854 



plantation the trees should be planted about eighteen feet apart. The 

 young plants will require some attention in pruning to keep them shapely 

 and to secure a strong growth of wood. Mature trees will not require so 

 much pruning, all that is necessary being the thinning out of the branches 

 when too numerous, the removal of rank or misplaced shoots, and stopping 

 those that are making too much growth. It is advisable to keep the 

 ground as free from weeds as possible by frequent light stirrings, taking 

 care not to disturb the roots to any extent. Before the warm weather 

 sets in the surface soil should be mulched four or five inches deep as far 

 as the roots extend, but care must be taken to keep the material clear of 

 .stems of the trees. Shelter is of great assistance to the Pomegranate, 

 and should be provided when necessary. When grown under favourable 

 conditions the Pomegranate will attain a great age, and there are in 

 France several specimens which are known to be over two centuries old. 



PROPAGATION. 



Propagation may be effected by seeds, cuttings, layers, budding, and 

 grafting. The first is a slow method as compared with the others, and is 

 but seldom practised. Cuttings of the previous year's growth strike 

 freely if taken off just before growth starts in the spring. Insert them 

 about three inches deep in sand or light soil. Plants are readily obtained 

 from layers, which may be put clown early in the spring or in the latter 

 part of the summer. Grafting and budding are methods by which 

 particularly choice varieties may be increased quickly, but for ordinary 

 purposes they are seldom practised. 



QUINCE. 



HISTORY. 



The Quince belongs to the Pomeae section of the natural order R 

 and is known botanically as Pi/rus Cydonia, and also as C ydonia vnlyarix. 

 The last-mentioned specific name has originated from the supposition that 

 the fruit was first cultivated at Cydon, a city in the Island of Crete. 

 The common English name Quince is supposed to be a corruption of 

 the French name coign ass. The Quince is indigenous to various countries 

 in Central, Eastern, and Southern Europe, and is also found in some 

 parts of Western Asia. From time immemorial the Quince appears to 

 have been cultivated, and by several of the nations of antiquity it was 

 held in high esteem. By the Greeks and Romans the fruit was recognised 

 as the emblem of love, happiness, and fruitfulness. The Quince was also 

 dedicated to Venus, and the temples of Cyrus and Paphos were profusely 

 decorated with this fruit. Some authorities consider the Quince to have 

 been the Golden Apple that, according to the fable, grew in the Garden 

 of the Hesperides. Pliny mentions several kinds as being grown in Italy 

 in his time, and speaks highly of the medicinal virtues of the fruit. He 



