The persimmon-tree usually reaches the height of from fifty to sixty feet, and from twenty to twenty-four inches in diameter. The leaves are about five inches long and pointed, of a beautiful dark bottle-green, with a glossy face and glaucous underneath; the bark is very rough, the limbs and branches crooked and twisted. This tree usually has a conical and rather open top; its fruit varies in shape and in time of ripening, and is best if ripened before frost, and not, as most people suppose, after frost. Frost removes the astringency of the persimmon, but at the same time spoils it if it has not reached a certain stage of maturity. The wood of the persimmon is hard, heavy, and of a very fine grain, and is much used in place of ash as axle-trees for carriages and wagons, but its principal use is for carving. Keep the seed moist, and plant in the seed-bed until one year old, then transplant.