PERSIMMON

a fruit concerning which there is much confusion of information--and misinformation--even in works otherwise generally reliable. This is probably due to the fact that there are two distinct fruits bearing the title--the North American and the Japanese--belonging to the same class and both now grown in this country, but with many points of difference in size and character.

The native American Persimmon is about the size of a small plum and grows on a big tree which often reaches a height of sixty feet. The Japanese Persimmon ranges from the size of a peach to that of a small melon, and is borne by a tree that is comparatively small.

The American is at its best after it has been touched by frost. It becomes then a veritable sugarplum--its sweetness has earned for it the nickname of the American "Date Plum," and the oddly wrinkled lumps of richly concentrated sugar-flesh hanging among the vari-colored leaves of autumn are as eagerly sought by "Possums" and other wild creatures as by human beings.

The Japanese Persimmon, or "Ka-Ki," or "Chinese Fig," varies widely in quality and shape--from some inclined to be tasteless and dry, to a delicious and juicy type; from perfectly round, to extremely elongated in shape. It is as rich in food values as the banana. It will probably receive much attention in the future, as it is readily susceptible to cultivation, produces with prodigal abundance and stands shipment well. The Eastern market is supplied chiefly by Florida and California.

Unlike the American variety, the Japanese type does not need the frost touch, but neither is it damaged by frost as are most other fruits. It is just right for eating when the skin first begins to wrinkle.

In addition to their excellence for eating raw, both fruits can be easily and successfully dried for future use. The American and the "chocolate" or dark-meated varieties of the Japanese also lend themselves readily to a great variety of preserves, and in several parts of the South the ground roasted seeds are used as a substitute for coffee.