wild ones we eat only after they have
heen touched by the frost, and the imported
Jananese 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
nersimmon had been cultivated for centuries
thew would not have worked out a1tifi
cial method for removing the Objectionable
quicker In Japan We find this Is done b,
packing the fruit in barrels saturated will
sake, and Mr. H C. Gore, of the Department
of Agriculture is now working out new meth
DDS of proceS ing the Oriental persimmon, s.
that it can bsaeaten when hard as an apple
and there will no longer be any reason why
should not take its place among the grea
fruits of the country.
The whole question Of the improvement Q
the persimmon has been opened up, and W
are getting for this work the smallfruited spt
eies called "lotus,' from Algeria; tropics
species with white cheeselike pulp, from Maj
ia, Mexico, Erithea, and Rhodesia; specie
from Bangalore, from Sydney, from Madra
from the Nankau Pass, in China, and from tn
Caucasus
If the Oriental timber bamboo had produce
seeds oftener than once in 40 years it wou
long ago have been introduced and be no
growing in the South. The fact that 1t he
to be brought over in the form of livir
plants, and that these plants required speci
treatment, has stood in the way of the quiz
distribution of this most important pla
throughout those portions Of America where
will grow. After several unsuccessful
tempts beginning has at last been made, al
the department has a grove OF Oriental bal
boos in northern Florida, and a search Is
ing made in different parts Of the world I
all those species which adapted to o
climate
In this country I predict 1t will be US
earliest for barrel hoops, for cheap irrigati
pipe=. isf yine-stakes and trellises, for lig
laaEsers and stays for overloaded fruit tre
fog saisers and light fruit shipping crates, a
for focG. As wind-breaks and to hold cal
banks and prevent the erosion Of steep h
sides, there are species which excel all ott
plants, while for light furniture and jalous
it is sure to find market whenever the gre
timber is ayailabla