VARIETIES OF FRUITS. 105 



grees in any soil and cover two inches over the top, and 

 growth will ensue. Here perhaps it may not be inappro- 

 priate to place the accompanying cut, showing how not 

 only the Quince proper, but the Blackberry, Raspberry, 

 Japan or Flowering Quince, Sweet Scented Shrub, and 

 other plants that naturally throw up suckers, may be 

 propagated. 



The soil that best suits the Quince is that of a loamy 

 deep character, and overflowed at times of freshets for a 

 day or two. But the tree can be grown profitably upon 

 the poorest soil, by applying on the surface a rich dress- 

 Ing of well rotted manure, and then mulching with old 

 litter, leaves, etc. 



The pruning of the Quince is a mere nothing. While 

 young, and even when old, sucker shoots will appear near 

 the crown of the root ; these should be removed, and 

 occasionally one of the leading, rapid-growing branches 

 on the tree will require to have three or four inches taken 

 from its end, so as to cause it to make stronger lateral 

 tranches, and so produce fruit without any breaking down. 

 Like all other fruits, the thinning out when one-fourth 

 grown of one-fourth of the fruit will cause the balance to 

 become larger, and fully pay the expense of pruning from 

 its increased value. 



OF VARIETIES, the Apple-shaped or Orange-shaped has 

 long been counted the most tender and best. The Por- 



