THE MEDLAR AND THE TRUE SERVICE. 549 



standards, however, are produced by grafting at the height of from five, 

 to six feet on the pear, the thorn, or the mountain ash. The quince 

 is generally planted in the orchard, in some part where the soil is good 

 and somewhat moist ; it bears on two-years' old wood, and requires 

 little pruning except thinning out crossing, crowded, or decaying 

 branches. Trained against an espalier, it blossoms in May or the be- 

 ginning of June, and the fruit in October or November makes a fine 

 appearance. The fruit may be kept in the same manner as the apple, 

 on shelves ; or packed in sand, or kiln-dried straw. 



The Medlar. 



The medlar (Mespilus germanica, L.), a low deciduous tree, with 

 semi-pendulous branches, a native of Europe and the west of Asia, in 

 bushy places and woods, and said to be found wild in Kent, Sussex, 

 and some other parts of England. It flowers in May and June, and the 

 fruit is ripe in November. It makes a jelly, equal to guava, and is 

 eaten raw, in a state of incipient decay, when it has a peculiar flavour 

 and acidulous taste, relished by some but disliked by others. This 

 tree, when it has plenty of space, is a striking and unique object in the 

 landscape, the branches spreading wide and resting upon the ground, 

 and leaves, flower, and fruit, all have a singular and pleasing effect. 



Varieties. The Dutch medlar has the largest fruit ; the Nottingham 

 medlar has fruit of a livelier and more poignant taste; the stone- 

 less medlar has small obovate fruit, without stones or seeds ; and the 

 wild medlar has the leaves, flowers, and fruit smaller than in any of 

 the other kinds except the stoneless. The Gros Monstrueux, and the 

 Koyal have recently been added to these. 



Propagation, Soil, and other points of Culture and Management. 

 Grafting on its own species is considered the best mode of propagation 

 for the medlar as a fruit tree ; but it will root by layers, and, but with 

 difficulty, by cuttings. The seeds, if sown as soon as the fruit is ripe, 

 will come up the following spring, and make plants fit for grafting 

 dwarfs in two years, and standards in three years. It requires a 

 similar soil and situation to the quince, and the same treatment as 

 that tree in every other respect, excepting that no attempt is made to 

 keep the fruit longer than the period of its natural decay. It should 

 be laid lightly on the shelves, in order that it may not be bruised, and 

 is generally fit to eat about the end of November, and it lasts till the 

 end of January. 



The True Service. 



The True Service (Sorbus domestica, L.) is a middle-sized deciduous 

 tree, with a handsome regular head, a native of France and other parts 

 of central Europe, and of Barbary, in the neighbourhood of Algiers ; 

 and a solitary tree of the species has been found in Wyre Forest, near 

 Bewdley in Worcestershire. The leaves are pinnate, and closely re- 

 semble those of the mountain ash ; but the fruit is much larger, and, 

 when ripe, is of a rusty brown, tinged with yellow and red. It 



