VARIETIES OF THE QUINCE. 



variety, that produces a large fruit, but is now discarded. 

 It had its celebrity in this country fifty years ago. The 

 Musk was one of the sorts spoken of by Columella. 



12. PEAK QUINCE (Cydonia vulgaris v. ollonga). It 

 receives its name from being shaped like a pear, oblong, 

 and tapering to the stem. The fruit is yellow, the flesh 

 a little darker than the Orange, and much tougher, be- 

 coming woody around the core. It is of medium size, 

 and though one of the oldest, is also one of the poorest 

 varieties. It ripens much later than the Orange. Its 



Fig. 11. PEAR. 



Fig. 12. PORTUGAL. 



chief excellence is its high flavor. It is now little culti- 

 vated, better sorts taking its place. 



13. THE PORTUGAL QUINCE (Cydonia vulgaris v. 

 Lusitanica) is the earliest ripening of all the varieties, 

 being ten days earlier than the Orange quince. It is 

 not a vigorous grower, but has been used for stocks. The 

 leaf is a little longer and wider in proportion than the 

 Orange quince. The trunk and branches are peculiarly 

 marked by excrescences as smooth as those on the old 

 Orange are rough. The fruit is large, a little oblong, 

 tapering from the middle each way, like a Kieffer pear. 



