Help With Persimmon Trees

[MO-APE]

Guys, I went up yesterday to clean up some "weed trees" around a new 7-acre corn plot. I think most of the trees that I was planning on taking out are actually feral persimmons. There are probably 100-150 trees from 4' - 7' and a great deal already have small plum sized "green" fruit.

If these are indeed persimmons, what a great, unplanned surprise. I'd like to do what I can to protect them and encourage growth.

The questions I have:
1. Are these indeed persimmons?
2. If so, would you take out the trees without fruit (assuming they're males) or would you let them stay incase they fruit next year?
3. Should I fence and protect the better ones and use weed control, or let them run the course like they have?
4. Being on a buffer of a large plot, should I be worried about future overspray of herbicides, etc.?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Sligh1]

Dude- u r lucky!!! Looks like it to me. I could be wrong. Only other it could be is wild plum but does not appear to be. I have persimmon and wild plum and I'm thinking u have persimmon. If deer r messing with em- protect. If not, leave em to grow. Seem to be doing fine. Yes, keep spray away. Common sense- I'd give em at least a 100' buffer and do large water droplets while spraying. Man, u are lucky. I'd leave the "males" but that's just me. Unless they r competing with some "females". U ain't ever gonna see me cutting any persimmons in Iowa. That's a rare treat. Good luck
*MO has lots of persimmons. To my knowledge only a handful of IOWA counties do in south. Rare! U in MO or S Iowa?

 

[Central Iowa]

Looks like it to me as well!!!

 

[MO-APE]

Dude- u r lucky!!! Looks like it to me. I could be wrong. Only other it could be is wild plum but does not appear to be. I have persimmon and wild plum and I'm thinking u have persimmon. If deer r messing with em- protect. If not, leave em to grow. Seem to be doing fine. Yes, keep spray away. Common sense- I'd give em at least a 100' buffer and do large water droplets while spraying. Man, u are lucky. I'd leave the "males" but that's just me. Unless they r competing with some "females". U ain't ever gonna see me cutting any persimmons in Iowa. That's a rare treat. Good luck *MO has lots of persimmons. To my knowledge only a handful of IOWA counties do in south. Rare! U in MO or S Iowa?

This farm is in Pike County MO

 

[MO-APE]

Dude- u r lucky!!! Looks like it to me. I could be wrong. Only other it could be is wild plum but does not appear to be. I have persimmon and wild plum and I'm thinking u have persimmon. If deer r messing with em- protect. If not, leave em to grow. Seem to be doing fine. Yes, keep spray away. Common sense- I'd give em at least a 100' buffer and do large water droplets while spraying. Man, u are lucky. I'd leave the "males" but that's just me. Unless they r competing with some "females". U ain't ever gonna see me cutting any persimmons in Iowa. That's a rare treat. Good luck *MO has lots of persimmons. To my knowledge only a handful of IOWA counties do in south. Rare! U in MO or S Iowa?

I can gather a bunch of the persimmons when they drop or dig up some of the small saplings if you want to try them.