ABOUT FRUITS, FLOWERS AND FARMING. 325 



THE QUINCE. 



have nothing to say that has not been well said by 

 Downing, in his most interesting chapter on the Quince. 

 His Fruit and Fruit Trees of America, by the way, is 

 beyond all question the best pomological manual, all things 

 considered, which has appeared at home or abroad. 



To return to the quince ; we marvel that so few trees 

 have found a place in our collections of fruit. Quinces bear 

 transportation, and will, upon an average, bring two dollars 

 a bushel. They sell extravagantly high every year, and yet 

 no one seems to take the hint. 



Our favorite mode of increasing the quince, is by layers. 

 The tree being low and inclined to be bushy, there is always 

 an abundance of suitable wood to lay down. Twenty or 

 thirty or even more rooted plants may be obtained in a 

 single season ; and the layers throw out such a profusion of 

 roots that the only difficulty will be to separate each plant 

 with its roots from the tough and matted abundance which 

 will be found to have filled the soil. If laid down in the 

 spring, they may be removed by midsummer, a cool and 

 moist day being chosen, and the plants shaded until they 

 start again to growing. If this is done, a second set of 

 layers may be put down to remain over fall and winter and 

 be removed the next spring. 



Trees intended for the fruit-compartment of the garden 

 should be trained to a single stem, when they will make a 

 low and not altogether unsymmetrical tree ; at any rate, a 

 tree much more convenient than the quince bush which we 

 usually find in our garden corners. 



Where the seed is to be planted, they should be prepared 

 they are covered with a thick mucilaginous matter which 

 restrains their quick germination. Let them be put into 

 water for tAvelve hours, and the water will become nearly 

 as thick as paste. Pour it off and repeat the operation 

 until they are nearly clean ; mix them with sand and so^ 

 them immediately. 



