232 BOAKD OF AGRICULTURE. 



(a.) The stock is thus kept soft and moist, and so swells more 

 evenly with the pear as it grows. It also throws out roots from 

 the stock fully up to the point of union with the pear. The quiuce 

 is the only one of our fruit trees which does this freely. It should 

 be remembered that the office of the quince in this case is simply 

 to furnish roots for the tree, and if properly planted, only a few 

 years will elapse before the viain roots will proceed from just below 

 the point of union. Planting dwarf pears at the same depth at 

 which they stood in the nursery when budded, is almost 'sure to 

 keep them dwarfs, in the objectionable sense of the word in which 

 it is sometimes used, and to insure their being short-lived. Doing 

 this has been a common error, and the cause of numerous failures. 



(6.) It favors the throwing out of roots from the pear itself, 

 thus adding to the vigor and longevity of the tree. In this case 

 the tree loses somewhat of its distinctive character as a quince 

 rooted tree, but by the time this takes place it has commenced 

 bearing, and being well furnished with fruit spurs, it continues to 

 bear as freely as if it had no roots directly from the pear. 



(c.) The quince is as liable to the attacks of the borer as the 

 apple tree, but as the eggs producing this worm are never depos- 

 ited below, but rather at and above the surface, it is thus secured 

 from its depredations. 



Sixth — Bestow clean culture. Keep all weeds down and the 

 ground mellow. Mulching is of great assistance. As the roots of 

 ike quince do not extend far or wide like those of the pear or apple, 

 but are mostly small and fibrous, it is necessary to place a suf- 

 ciency of food within their reach. If the ground was properly pre- 

 pared at the outset, this is best done by an annual top-dressing. 



Seventh — Good pruning, thus giving proper form to the tree, and 

 by an annual shortening in of the young shoots, limiting the size 

 of the tree to the amount of its roots. The branches should be as 

 low as consists with safety from breaking down by heavy snows. 



Eighth — Never allow the trees to carry more fruit than they 

 can ripen to perfection, and at the same time keep up a heaUliy 

 growth of both top and roots. This involves the necessity often- 

 times of a severe thinning out of the fruit in its early stages — and 

 requires some nerve on the part of one who has not learned its 

 necessity by experience. 



If these things be attended to, the cultivator will find the pear 

 on the quince the most delicious and bountiful of fruits, richly re- 



