STURTEVANT S NOTES ON EDIBLE PLANTS 475 



reached America in colonial times, for quince kernels were in the Memorandxmi of March 

 16, 1629, of seeds to be sent the Massachusetts Company.^ They are mentioned in Virginia 

 in 1648^ and again by Shrigley in 1669.' In 1720, they are mentioned as growing 

 abundantly.'' At Santa Cruz, Bartlett * writes: " There are two varieties of the quince 

 here, one hard and tart like our own, the other sweet and eatable in its raw state, yet 

 preserving the rich flavor of the former. The Mexicans gathered and ate them like apples 

 but I found them too hard for my digestive organs." In Chile, says Molina,' the quinces 

 are of large, size, though, like those of Europe, they have an acid and astringent taste but, 

 if siiffered to attain perfect maturity, they are very sweet and good. 



P. germanica Hook. f. medlar. 



Eastern Europe and the Orient. The medlar, although distributed throughout almost 

 the whole of Europe, is not indigenous but is a native of northern Persia. It was brough, 

 to Greece at an early period, and Theophrastus was acquainted with three varieties. At 

 the time of Cato, it was vmknown in Italy and was first brought there from Macedonia 

 after the Macedonian war. The fact that the Romans found the medlar in Gaul proves 

 only that it came there earlier in the way of trade.' Three varieties are considered worthy 

 of cultivation in England. The skin of the fruit is brown and the flesh firm and austeret 

 not at all fit to eat when first gathered and requiring to be kept until it begins to decay, 

 but, when it becomes completely disorganized and its green color has entirely gone, the 

 pulp, in its incipient state of decay has, to many tastes, an agreeable acidity. There 

 is a seedless variety which keeps longer than the other kinds. ' 

 P. glabra Boiss. 



Southern Persia. This species furnishes a fruit which is eaten.' In Luristan it 

 bears a substance which, according to Haussknecht, is collected by the inhabitants and 

 is extremely like oak manna.'" 



P. intermedia Ehrh. 



Europe. The fruit is red and eatable." 

 P. japonica Thimb. Japanese quince. 



The Japanese quince is said to have been first introduced into Europe in 181 5. The 

 fruit of the variety, says Downing, '^ is dark green, very hard and has a peculiar and not 

 impleasant smell. In the Michigan Pomological Society's Report,^^ the fruit is said to be 



' Mass. Records 1:24. 



' Perf. Desc. Va. 14. 1649. Force Coll. Tracts. 2: 1838. 



> Shngley True Rel. Va., Md. s- 1669. Force Coll. Tracts 3 : 1844. 



Hist. Mass. Hort. Soc. 21. 1880. 

 'Bartlett, J. R. Explor. Tex. 1:414. 1654. 



Molina Hist. Chili 1:134. 1808. 



' Unger, F. U. S. Pat. Off. Rpt. 341. 1859. (Mespiius germanica) 

 ' Thompson, R. Treas. Bot. 2:73^. 1870. 



Unger, F. U. S. Pal. Off. Rpt. 345. 1859. 

 "> Fluckiger and Hanbury Pkarm. 373. 1879. 

 "Don, G. Hist. Dichl. Pis. 2:6^7. 1832. 



" Downing, A. J. Fr. Fr. Trees Amer. 654. 1857. 



" Mich. Pom. Soc. Rpt. 469. 1879. {Cydonia japonica) 



