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late in autumn, the trees do not sufficiently recover from the cutting 

 before winter, by which operation they are made more susceptible of 

 injury by the cold. But if the operation is performed by the first of 

 September, they recover from its effects, and the wood ripens and thickens 

 before winter. If the cutting back is done annually, it will be sufficient to 

 take off from two-thirds to nine-tenths of this year's growth, thinning them 

 entirely out if too numerous ; or cutting off large portions, if done less fre- 

 quently, using judgment in giving the trees a handsome form. 



THE QUINCE. 



"We have selected quotations from five authorities on quince culture. They 

 do not agree in all the details but upon the management of the soil there 

 seems to be substantial unanimity. 



J. B. Rogers' Statement. — Precious things, as a rule, are well cared for, 

 yet the quince is an almost universal exception to this maxim. Why should 

 it generally be planted where no other fruit will thrive? A wet position is 

 selected for this tree, of all others the least able to withstand excessive moist- 

 ure at its roots. The weakest part of the quince is its roots. The fine fibres 

 fill the ground with a perfect network, running very close to the surface, 

 rendering cultivation, after a few years, impossible, requiring mulching as a 

 protection from the summer's heat and the winter's cold. 



Select for the quinces a deep, rich, cool soil, where the whole surface can 

 be exclusively occupied by the tree. The trunk as well as the roots need care- 

 ful protection. The afternoon's sun should be kept from the trunk by caus- 

 ing the branches to start near the ground, not over a foot or eighteen inches 

 high'. Train in tree rather than bush form, that is to a single trunk. 

 After planting use coarse manure as a mulch, bearing in mind the fact of the 

 quince being a gross feeder. 



A quince tree in healthy condition will produce an abundant crop of fruit 

 and make new wood from six to eight feet in hight. The secret of early 

 bearing is forcing the growth and severe pruning. Judicious pruning yearly 

 in the fall or winter is a prerequisite to successful culture. In the culture 

 of all fruits subject to borers these are a great, if not the greatest, cause of 

 weakening the vigor of trees ; hence make an examination in September for 

 them, and if found dig them out most thoroughly. 



For general culture the Orange or Apple Quince gives the best satisfac- 

 tion, yet there are at the present time several new varieties before the pub- 

 lic, some of which seem to deserve extensive trials, but whatever kind you 

 purchase give it a fair chance. The difference in the fruit of the same 

 variety, even, between ordinary and good culture, is frequently so marked 

 as to render the quince problem in relation to varieties not always an easy 

 one to determine by the grower. 



A Quince Grower in " Tribune." — As the quince, more than any other 

 tree, is supplied with an abundance of fibrous rootlets, and comparatively 

 destitute of large roots, it stands to reason that deep culture should not be 

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