CHAPTER VI 

 VARIETIES OF QUINCES 



The quince, the "golden apple" of the an- 

 cients, once dedicated to deities, and looked 

 upon a? the emblem of love and happiness, for 

 centuries the favorite pome, is now neglected 

 and the least esteemed of commonly cultivated 

 tree-fruits. Never represented by a great num- 

 ber of named varieties, probably not more than 

 a half-hundred in any country at any one time, 

 the quince is now discarded from many nursery- 

 men's catalogs and appears under two, three, 

 or, at most, a half-dozen names in others. 

 Nineteen varieties are listed in this text, but it 

 is doubtful whether more than ten could be 

 purchased true to name from American 

 nurserymen or be found in the quince planta- 

 tions of the country. For the most part, the 

 descriptions are compiled. 



ANGERS. This variety is seldom or never 

 grown in America for its fruit, but nurserymen 

 import it from France as a stock upon which 

 to dwarf pears. The trees are more vigorous 

 and the leaves larger than those of other 

 quinces. Angers is propagated from cuttings 

 of young wood set in the autumn or from 

 mound-layers. According to French pomolo- 

 gists, the fruit is of value for culinary purposes ; 

 the flesh is a little harder than that of other 

 varieties, but becomes tender on cooking. The 

 crop ripens late and is reported to keep longer 

 than that of any other variety. 



BENTLY. About 1890, a Mr. Bently, Elba, 

 New York, brought cuttings of a quince from 

 Connecticut, which, upon coming in fruit, bore 

 especially fine quinces. Nelson Bogue, Batavia, 

 New York, thereupon introduced it as a new 

 variety under the name Bently. At the New 

 York Agricultural Experiment Station trees 

 from Mr. Bogue bore fruit identical with 

 Orange. A few nurserymen still list Bently as 

 distinct. 



CHAMPION. Fig. 101. Champion is one 

 of the three or four standard varieties of 

 American quinces, having to recommend it the 

 following notable characters: The fruits are 

 very large and handsome, with flesh almost as 

 tender as that of an apple, delicate in taste 

 and odor, which are imparted to any other 

 fruit with which the quinces are cooked. The 

 trees are large and vigorous, bear young, and 

 are very productive. The fruit ripens late and 

 keeps long. In the North, the quinces do not 

 ripen in short seasons, and the color is often 



too green for best appearance. Champion is 

 of American origin, its history dating back to 

 about 1870. 



101. Champion. 



Tree vigorous, productive, early in bearing. Fruit 

 large or very large, obtuse-pyriform, smooth or faintly 

 ribbed ; stem set obliquely in a slight depression ; basin 

 deep, narrow with deep narrow furrows ; color greenish- 

 yellow ; pubescence very heavy ; core large, open ; flesh 

 pale yellow, juicy, but firm, not spongy like that of 

 Orange, slightly astringent, aromatic, mild subacid ; 

 quality good. 



CHINESE QUINCE. For a description 

 of this quince, offered by some nurserymen as 

 an edible fruit, see Chcenomeles bagenaria, 

 page 12. 



D'ALGER. This French sort has been listed 

 in American catalogs since 1890, though it is 

 but sparingly grown. In the quince-growing 

 region about Geneva, New York, it has no 

 especial value. 



Tree small, rather unproductive. Fruit large, or 

 medium size, subject to a "spot disease," round at the 

 base but drawn out into an acute pyriform neck ; faintly 

 ribbed ; basin broad, furrowed ; stem inserted without 

 depression ; color lemon-yellow ; much pubescence ; flesh 

 light yellow, free from granules, rich, aromatic when 

 cooked, very tender and deep red in color; quality good 

 to best. 



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