Evening star., 1913-10-19

people have read about but few have
seen and tasted. will be
FuckerleSS one of the features of the
pors;r~.. exhibit to be held in con-
| nection with the meeting
OF the American Pathological Society In
Washington. beginning November IL.
| Although the large oriental persimmon
was called to the attention of Americans
more than fifty years ago by the Japa-
nese, men of the American fruit industry
have given 1t comparatively little atten-
| ton, as is indicated by the fact that per-
haps 30 per cent of the people Of this
country have never seen or tasted the
hard. delicious persimmon which is one
of the principal fruits of the orient. JAP
anese and Chinese persmmons have been
grown In America for some years, but
little progress has been made in the art
of processing" or treating them by a
method which removes the quicker and
makes it possible to eat the fruit while
1t is hard as an apple. instead of waiting
until 1t is soft and mushy and near decay.
as is the case with most persimmons
which come to the American market
| When the men who are famous in the
science or fruit growing meet in WASH
lhston In November they will be given
an excellent opportunity to sample sew
eral crates of choice puckeriess persim-
mons, for the shipment and preparation
] OF which experts in the United States
Department of Agriculture have arran sed
with Harold H. Hume, a large fruit
Fla -
The growing and preparation for mar
ket OF perslmmons without pucker is dis
tinctly an oriental fruit industry. The
japanese for years have grown persim-
mons nearly as large as apples and proc
essed them by putting the fruit in casks
"nich formerly had been used to hold
sake, or rice beer, which is one of the in
tox1cating drinks of the island nation. The
storing of the fruit in the sake casks has
the peculiar effect of removing the pucker.
the taste which is given by the breaking
OF the small cells of tannin which the
fruit contains. This method of processing
was nrst called to the. attention of Amer.
leans by the late DR.. s. A. Knapp. after
TRIP made to Japan in 1S99 Until 1906
no" "eVer' experiments in processing in
| t.is country were not tried, and since
slow. A
After the Japanese processing system
was called to the attention Of fruit grow
ers IN this country. Frank N. Meyer, an
agricultural explorer IN the Department
VI agriculture. discovered in China q
PucKerless persimmon which could be
eaten hard and which did not have to be
processed Varieties of this lrsimmon
nave peen introduced into this country.
| OUT experiments made so far have shown
that the fruit has a pucker or astrineent
quaHty when grown in the United States
Unlike the product Of the Chinese grow
ers II is thought however that this
pucKer Is due to the fact that the Chinese
trees We're fertilized by the pollen from
| tie native American persimmon trees and
experiments Will be conducted in growing
the Chinese trees in orchards away from
| the vicinity Of the ordinary American per
summon. the puckery taste of which be-
fore 1t Is ripe and Is touched by frost ia
| familiar to most persons.
Inc immigrant persimmonS, which the
pomoi0gtsts will be shown when they
meet IN Washington, will be processed by
the American method developed by DR.
n. Z. Gore of the division of foods of the
bureau of chemistry, who conducted q Sc
RES or Investigations in cooperation with
David FaiTchild, in charge of the office of
foreign seed and plant introduction OF the
department Of Agriculture. The Amer
lean process consists Of the use OF car
bonlc acid gas, instead of the use of Jana
nese sake, and the use OF dried starch to
prevent cracking of the fruit while It is IN
the course OF being processed.
X
states VIII have $1.Oo00 00D each to be used
- for the sole purpose sof con-
western structing. srepAiring and main
Roods tanning public wagon roads,
'' providing a bfH which has been
| suggested by the Interior Department is
enacted by Congress-. The method by
which the million dollars will be raised
will be from the sale of $4,000 acres Of
d Iar, Iii ~
shall grant to each Of the states of Ari-
zona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New
Mexico, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming, to
be sold or leased by land boards, ard gov
ernors of the respective states, at not less
than 81 per acre. giving to each state
proceeds amounting to at least 81, ,00O.60
This bill is proposed to be enacted in lieu
Of several bills which have already been
introduced in Congress. providing for the
governments assistance In road building
by the grant of public lands.
Road construction In the Rocky noun
tain states is rendered difficult and expen-
sive by reason of the roughnesS of the
country, by tOrrential rains at certain
seasons Of the year. and because Of the
lack of sufficient moisture to lay the dust
and solidify the top soil during other sea-
sons. If federal assistance is to be eX-
| tended to road construction the Interior
department believes that IL should be
undertaken in the Rocky mountain states
in the form Of grants of public land
| which may be sold by the states to home
steaders. and the proceeds devoted to tine
construction, repair and maintenance of
public roads. Grants have heretofore
been made by Congress to railroad cor
porations, to aid and encourage the con-
struction OF railroads in states. to secure
the construction OF military roads. and
within sparsely settled communities to
states for educational purposes. The idea
Af Srfry yray lon fnr ft,..ca
entirely new, for as early as 1902 both
land and money were donated by the
Congress for the construction of public
roads
The Rocky Mountain states are without
| the highway facilities now present in the
older and more populous communities.
well constructed system of public high
ways in these states will materially aid in
the settlement and disposition Of the re-
naming public land therein, according to
officials of the Interior Department. The
Interior Department believes that the
grants of land to the states should be con-
fined to unreServed public survey, nom
mineral lands. and should impose such
safeguards and conditions as will insure
the devotion of all the proceeds of the
land to the construction, repair and main
tenance of roads.
In order to secure the largest returns
from the land grants. and to avoid mo-
nopoly. 1t also recommends the provision
| for the disposition of the lands at public
auction. The grant of 250OD acres Of
| land to any of the eight Rocky Mountain