g6o Rural School Leaflet 



a pleasant nor an a^eeable fruit to eat in its fresh or raw state. It is 

 used chiefly for canning and making jelly. 



The quince is a short, bushy-growing plant, seldom reaching a height 

 of more than 15 feet. If allowed to grow as it will, it often resembles a 

 bush more than a tree, but by careful pruning the tree shape may be 

 obtained. The growth each year is short and much twisted and distorted, 

 unlike the straight, shapely shoots of the cherry and the peach. The 

 leaves are oval, dark green above, and downy below. The quince is very 

 closely related to the apple and the pear, belonging to the same family, 

 but it is not quite so hardy as these fruits. The fruit is five-celled, like 

 the apple and pear, and contains several seeds in each cell. All the fruit 

 is borne on wood of the same season's growth. In other words, when 

 the buds begin growth in the spring they form leafy shoots, and on these 

 shoots the blossoms soon appear. The flowers, which are borne singly, 

 resemble closely those of the apple, but are larger and more showy. They 

 shade from pure white to a distinct pink, and are so attractive that the 

 quince is sometimes kept for a flowering shrub. 



The quince thrives best in a rich, rather moist but well-drained soil 

 that contains a small amount of clay. Sandy soils are not so suitable, 

 as they dry out very quickly. The young trees should be set 12 to 15 

 feet apart, depending on the variety and the richness of the soil. Clean 

 culture should always be practiced, but cultivation should cease shortly 

 after midsummer, in order that the wood may be mature and hard before 

 cold weather comes. It is always well to sow a cover crop of rye, buck- 

 wheat, or cowpeas, to remain on the ground during the winter and pro- 

 tect the roots, which are very close to the surface. 



The quince is propagated in a number of ways. One of the most com- 

 mon methods is by budding, as with the apple and pear. Another common 

 method is by mound layering, which is performed in the following manner: 

 In the spring the bush is cut back so severely that many new shoots are 

 sent out during the summer. The next spring, the earth is heaped or 

 mounded around these shoots, leaving but a few inches above the surface 

 of the soil. These shoots take root, and the following fall or spring they 

 are separated from the parent plant and set out. 



The pruning consists in keeping the head fairly open to air and sunlight 

 and in cutting the young wood back each year in order to thin the fruit 

 and to insure a good growth of wood for the succeeding season. 



The fruit is extremely tender, bruising very easily, and therefore must 

 be handled with great care. It ripens at about the same time as the pear, 

 or even later. It is marketed in peck baskets, in bushel kegs, or in half- 

 barrels. The most common varieties are the Orange, the Champion, and 

 the Rea. 



The quince is easy to grow and should be planted in every home garden. 



