782 THE AMERICAN FARMER. 



for this purpose, while its piquant flavor is readily communicated to other fruits, such as 

 apples, when cooked with it. It is also excellent for household purposes when dried. With 

 proper care and suitable soil, the quince may be easily cultivated in all parts of the country, 

 and there is no fruit that can be more profitably grown in sections to which it is adapted. 



Varieties. The ORANGE is the most popular variety of quince, and may be called the 

 very best of all, the fruit being large, round, fine-grained, excellent flavored, and when 

 cooked very tender. The ANGERS is a hardy, productive variety, of good quality. The 

 CHAMPION is a recent variety, now quite popular. It was found growing in a garden in Dan- 

 bury, Conn., and has since been widely disseminated. It is much larger than the Orange, 

 quite hardy and productive, but the fruit is coarse-grained and less delicate in flavor than the 

 latter. REA S MAMMOTH is also a large new variety of promise. When we consider the value 

 of the quince, whether for home use or market, it is surprising that so little has been done 

 during the last half century to improve it. 



Collecting, Gathering, etc. The quince may be propagated from layers, cuttings, 

 grafting, budding, and the seed, but more commonly from layers or cuttings, since when pro 

 duced from seed it is more liable to vary in form and quality. The following directions 

 from a successful grower of this fruit in Northern Connecticut will furnish excellent sugges 

 tions relative to its culture: &quot;It is true quinces have not of late years been cultivated as 

 much as formerly, or as much as would have proved profitable to the cultivators. Many of 

 those who have attempted quince culture have failed to bestow the necessary care, and in 

 fact have planted the bushes in out-of-the-way and unfavorable places. Above all others we 

 should recommend the Orange variety. If set from eight to ten feet apart, quince bushes 

 will soon cover the ground so as to keep down the weeds and render the labor of cultivation 

 light. 



Until they do cover the ground, they should be well taken care of, and this the borers 

 will compel if one expects to obtain fruit. These insect pests should be hunted out and 

 destroyed the same as they are from apple trees. It is a very good plan to apply a bushel or 

 two of coal ashes in the fall to form a mound around the trunk, and then spread the ashes 

 out late in the spring. Quinces are easily propagated by cuttings which are usually taken off 

 in spring early, from wood of last year s growth, and about one-fourth in length. The buds 

 should all be cut out except the two upper ones, and the cuttings set erect about ten inches 

 deep in rich, moist, sandy soil. If the ground is available where moisture can be assured in 

 summer without a surplus of water in winter, or which can be disposed of by draining, it is 

 the most desirable location for quinces. The month of September is the best time for making 

 and putting in the cuttings. Small beds may be made well shaded from noonday sun, and 

 watered during the summer season. 



Quinces can also be propagated by layers, which are made in the spring by bending 

 down and pegging. They usually form roots the first season, and will answer the following 

 spring to be cut from the parent plant and transplanted into nursery rows. If raised from 

 the seed quinces can be budded or grafted the same as the apple or the pear. The soil for 

 successful growth should be rich and not less than two feet deep, and kept free from grass 

 and weeds. Barnyard manure well rotted and spaded in, will not only improve the quantity, 

 but also the quality of quinces. New plantations, if to be made in old, worn-out soils, should 

 first have a liberal dressing of virgin earth composted with leaf mold from the woods. A 

 free use of liquid manures, applied during winter and spring, has a decidedly beneficial effect 

 upon the quantity and character of the fruit. Peat muck is often applied with good effect, 

 composted with wood ashes. 



A shaded situation, so often advised, should be avoided, since the quince requires as 

 much sunshine as any other fruit. Fall is the best time for transplanting the quince, though 



