AN ENCYCLOPEDIA OF HORTICULTURE. 



267 



Quince continued. 



quantities, to Apples when cooking, to give briskness 

 and increased flavour. The chief use of the Quince-tree 

 is, perhaps, that of providing: stocks whereon to graft 

 Pears. It is naturally inclined to root near the surface, 

 and the roots are fibry, in comparison with those of the 

 Pear itself, which is also used. The Quince stock 

 possesses, in most instances, the valuable property of 

 dwarfing the growth of Pear-trees, and causing them to 

 become more productive than they would be on their own 

 roots ; hence, it is extensively and most successfully used 

 for this purpose (see Fear). Most orchards in all the 

 southern parts of the country, at least are furnished 

 with one or more specimens of Quince. The trees seldom 

 perfect their fruit northwards. 



FIG. 345. FRUIT AND LEAVES OF PORTUGAL QUINCE. 



Propagation is most generally effected by cuttings 

 and by layers; by seeds also, when any are obtainable. 

 Cuttings of the current year's wood, with a heel of two- 

 year-old wood attached, may be inserted in the open 

 ground, early in autumn. They soon root, and will be 

 ready for grafting or budding about the second, or some- 

 times the third, year afterwards. Layers may be obtained 

 in quantity from an old stool that has been cut down. 

 Young shoots proceed from the base, and when firm 

 enough, the following autumn, these may be layered, 

 or the stock itself covered with soil, into which the 

 new growths will root. The following autumn, they may 

 be detached and planted in nursery rows, and the next 

 year other young ones will again proceed from the 

 stock, which may, in turn, be similarly treated. 



The Quince is not naturally inclined to grow straight 

 and upright; to get standard trees, therefore, consider- 

 able attention and encouragement are necessary in train- 

 ing to get a vigorous and tolerably straight stem. As 

 a stock, the Quince is not much required to form 

 standards : the straight stem may be obtained, as a rule, 

 more easily by adopting a system of double-grafting, as 

 described under Pear. 



Quince-trees succeed best in rather moist situations, 

 where the soil is rich and somewhat light, not of a 

 heavy, clayey nature. An open, sunny situation is neces- 

 sary where the ripening and perfecting of fruit is of 

 importance. The fruits may be allowed to hang on the 

 tree until the approach of frost: they are seldom ripe 

 before the end of October. When gathered, they should 

 be laid on clean straw, or on a cool fruit-room shelf, 

 away from other specimens of fruit, until becoming quite 

 yellow, when they will be fit for use. 



Quince continued. 



There are only three principal varieties of Quince 

 cultivated for the use of their fruits. These are enume- 

 rated below. 

 Apple-shaped. Fruit roundish, somewhat similar to an apple. 



of a rich golden colour when ripe. Tree very productive. 

 Pear-shaped. Kruit pyriform, rather larger than the preceding, 

 and later in ripening ; skin also paler-coloured, and rather woolly 

 This is the variety most commonly grown. 



Portugal. Fruit very large, sometimes 4in. long and 3in. in 

 diameter at the thickest part, elongated, and often irregular in 

 outline ; skin deep yellow, thickly covered with a woolly sub- 

 stance. This variety is superior in flavour to either of the 

 others, but the tree is not so productive. It grows very 

 vigorously. See Fig. 345. 



QUINCE, BENGAL. See 2Cgle. 



QUININE PLANTS. The principal of these are 

 several species of Cinchona, viz., C. Calisaya, C. Ledger- 

 iana, C. officinalis, G. succirubra, &o. 



QUINQUE. A term, used in Latin compounds, sig- 

 nifying five; e.g., Quinquefoliolate, five-'eaved; Quinque- 

 nerved, applied to a leaf having five ribs all proceeding 

 from the same point of the base. 



QUINSY-BERRY. The fruit of Ribes nigrum. 



QUINTILIA. A synonym of Stauranthera (which 

 see). 



QUISQUALIS (from quis, who, and qualis, what 

 kind; it was uncertain, when the name was given, to 

 what class or order the genus belonged). OED. Combre- 

 tacece. A genus consisting of two species of stove, 

 climbing shrubs, with slender branchlets, natives of 



FIG. 346. FLOWERING BRANCHT.ET OF QUISQUALIS INDICA. 



tropical Asia and tropical and South Africa. Flowers 

 white or red (colours variable), showy, disposed in short, 

 axillary and terminal spikes, sometimes racemose; calyx 

 tube produced a considerable length above the ovary; 

 petals five, large or small, obtuse. Fruit rather large, 

 dry, oblong, coriaceous, five-winged, one-seeded. Leaves 

 opposite or nearly so, membranous, oblong or obovate, 



