QUINCE CULTURE. 



CHAPTER I. 

 HISTORY OF THE QUINCE. 



CYDONIA, to which the Quince (0. vulgaris) belongs, is 

 a genus of trees and shrubs of the natural order Rosacece, 

 sub-order Pomece, and nearly allied to Pyrus, with which 

 some botanists unite it; but it is distinguished from Pyrus 

 by having many seeds in each cell, and by the abundance 

 of mucilage in the seed cells. It is found all through 

 Western Asia and Southern Europe, whence its cultiva- 

 tion has been extended. 



The rabbinical traditions of the Jews make it the 

 most ancient of all our fruits, dating back to the Garden 

 of Eden ; and there, by its exquisite beauty and delight- 

 ful fragrance, tempting Eve to commit her first disobedi- 

 ence. In harmony with this tradition, is the fact that 

 the quince grows in high perfection all through Palestine 

 and the surrounding countries. This fruit at Hebron is 

 so mild that many eat it out of hand, as we do apples 

 and pears. Both Jews and Mohammedans make great 

 use of it for various confections, preserving it in earthen 

 vessels akin to the crocks in use among us. According 

 to the " Horticulturist " for 1848-9, "The quince of Persia 

 attains a weight of fifty to sixty ounces ; ripens on the 

 tree or in the store, and can be eaten like a soft ripe pear." 



It was early cultivated among the Greeks, who called 

 it the Kudonion Malon, the Cydonian Apple, and used 

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